Deborah Bloomfield

Elephant whiskers aren’t like those found on other animals, like cats and rats. They are thick and immobile, leading researchers to wonder what purpose they actually serve. Elephant whiskers were first described back in 1890, but a new study is the first of its kind to dive into how the bristles may benefit these animals. […]

An enormous pit stuffed with the burned remains of animals, ancient treasures, and unanswered questions was discovered in 1978 by archaeologists in Andalucía, Spain. Here, in the Guadiana Valley, they found the remnants of three temples that housed members of an ancient civilization. That was, until one day they decided to pack it all up, […]

The Ancient Egyptians are famed for their intricate hieroglyphic writing system, with many stunning (and disturbing) examples surviving to this day. But have you ever wondered how their spoken language would have sounded, and – more importantly – how we know? Take a trip back into the past to find out more. Advertisement Credit: NativLang […]

A deadly and previously incurable type of heart disease has been entirely reversed for the first time, leaving the patients with no symptoms. The team of researchers from University College London found a set of antibodies that reversed transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) in three men, which would otherwise have likely caused death within four years.  […]

In 2007, a man planned to go on a voyage to the North Pole to find the “gateway” to the center of the Earth, spurred on by his understanding of the “Hollow Earth” theory which had been disproved in 1774. Back before we really knew what was going on beneath our feet, there were theories. […]

Opportunistic wolves in Northern Minnesota have been observed fishing consistently year on year during the fish spawning season, a long-term study has revealed. Previously thought to be a behavior seen in just a couple of individuals, remote cameras and GPS collars have shown multiple individuals across different packs actively fishing in rivers and creeks.  Wolves […]

Hawaiʻi’s Mount Kīlauea volcano erupted once again this week, sending a deluge of noxious gas, volcanic glass, and lava into the surrounding area. A livestream of this magnificent – and very dangerous – spectacle can be seen in the video player below.  The eruption from the Halemaʻumaʻu crater of Kīlauea started at 4:44 am on […]

Love may be a distinctly human trait, but a new theory proposes that romance might have evolved from bromances between ancient apes. According to anthropologist Aaron Sandel from the University of Texas at Austin, human romantic relationships resemble the close friendships formed by male chimpanzees, suggesting that the ability to develop close emotional bonds may […]

What’s the tallest mountain on Earth? If you said Everest, you’d be sort of wrong – Everest is the highest mountain above sea level, but not the tallest. That title is taken by Mauna Kea (because most of it is in the Pacific Ocean). But that’s just on Earth – is there something taller inside?  […]

A bloody mouth isn’t the aesthetic most people are looking for in their summer snaps, but if you’re kicking back with some delicious fresh pineapple, that’s exactly what you might end up with. Pineapple is a refreshing snack high in vitamins C and B6 among other dietary goodies, but it also packs an enzyme so […]

For the first time, astronomers have detected a burst of light from the smaller of two supermassive black holes (SMBH) within the blazar OJ 287. The smaller SMBH’s orbit regularly causes it to trigger outbursts in the larger SMBH’s accretion disk and the pair’s dance has drawn astronomers’ attention for decades, but this is the […]

Documented cases of parthenogenesis, often referred to as “virgin birth”, have been on the rise in recent years, and now crocodiles have joined the roster of species known to do it for the first time. With birds already being known to reproduce this way, parthenogenesis now bookends a group of vertebrates known as the archosaurs, […]

“Can you outsmart Fate and break her ancient curse?” asks Math For Love’s Dan Finkel. You can try. Here’s what you need to know: Your ancestor stole a tarot card from Fate, which would come back to bite their descendants in the ass for hundreds of years. Every 23 years, in fact, a member of […]

A pod of killer whales recently smashed the rudder of a sailing boat near Gibraltar before pursuing the vessel as it was tugged to port. The attack was one of 18 in the month of May off Spain’s southern coast, but is the first recorded instance of orcas following a boat even after damaging it. […]

A team drilling down into the oceanic crust has reached impressive depths, collecting incredible samples of mantle rock from 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) below the sea floor. The Earth’s crust, on land, is variable. On average it is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) thick, though under mountain ranges it can reach as much as 100 […]

Fossilized fats that date back over a billion years have revealed a whole community of previously unknown organisms that were shaping Earth’s ecosystems during the planet’s middle age. They were abundant in marine ecosystems, and while we don’t know what they would’ve looked like, they were considerably more complex than bacteria – something they may […]

By venturing closer to the Sun than any spacecraft before it, the Parker Solar Probe has identified the regions responsible for streams of highly energetic particles traveling orders of magnitude faster than the rest of the solar wind. The finding may improve our predictions of solar activity, allowing operators to shut down endangered grids and […]

Use it or lose it – that’s the motto when it comes to connections between neurons, AKA synapses, and we now have more insight into this process. It’s established that a frequently firing connection is strengthened, whereas lesser-used ones are “pruned” off. However, the exact molecular mechanism behind this competitive process has been unclear. Now, […]

If you have been stung by a jellyfish at the beach, you’ll know how painful and unpleasant it can be. But how best to treat jellyfish stings has been debated over the years. Is it best to use hot water or an ice pack? How about pouring on vinegar or rubbing with sand? Then there’s […]

Beneath the cobbled roads of Derinkuyu in Turkey, there lies an ancient warren of tunnels and chambers that could have once accommodated as many as 20,000 people. Burrowing more than 85 meters (280 feet) beneath the Earth’s surface and encompassing 18 levels, the Derinkuyu underground city is the world’s largest subterranean city –  or, at […]