Deborah Bloomfield

A trial of the first ever topical gene therapy has produced impressive results, improving wound healing in patients with a life-threatening skin disease. The team behind the healing gel, beremagene geperpavec (B-VEC), is hoping to gain approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow more patients to access the treatment. Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa […]

Having asked Twitter users whether he should stay on as CEO, and not gotten the result he was apparently expecting, Elon Musk has said he will abide by the outcome and step down. There is, however, a caveat, since this will only happen if Musk can find a replacement he deems suitable. How long that […]

If there are aliens flitting around our sector of the galaxy, existing gravitational wave detectors might be able to detect their spaceships, a team of physicists have claimed. Admittedly, however, their transportation device would need to be rather big. Gravitational waves are produced by the acceleration of massive bodies. Those we have detected have been […]

Ah Australia, the land where even if it isn’t trying to kill you there’s a good chance it’ll make you wish you were dead anyway.  Today in “let’s just admit it’s uninhabitable” news, an Australian man has shown off his house guest that’s been living with him for a whole year. In a post to […]

After a good night out you may not be surprised when you wake up feeling rough the next morning. But what may surprise you is if your friends aren’t feeling the same way. Some may feel worse, some better and some (if they’re lucky) may not feel any of the negative consequences at all. This […]

As increasing numbers of dolphins and whales end up stranded on our shores, the largest study on dementia in toothed whales to date has made a startling discovery – the brains of three species display classic markers of Alzheimer’s disease in humans. The research suggests that these animals could end up stuck in these situations […]

Researchers have found a solution to a thorny experimental mystery. The magnetic excitation in a particular material was not behaving like something moving in three-dimensional space, but neither was it akin to just moving on a plane. It turns out that it was moving in a fractal dimension. Fractals are peculiar geometrical shapes that continue […]

A foot inside the ribcage of a microraptor is believed to be the earliest known evidence of a dinosaur eating a mammal. Microraptors were small, feathered dinosaurs, and this one was about the size of a crow – but that didn’t stop it from swallowing the foot of an ancient mammal shortly before it died. […]

We humans diverged from our chimpanzee ancestors around 7 million years ago, but as the arteries in our arms have demonstrated, as a species we are still evolving. Finding a new blood vessel is easy, however, compared to tracking down the full extent of our genetic changes, but new research has now pinned down 155 […]

The first intrepid humans to sail the ocean blue may have predated the emergence of Homo sapiens, according to a new analysis of shorelines within the Central Aegean Island Chain (CAIC). Previously, it had been assumed that our ancient ancestors reached these picturesque islands via land bridges, yet the study authors suggest that no such […]

Astronomers have discovered some of the most ancient stars in the Milky Way and tracked their positions and motions. This information has provided new insights into how our very own galaxy came to be 13 billion years ago. The very heart of the Milky Way has now been uncovered. The researchers recently published a detailed […]

Observations from six spacecraft and some of the most powerful telescopes on Earth have revealed that temperatures change in Jupiter’s atmosphere much more than we would expect. Astronomers who have tracked these movements have shown distant regions appear to be “teleconnected”, with shifts in one being reflected far away with no obvious effects in between.  […]

A viral tweet has people sharing some incredibly random, fascinating, and occasionally eye-opening facts online.  After being prompted by writer Brittany Packnett Cunningham, people started sharing the most random facts they know. Here are some of the best. Advertisement This is true of most marsupials. Correspondingly, most male marsupials have a bifurcated penis (or split […]

Here’s an easy question for you: What’s the tallest mountain in the world? If you are wary of being asked such a seemingly simple query, you would be right to be concerned, because the answer is not necessarily Mount Everest. At a height of 8,848 meters (29,029 feet) above sea level, it puts other mountains […]

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]. Why is astronomy a science, but not astrology? – Katelyn, age 11, Arlington, Texas Advertisement Are you sure astrology isn’t a science? Both astrology and astronomy are in the business […]

NASA’s InSight is likely about to end its mission. The lander has shared its latest – and probably last – image with mission control, and it is struggling with power. Dust covers its solar panels, and with fewer hours of sunlight due to the changing seasons, there is not enough juice to keep it going.  […]

You may be surprised to hear that humans are members of a very select club of animals that have periods. So, what do humans have in common with our fellow menstruating species? Consider this your station for menstruation education. Do Dogs Get Periods? First, some busting of menstrual myths: dogs don’t actually menstruate. However, they […]

Time: it’s constantly running out and we never have enough of it. Some say it’s an illusion, some say it flies like an arrow. Well, this arrow of time is a big headache in physics. Why does time have a particular direction? And can such a direction be reversed? A study, published in Scientific Reports, […]