Deborah Bloomfield

The world’s most valuable parasite makes a home for itself inside larval ghost moths, which it infects during the summer, while the caterpillars are underground. The body-snatching fungus will slowly eat away at its host over the coming months before sending its near-dead slave to the surface and spearing a fruiting body out of its […]

Scientists believe they have identified the cause of a mysterious surge of severe hepatitis cases that impacted hundreds of children around the world last year. According to a trio of new studies, the outbreak was likely driven by joint infections of common childhood viruses. The reason these otherwise common infections acted so unusually, they believe, […]

A repeating signal from the star YZ Ceti is thought to indicate that its innermost planet has a strong magnetic field. If so, this would be the first time we have detected a strong field around a rocky planet, Earth aside, rather than a Neptune-sized gas planet. Of all the things that make the Earth […]

This glimmering collection of ancient gold jewelry was found in an ancient burial cave near Jerusalem. Decorated with the symbol of the Roman goddess Luna, the 1,800-year-old jewelry was intended to ward off evil spirits and provide protection for a young girl in the afterlife. The beautiful objects were first discovered over 50 years ago, […]

Polyamory has been on the rise for some time, despite the social and political stigmas surrounding it, but research suggests that such romantic relationships can offer emotional and physical benefits to all involved. Consensual polyamory – having more than one sexual or emotional relationship at once – has become increasingly common in many countries in […]

Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered the first direct evidence of a gruesome practice known as the “gold of honor” ceremony, which involved the public dismemberment of enemy warriors. Though the bloody tradition is well documented in Egyptian tomb inscriptions, the discovery of 12 severed hands at an ancient palace has allowed researchers to study amputated […]

A traveling collection of ancient mummies from Mexico is thought to contain potentially hazardous colonies of fungi that warrant a review of how they’re displayed to ensure visitor safety. This advice comes from the National Institute of Anthropology and History, following concerns that the fungal growths could potentially infect people handling displays as well as […]

Bigfoot has been “spotted” hundreds of times over the years. It usually turns out to be someone in a gorilla costume, or a bear. But sometimes, just sometimes, it turns out to be a man dressed up in animal skin from head to foot, performing shamanic rituals in the woods. In perhaps the most famous […]

Ancient civilizations were often far more advanced than people give them credit for. There are many incredible technologies and feats of engineering that we still do not completely understand, but looking into these achievements can feel like a minefield as they have become the stuff of numerous modern-day conspiracy theories.  The internet is awash with […]

Just recently, evidence suggesting that there is an active volcano on Venus was reported by researchers. Now, two other scientists have published a new map of the planet and its 85,000 volcanoes, which might help to discover new fresh lava flows and inform future missions that will study the second planet from the Sun. The […]

Nobody likes to see their pet suffer, which is why some pet owners spend up to $700 every year on healthcare for their four-legged pals. But sometimes, there’s not much you can do: your beloved pup or kittycat is just genetically predisposed to getting certain illnesses. In some cases, those conditions are so rare as to […]

Decades of observations of Saturn were hiding a major feature in plain sight. The region of the atmosphere closest to the ring is hotter. Hydrogen shines in a particular wavelength more there than elsewhere across the planet. And the heating is due to a rain of ice particles coming from the rings. The spectacular rings […]

Back in 2018, astronomers discovered a very peculiar stellar explosion, which got the automatic name of AT2018cow. Since then, it’s become known simply as the “cow” and it is the prototype of a new class of objects called Fast Blue Optical Transients (FBOTs). And researchers have now realized that the event was even weirder than […]

A tender moment between two whitetip sharks has been filmed off Cat Island in the Bahamas, marking the first time their mating ritual behaviors have been caught on camera. As a critically endangered species, insights like this are invaluable into the species’ ecology and to improving our understanding of how to conserve them in the […]

Italy has taken action to ban ChatGPT over alleged privacy violations. On March 31, the Italian Data Protection Authority said the AI chatbot would be temporarily blocked in the country “with immediate effect” and they will be investigating the company behind the technology, OpenAI. In a press release, the agency alleges that OpenAI is violating […]

Back in 1883, a pretty agate mineral was registered to the Natural History Museum’s Mineralogy Collection. Around 15 centimeters (6 inches) across, almost completely spherical but otherwise unassuming, the specimen has remained in the collection for the last 175 years, until a chance finding revealed it to be a dinosaur egg. The specimen’s pretty colors […]

Never get between an iguana and a cake are wise words to live by according to an infectious diseases conference in Copenhagen. There, researchers warned of a cautionary tale in which a girl who was bitten by a cake-stealing iguana developed a strange bacterial infection months after it happened. The Great Cake Heist occurred when […]

Got a plant nearby? Is it screaming? The truth is that if you’re behind on your botanical care, it might be, it’s just that the human ear can’t hear it. New research has shown that plants are capable of producing ultrasonic sounds that are beyond the range of the human ear, and these distress signals […]

Don’t be mistaken by this unassuming fur ball – it’s actually the curled-up mummified remains of a 30,000-year-old Arctic ground squirrel. Look closely and you’ll see it’s in such remarkable condition that it’s possible to make out its tiny claws.  The discovery was recently revealed by the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre. They explained that it […]

Scientists in central Japan have discovered three new species of bioluminescent worms that are eerily reminiscent of creatures from Japanese folklore. These new Polycirrus worms, found in various locations across Japan, have been named after these preternatural beings, as well as a famous Japanese marine biologist. Bioluminescence is produced by organisms through a chemical reaction […]