Deborah Bloomfield

Masturbation was once widely considered “unnatural” and is still labeled that way in some circles today. Yet if nature is what is done by non-humans then nothing could be further from the truth. Although presumably not the domain of plants or rocks, self-loving is widespread across the animal kingdom (and queendom for that matter). When […]

The tiny Romanian town of Costești is home to a bunch of rocks like none other. Not content with the typical sedentary life of rocks, these bulging boulders slowly ooze their innards and can even appear to grow and move as if they were alive. Known as trovants, it’s no surprise the geological oddballs are […]

Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe, and it comes in the form of a single atom or paired up in a molecule. Atomic hydrogen can emit a particular light as it changes quantum state, known as the 21-centimeter line – the particular wavelength of the radio emission (equivalent to 8.27 inches). New […]

The zombie fungus has exploded out of the parasitized corpses of insects and into the world of media, having now spread its spores from gaming into television as it got the HBO treatment in The Last Of Us, which launched yesterday. The original game of the same name was inspired by none other than Sir […]

What happens in the Pacific doesn’t stay in the Pacific. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle describes how a pattern of climate fluctuations in the Pacific Ocean has a global impact on the world – from wind, temperature, and rainfall patterns to the intensity of hurricane seasons and even the distribution of fish in the […]

A network of brain connections linked to a number of different psychiatric disorders has been discovered in a new study. The authors believe that the findings could help explain why so many patients being treated for one psychiatric illness also meet the criteria for another. In the past, technology has not allowed scientists to easily […]

A new magma chamber bubbling beneath an active submarine volcano off the coast of Greece has been discovered. While it doesn’t necessarily mean the volcano poses an immediate danger, the magma chamber’s discovery suggests the underwater volcano has the potential to reach “boiling point” within the next two centuries.  An international team of researchers used […]

Images generated by artificial intelligence (AI) have come a long way in recent years. In 2014, for instance, a top-of-the-range industry-leading AI could just about produce an image that looked like it was taken on a Game Boy color. Now it’s possible to type in a few words, and less than a few minutes later […]

Ukrainian doctors have successfully removed a live grenade from the inside of a soldier, where it was lodged just under the heart. The grenade, which “could have gone off at any moment”, was handled by the surgeons under the supervision of two sappers (servicepeople involved in landmine clearance) to minimize the risk of explosion.   […]

While walking along Red Creek, London, Texas in June 1936, Emma Zadie Hahn and her husband Max Edmond Hahn made an unusual discovery: a piece of wood poking out of what appeared to be an ancient rock formation. The story goes that ten-ish years later, their son, who was clearly born with the merest hint […]

In the year 1181 CE, astronomers in China and Japan observed a new bright object appearing in the constellation of Cassiopea. These observers called it a “Guest Star”. The most likely culprit was a supernova – but for 840 years, this object was lost. The object was seen again in 2013, but it was only […]

Nature is weird. One minute it’s producing the most adorable panda you’ve ever seen, the next it throws in a parasite that bites off the tongue of its host, then pretends to be that tongue. Yes, as beautiful as nature (and evolution) can be, sometimes it can produce some shockers. Redditors have been sharing some […]

A version of this article was first published in 2018 and we are pretty much resharing it as it was because the whole corporate invention of “Blue Monday” continues to be peddled as “science”, and there are only a limited number of ways to say this is bullsh*t. It’s the third week of January and […]

Buddhist monks who practice deep meditation on a daily basis may have a healthier microbiome than non-meditators, according to a new small-scale study. After analyzing the gut bacteria of 37 monks from three temples in Tibet, the study authors found that the devotees had higher concentrations of several beneficial strains than their secular counterparts. “Tibetan […]

In Bronze Age Greece and Crete, marrying one’s first cousin was commonplace, new research suggests. The “unprecedented” finding marks the first time researchers have been able to peek behind the curtains of ancient marriages in Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece, using genetic material from human bones. In another first, the researchers were also able to […]

Evidence is building up fast that most people need time in nature to be healthy, both physically and mentally. Although it cannot prove causation, a Finnish study has shown that better health for regular users of nature may cover a broad range of conditions, at least based on the medications they consume. Those who visit […]

A common ingredient in cough syrup, ambroxol, is being tested as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Researchers led by a team at UCL will soon launch a Phase 3 clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of the drug in 330 people with the disease. “I am delighted to be leading this exciting project,” said study […]

The world’s largest plane has taken to the skies to prove that having a 117-meter (385-foot) wingspan does not stop it from going the distance, after breaking yet another world record by flying for six hours straight. Stratolaunch’s Roc, a launch vehicle for hypersonic aircraft and currently the world’s largest plane, completed a six-hour flight […]

One 400 million-year-old trilobite specimen has revealed new insights into the evolution of sexual combat weaponry. The trilobite’s trident, typically a three-pronged fork that was thought to be used for feeding, had four prongs, leading researchers to believe that it evolved for fighting, not feeding. “The extraordinary Devonian trilobite Walliserops carried a unique, giant trident on […]