Deborah Bloomfield

Scientists have transplanted human brain cells into the brains of rats, discovering that the new neurons will grow as the rat develops and even help influence their behavior. The research has resounding implications on not just neurological research, but also the ethics of creating animal-human hybrids in this way.  The Stanford University team took lab-grown […]

Like an upgraded iPhone, the arrival of modern humans in Europe didn’t result in the immediate disappearance of the previous model, but instead heralded a period of overlap between Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis. While it’s difficult to ascertain exactly how long the two species co-existed for, new research suggests that Neanderthals may have clung […]

If you owned a Tamagotchi when you were younger, you’ve probably experienced the joys (and rigors) of pet ownership without the actual hands-on care. That included feeding, playing with and cleaning up after your virtual furry friend. And just like neglecting a living, breathing pet, going days without interacting with your Tamagotchi made it feel […]

They say mighty oaks from little acorns grow, and never has this saying been more apt than for the lifecycle of giant molas. These epic slabs for fish start out their lives like marine popcorn and grow to gargantuan sizes. Now, one specimen has become the heaviest bony fish in the world, weighing in at […]

An old painting has people asking if time travel is real, because it really, really looks like a painting from 1937 shows a Native American man staring at a smart phone while doing a “I’m sorry, I have to take this” hand gesture. The painting, titled Mr. Pynchon and the Settling of Springfield, depicts colonist […]

Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti is on her way back down to Earth but in one of her last acts as commander of the International Space Station (ISS) and sci-comm extraordinaire, she revealed how astronauts drink coffee in space. It turns out microgravity creates a bit of a problem when you try to get the coffee […]

The pandemic fuelled a rise in first-time pet owners and people adopting puppies and kittens. While even inexperienced owners expect a new puppy will need some training, people rarely think the same applies to kittens. But just like dogs, cats need support to adjust to living alongside us. Simple forms of training can be good […]

A jet of material released by the neutron star collision GW170817 is traveling at 99.97 percent of the speed of light and manages to appear as if it is breaking the laws of physics by traveling seven times faster. The jet was seen by the Hubble and Gaia space telescopes in the days shortly after […]

Picture the scene: you’re a kid, living in one of the great cities of the Mayan Classical period, and your parents shake you awake one morning. “Come on,” they tell you. “We’re going to the Midnight Terror Cave.” Doesn’t sound too inviting, does it? But don’t let the name put you off: it’s actually much […]

Everyone has heard of Pavlov, the wacky psychologist who figured out you could make dogs drool by shaking a bell at them when you give them food, then eventually just by shaking the bell.  As it’s taught in psychology, it’s only harmful on the level of pretending to throw a ball for a dog and […]

Beneath Jupiter’s icy moon Europa’s frozen crust lays a deep ocean that could be habitable. But scientists now think there is another type of water reservoir on the distant moon: lakes within the crust. These bodies of water might be responsible for eruptions happening on the surface of this icy world. New computer simulations have […]

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has released its Living Planet Report for 2022, urging that the escalating loss of the natural world is pushing life on Earth towards “catastrophic consequences”. Preserving nature is pivotal in humans’ ability to meet global net zero goals, and yet in the last 50 years, wildlife populations have seen an […]

Monkeypox has spread across the globe this year, with 26 confirmed deaths and more than 71,000 cases as a result. However, according to reports by the World Health Organization (WHO), the variant that has rapidly spread is significantly milder than that which is responsible for a large number of deaths in the Democratic Republic of […]

Paleontologists are very confident that dinosaurs didn’t wrap their dead after removing their organs like the ancient Egyptians or Incas – nor did they attempt self-mummification, like certain monks from one Buddhist tradition.  Despite this, we have found some dinosaur fossils described as “mummified” because at least some of the skin has survived. Skin preservation is […]

Elon Musk has launched his latest business venture: a luxurious-looking perfume called “Burnt Hair”. While perhaps not as lucrative as founding a galactic empire, the world’s richest man has suggested the product earnt him over $1 million in just a few hours. Musk took to his favorite medium of mass communication, Twitter, to reveal his […]

From space travel to that Twitter debacle and a cybertruck that could “serve briefly” as a boat, there’s no denying that Elon Musk has a knack for occupying the headlines. From humble beginnings, he’s had a meteoric rise in status to one of the richest people in the world (it bounces between him and Jeff […]

The votes are finally in, and bear 747’s chunky folds have seen him officially crowned winner of Fat Bear Week 2022. Unsurprisingly, this absolute unit is a veteran champion, having won the title back in 2020. However, this victory was almost a near miss for 747, as his semi-final title was almost snatched from his […]

The winners of Nikon’s Small World Photomicrography Competition 2022 have just been announced, showcasing the most beautiful images of the tiny world that exists under a microscope. This year’s top prize was given to Grigorii Timin, supervised by Dr Michel Milinkovitch at the University of Geneva, for his stunning detailed image of a hand of […]

A case report published by urologists has detailed the case of a man who developed an allergy to his own orgasms. Yes, that’s right, you can become allergic to your own orgasms. A healthy 27-year-old man presented himself to the urology department at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine with an unusual complaint. […]

Fresh off the back of the cheating scandal that rocked Fat Bear Week, New Zealand’s contentious Bird of the Year Competition is already off to a suspect beginning. The two-time winner of the competition, the kākāpō, New Zealand’s famous flightless parrot, has been barred from entering.  Despite claiming the title in 2020 and 2008, the […]