Deborah Bloomfield

Space probes to Venus have detected flashes of light in its clouds that were widely assumed to be lightning. However, a reassessment suggests they are more likely to represent tiny pieces of space dust burning up in the thick Venusian atmosphere.  From the point of view of those seeking to explore the second planet, this […]

Giant fissures have been appearing in the ground across the southwest US. In southcentral Arizona alone, 272 kilometers (169 miles) of these cracks have been mapped, while they have also appeared in Utah, California and Texas.  The cracks are not natural formations, according to Joseph Cook of the Arizona Geological Survey, who told Insider that […]

It is commonly assumed that excessive gaming can lead to various health problems, including poor emotional regulation, bad diets, erratic sleep patterns, and cause mood issues like anxiety, depression, and aggression. However, a new study has shown that contrary to this belief, gamers can actually be healthier than expected. Engaged vs. addicted As of this year, […]

Some of the rarest and most endangered sharks on Earth appear to be influenced by lunar cycles, as they have been observed gathering in enormous numbers during the full Moon. Exactly why these Moon hangouts are taking place is something science has yet to pin down, but research into the phenomenon has turned up some […]

The JWST has added to our knowledge of the first “habitable zone” planet beyond the Solar System around which we detected atmospheric water. The spectrum the space telescope obtained shows strong evidence of carbon dioxide and methane, both gases that can have biological origins but are also common without. More significantly, but much more tentatively, […]

Two ancient human ancestors have achieved the unlikely achievement of becoming “post-mortem astronauts” after parts of their fossilized skeletons were blasted into space late last week. Fossilized remains of a 2-million-year-old hominin species called Australopithecus sediba and a 250,000-year-old species named Homo naledi were launched on Virgin Galactic’s spaceship, VSS Unity, on September 8, 2023.  […]

A newly developed vaccine could be used to reverse the symptoms of several autoimmune diseases, like multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes, without shutting down the entire immune system. Why an “inverse vaccine”? Vaccines normally work to increase immunity, which is the opposite of how you’d want to treat an autoimmune disease, where the immune […]

At some point, somebody has probably told you that the number of people alive on Earth right now outnumbers the number of dead who have ever lived. It might seem a plausible idea. The human population – fueled by industrialization and farming improvements – grew significantly in the last two centuries, from 1.6 billion in […]

You might think the above image shows a couple of pieces of string, but these unassuming little things are so much more than that. They’re actually robots, created without “brains” or computerized intelligence, but capable of wiggling their way out of some very complex spaces. The team behind this breakthrough, from North Carolina State University, […]

Which scorpion sounds like a scorpion, looks like a scorpion, but isn’t a scorpion? Why, it’s the water scorpion, of course, known scientifically as Nepa cinerea. These unique aquatic insects have some truly peculiar adaptations that have shaped them into stealthy underwater hunters with what’s effectively a snorkel sticking out of their butts. Water scorpions […]

Apart from being a children’s favorite for making your voice squeaky at the end of a birthday party, helium has lots of surprising and very unusual qualities and applications in the world. Despite being the second most abundant element in the universe, helium is actually pretty rare on Earth and it’s only getting more so. […]

The first humans to make it into Europe were quick to get “friendly” with the Neanderthals they met there. A number of recent studies have not only confirmed that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals regularly interbred but they did so more frequently than previously assumed. The evidence is useful for our understanding of how humans migrated out […]

If you enjoy a nice, long stroll on the beach, here’s a new challenge – around 226 kilometers (140 miles) of continuous sandy shoreline.  Stretching all the way from Brazil to its border with Uruguay, Praia do Cassino is the longest sea beach in the world. Beginning in the historic seaport city of Rio Grande, […]

A bathroom towel welcomes millions upon millions of bacterial visitors after just a single use, so it might worry you to hear that a concerning proportion of people only wash their towels a couple of times a year (at least if this survey from the UK is anything to go by).  A recent study courtesy […]

The “no-hair theorem” of black holes, which greatly simplifies the way we model them, may not be true if an alternative theory of gravity known as the teleparallel formulation is correct, an unpublished paper argues. This could make the study of black holes considerably more complicated, but it would also allow physicists to understand them […]

During the 1990s, locals and archaeologists recovered some unusual items in the mountains of the Eilat region in Southern Israel, on a route that was often taken by pilgrims traveling to Mecca. Now, researchers believe the items were used by types of sorcerers who performed popular magic ceremonies. The research was conducted by Dr Itamar […]

A rewilding success story is being celebrated in the Caribbean where, in just a few short years, the barren moonscape of the island of Redonda has been transformed into a lush wildlife sanctuary. Now named the Redonda Ecosystem Reserve, it’s been assigned protected status, becoming one of the largest protected areas in the Caribbean. Spanning […]

Tomorrow’s the day if you want to have the best possible chance of gazing upon the green spectacle of Comet Nishimura. You’ll need to be prepared for an early start, but this comet takes 437 years to do a lap of the Solar System, so we really are talking about a once in a lifetime […]

Ethiopia has completed the final phase of filling a reservoir for its highly controversial hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile River, much to the annoyance of Egypt who fear it could sever them from the Nile’s precious waters. Fueled by climate change and ongoing geopolitical tension, it’s often been said that the problem of water […]