Deborah Bloomfield

Ever wondered why a sudden reversal of opinion is called a “full 180”? Or why a gaming company might call their new product an “Xbox 360” to imply it can offer the full range of entertainment options? Like everything great in the world, it all comes down to math – specifically, geometry. Both of these […]

It’s looking increasingly likely that El Niño is on its way. In turn, this could have major implications for weather patterns worldwide as well as some worrying consequences for the climate crisis. The latest NOAA update has stated that El Niño is “knocking on the door” with above-average surface temperatures rising in the tropical Pacific, […]

Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia has called out Elon Musk for treating free speech as a slogan and not as a principle. The comment is one of the many criticisms laid against the Twitter CEO in the last few days over the social media platform’s dealings with the Turkish government, on the eve of […]

If you believe what you read on the Internet, Leonardo da Vinci predicted the end of the world and that it would happen sooner than is ideal. According to various tabloid stories, the famed 15th-century painter predicted the end of the world, hiding clues to the date inside his paintings of the Last Supper like […]

Around 300,000 years ago, a family of early humans visited a lake bordered by open forest. We don’t know if they came there to drink, swim, or forage, but hunting the herds of giant beasts found there was probably not on their agenda. Their footprints not only record their presence, but place them in an […]

Two separate cases of severe ringworm that did not respond to antifungal treatment are discussed in a new case report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It marks the first time that known cases of drug-resistant ringworm have been identified in the US, and has sparked fears that the pathogen responsible may […]

In a world where internet connection is crucial to our lives, having enough bandwidth is very important. And it’s important even if you are out of this world. Going beyond radio communications between Earth and Space is work that has been going on for decades and the next big leap will be the return to […]

A man living in Australia under the name John Vincent Damon was actually escaped US prisoner William Leslie Arnold, according to DNA evidence obtained by US Marshals in Nebraska. Arnold was 16 when he murdered both his parents and buried them in the backyard, according to the US Marshall Service. He told family members and […]

The Smoking Hills of Canada may look like they’re the product of volcanic activity or strange geothermal forces deep beneath the Earth’s surface, but the smoldering landscape is actually the result of an ongoing chemical reaction that’s been running for thousands of years. This hellish sight is found on the east coast of Cape Bathurst […]

Frost quakes, like the ones that struck a city in Finland 26 times in just seven hours, could become more common if the climate crisis continues to cause extreme weather in cold regions. Also known as cryoseisms or ice quakes, these peculiar and understudied weather phenomena are triggered by water freezing in saturated rocks or […]

A load of 1,800-year-old marble columns has been found among the wreck of a ship in Israel. Dating back to the age of the Roman Empire, this is the oldest sea cargo of its kind ever discovered in the Eastern Mediterranean. Recent dives to the site have shown that the ship was carrying a number […]

A professor from Florida has broken the world record for longest time submerged underwater without depressurization, after remaining down there for 74 days. Joseph Dituri, also known as Dr Deep Sea, remained in a scuba lodge under the Florida Keys and broke the previous record of just over 73 days, set in exactly the same […]

There is a rare astronomical event happening on Friday, May 19 that you won’t be able to see. It’s a new Moon, the lunar phase where the Moon is not visible to us because the Moon is on the day side. Friday’s one is a rarity because it is an extra new Moon this season, […]

A new organelle has been found inside the cells of an animal for the first time. Named PXo bodies, they interact with inorganic phosphate in a way that’s previously only been seen in the cells of bacteria, plants, and yeast, but now it’s turned up in one of the most studied animals on Earth. The […]

After a month of trying, the radar antenna on the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is finally unfolded and operable. The Radar for Icy Moons Exploration (RIME) antenna failed to deploy after launch, which flight controllers blamed on an errant pin. The problem has now been solved, leaving all 10 of JUICE’s instruments in working […]

This week, a new analysis claims mass produced lab-grown meat could release up to 25 times more emissions than the global beef industry, a draft of the first-ever human pangenome aims to incorporate the full diversity of humanity, and we dive into the world of Dungeons and Dragons to see how it can benefit our […]

Archaeologists in Mexico are urging people who find megafauna fossils not to share their discoveries online after a collection of mammoth remains was looted before researchers had a chance to study them. According to a recent report, ancient fossils are often damaged or destroyed by careless plunderers, some of whom are so blasé about the […]

A YouTuber accused of deliberately crashing his plane in a bid to go viral has pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal investigation. Trevor Jacob faces up to 20 years behind bars after admitting he purposely crashed a small plane in California and attempted to hide the evidence, according to the US Department of Justice.  On […]