Evolution is an incredible process that has filled our world with a richly diverse set of species. In this sense, it is a brilliantly creative process that finds various ways to solve issues. But sometimes the process can appear a little cut and paste, as multiple independent species find similar ways to adapt towards specific […]
Thieving Pulsar Spinning 592 Times A Second Reveals New Understanding Of Where Its X-Rays Come From
An international team of astronomers has gained new understanding of some of the densest objects in the universe and where the source of their X-rays is. This is all thanks to PSR J1023+0038, or J1023 for short, a transitional millisecond pulsar, which spins on its axis almost 600 times every second. Pulsars are a type […]
The Rise And Fall (And Lamentable Rise) Of The “Alpha Male” Myth
In 2012, Johnny Messner, an actor in several B-movies and TV bit-parts, was being interviewed by IGN. Throughout its course, he variously gestured at his crotch, lamented what he called “the way America’s getting s*** on”, and belched out loud. His excuse? “I’m an alpha male.” It’s an idea that’s become weirdly – and some […]
IFLScience The Big Questions: How Do Black Holes Shape The Universe?
Of all the celestial bodies, none induce awe and fear in equal measure quite like black holes. They are incredible astrophysical objects and there are plenty of reasons why they are so iconic. In their supermassive form in particular, they have influenced the formation and evolution of galaxies, and more. Host Dr Alfredo Carpineti sat […]
North America’s Smallest Turtle Is The Cutest Thing You’ll Find In A Bog
The word “bog” often conjures up thoughts of peat-preserved mummies who met violent ends – but that’s not the only thing to be found in them. In the wetlands of North America, there’s a tiny creature that’s so cute, it’ll make you forget about any such grisliness: the bog turtle. Turtles in general are pretty […]
“Unambiguous Signal” To Curb Emissions Now: Long-Lost Aerial Photos Reveal Evolution Of Antarctic Ice Shelf Collapse
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have found decades-old aerial photos that are helping them better understand the collapse of Antarctic ice shelves. The photos offer an unparalleled dataset that could also improve our ability to predict sea level rise and influence how we approach climate action. On November 28, 1966, an American flight crossed […]
8 Children Have Been Born With 3 Biological Parents Each After Mitochondrial Transfer
A technique to allow women who carry diseases in their mitochondrial DNA to have healthy children has been performed successfully eight times since being legalized, two papers have announced. With one pregnancy having led to identical twins, the work has led to eight healthy babies, as well as one pregnancy underway. We inherit most of […]
First Known Observations Of Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry In Special Particle Decay
Particles and antiparticles have opposite charges, and they annihilate if they interact, turning into pure energy. In the Big Bang, an equal amount of matter and antimatter formed, but some process must have given matter a boost, leaving just a tiny fraction of antimatter in the cosmos today. The reason for this is not clear, […]
In 1973, NASA Sent Two Spiders Into Space To See If They Can Spin Webs – And They Learnt A Lot
Can spiders still spin webs in microgravity? Fortunately, we know the answer thanks to two arachnids, Arabella and Anita, who were blasted off to space in 1973. The idea for the “arachnaut” experiment originally came from a 17-year-old high school student in Massachusetts called Judith Miles. Presumably by coincidence, she suggested the idea in 1972, […]
Meet The Many Species Of Freaky Looking “Assassin Spiders” That Only Eat Other Spiders
Back in 2018, a bumper crop of new spider assassins was discovered in Madagascar. They represented four new species in the genus Madagascarchaea, as well as 14 new species in the genus Eriauchenius, bringing the total number of species up to six and 20, respectively. These genera belong to a group called Archaeid spiders, also […]
Your Dog’s TV Preferences Might Reveal Their Personality
Dog owners who feel guilty about leaving their hound alone during the day, and turn the TV on for company, should match the programming to their best friend’s personality, a new study finds, rather than assuming one size fits all. If you were going to leave the TV on to keep your dog from boredom […]
Some Human Gut Bacteria Can Absorb Harmful Toxic “Forever Chemicals” So They Can Be Pooped Out
There is finally some hopeful news in relation to our struggles with PFAS, or toxic “forever chemicals” as they are often called. Scientists have discovered that certain species of microbes in our guts can absorb them and allow us to pass them from our bodies. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are synthetic chemicals that […]
You Could Float Through 10 Countries Before The World’s Most International River Spat You Out
The course of history might have played out very differently were it not for the Danube River – the most international river in the world. Originating in Germany, it flows through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine before reaching the Black Sea in Romania. This natural waterway has created a trans-European […]
Enormous Coronal Hole And Beast-Like Crawling Prominences Dazzle On The Active Sun
Observations of the Sun last weekend have revealed some stunning features marking the solar disk and beyond. There is a gigantic coronal hole stretching across the surface of the Sun, spewing fast solar wind right at us. And if that were not enough, there’s a dark prominence that looks like some monstrous insect crawling across […]
Dramatic Drone Footage Of Iceland’s Latest Volcanic Eruption Shows An Epic Scene From Hell
Iceland has experienced the latest volcanic eruption in a string of similar events that started in 2021. The volcano is spewing streams of molten lava that are accumulating east of the new and extensive fissure. The eruption took place on the Sundhnúksgígaröð crater, located in the eastern extreme of Iceland on the Reykjanes Peninsula. According […]
A Shrimp That Lives In A Tree? Indonesia’s Cyclops Mountains Are Home To Some Seriously Strange Wildlife
Indonesia’s Cyclops Mountains are not for the faint of heart. Scientists who have gone on expeditions here have been rewarded for their efforts with everything from leeches stuck to their eyes, to malaria, earthquakes, exhausting heat, and a few venomous animals to boot. Still, they did strike gold when they discovered a tree-dwelling shrimp. Yes, […]
Is NASA’s Claim That Saturn Could Float On Water Really True?
Every now and then, a fact gets passed around the internet that gas giant Saturn would float if you placed it in water. But is it true? For that, we need to know a little about buoyancy, and a little about gas giants. Buoyancy is an upward force in a fluid (any flowing substance, including […]
Pangea Proxima: This Is What Planet Earth May Look Like 250 Million Years In The Future
Earth’s continents appear to be in a constant cycle of breaking apart and moving together. At this moment in time, we’re in an awkward intermediate phase following the breakup of Pangea around 175 million years ago. If that’s accurate, it’s looking like Earth could be sliding back into a supercontinent another 250 million years down […]
The Story Of Dogxim, The Fox-Dog Hybrid That Shouldn’t Have Existed
In 2021, in Vacaria, at the southern tip of Brazil, somebody hit an animal with their car. A sad story, but not an unusual one – except that, in this case, the creature survived. And nobody knew what it was. “What a strange hybrid beast!” tweeted Roland Kays, director of the Biodiversity Laboratory at the […]
Neanderthal Butchers From Different Caves Had Their Own Specialities
Neighboring Neanderthal communities living in the Middle East some 60,000 years ago appear to have developed distinct butchering practices, suggesting that different families may have had their own culinary traditions. By examining cut marks on animal bones found at two nearby Neanderthal sites in Israel, researchers found that foodie culture varied from cave to cave, […]
