Deborah Bloomfield

Smashing rocks and rubbing sticks are the two most basic techniques to make fire, yet it is unclear which human species first mastered these incendiary procedures. To try and solve the riddle, researchers have analyzed the cognitive processes required for each method, determining that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens probably invented different modes of ignition. Exactly […]

In the southwestern Indian Ocean, the volcanic island of Anjouan is home to a strange geological mystery. On the island, residents and geologists keep finding a type of rock that shouldn’t be there. The island formed on an ocean basin, when tectonic plates shifted away from each other and magma moved up and cooled to […]

Rollercoasters are a great divider. Some people crave the rush, while for others it’s a hard pass on doing a dress rehearsal of dying in a high-speed crash. Competition between theme parks has seen designs for rides go bigger, higher, and faster, but is there a limit to how big a rollercoaster can be before […]

The strange appearance and counter-rotation of the nearby galaxy M64 can be explained by a recent merger with a small galaxy similar in mass to the Sun’s near neighbor the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The Milky Way is expected to consume the SMC eventually so this may offer a view of our distant future. M64 […]

There’s a strange story that often does the rounds on internet forums and podcasts, which speaks of a giant 15-meter (50-foot) snake that lurks in the depths of Central Africa, prone to lurch out of the jungle and strike passing helicopters if it feels threatened. Like many tales of cryptozoology, it’s almost certainly nonsense, but […]

Two residents of Texas have died following a possible outbreak of fungal meningitis, the state’s Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has said in an update. According to the department, the state is investigating 155 people with possible links to the source of the outbreak, with eight patients considered to have probable meningitis, and another […]

Exploding rocks could ruin your campfire if you don’t choose wisely when getting set up. Placing firewood in a ring of rocks can be a good way to lessen the risk of starting a wildfire, as well as acting as a barrier for wind that might blow out the early embers, but you need to […]

A urologist has said that men should sit down to pee, following the results of a 13-country survey which found that a lot of men never do that. On May 16, data analytics firm YouGov released the results of an important survey, breaking down by country what percentage of men pee standing up or sitting. […]

Bones from Dinosaur Cove, Australia, prove the presence of flying reptiles at the location 107 million years ago. The importance of this find lies in the fact that at the time the Cove lay inside the Antarctic Circle, meaning the Sun did not rise for weeks on end. This certainly tells us something important about […]

Regardless of how comfortable you are with math, you’ve probably heard of Pythagoras – or at the very least, the Pythagorean Theorem that bears his name.  But if that’s all you know about the ancient Greek philosopher, you’re missing out. Firstly, because Pythagoras was not, in fact, the first guy to come up with a2 […]

Pick your way along the rocky beaches that line many seashores in the UK and, before too long, you’ll most likely come across a hag stone. Often made of flint, these rocks can easily be recognized by their naturally occurring holes. There’s a scientific explanation for how the holes come to be – but that’s […]

A new immunotherapy developed in Israel has been announced to be around 90 percent effective at putting patients with multiple myeloma into complete remission, offering hope for people with a currently incurable disease.  The innovative therapy is already used in other cancers where possible. It involves reprogramming the patient’s immune cells to recognize and attack […]

Picturing Antarctica is sure to conjure up images of penguins (not polar bears), and a pristine wilderness full of snowy mountains and floating white icebergs. However, not all icebergs are just one color, as these colorful striped icebergs reveal. To start with, icebergs are made of snow and glacier ice, which is very compressed snow […]

The suspected “Russian spy” whale is back on a not-so-secret mission to charm Sweden. First spotted in Norway in 2019, the beluga has now been sighted off the coast of Sweden, according to OneWhale, a Norwegian conservation organization.  While the whale is in a vulnerable position here, authorities have taken steps to ensure he is […]

Astrophysical jets are common in many celestial bodies, but they don’t get more spectacular than those produced by supermassive black holes. Particles from around a black hole are accelerated to almost the speed of light, creating structures often extending up to millions of light-years. We are not certain how these structures form – and now, […]

From purple tomatoes to increasingly large ears of corn, genetic engineering is everywhere and has been creeping onto our plates over the last few decades. But how did civilization get to this point and what does it mean for your food? A history of genetic engineering Most of the food we eat today has been […]

This article first appeared in Issue 8 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS.  “Ribbed” does exactly what it says on the tin in this winning shot from Aleksei Permiakov, who scooped first place in the nudibranch category for Ocean Art 2022. Spotted off the coast of Bali, Indonesia, this alien-like Tambja morosa sea slug has […]

After years of trying to identify what exactly long COVID is, a new study has narrowed its long list of suspected symptoms down to just a handful. Previously over 200 symptoms were thought to be associated with the cryptic lingering condition, but it has now been clearly defined with the 12 most common and consistent […]

Dogs have big personalities, but what dictates them is a relatively understudied area of science. We know that genetic and environmental factors can bring out bad behaviors like aggression and biting, but what are the leading drivers of whether your dog is a goofy gal or a grumpy guy? A new study has found out […]

Say you find yourself alone in space, on a spacewalk to repair damage to your space station. You are hit by some stray space debris, and slowly the air drains out of your pressurized suit from a puncture. You only have a few seconds to get back inside before you become one of the very […]