Deborah Bloomfield

Male jaguars have been observed buddying up to increase their chances of mating and securing prey, calling into question their classification as a solitary species. Until now, lions and cheetahs were generally assumed to be the only big cats exhibiting social behaviors, yet new research suggests that the famously introverted jaguar may be a friendlier […]

The popularity of plant-based food has skyrocketed in recent years, as has the number of studies investigating its impact on our planet. Unfortunately, there are still massive gaps in our knowledge when it comes to the health implications of these products, particularly surrounding the nutritional value of plant-based meat substitutes. A study, from Chalmers University […]

If you’re experiencing a low sex drive, there’s a chance it may have a link to the bacteria that are living inside your gut. Recent times have seen an explosion of research that’s investigated how the gut microbiome has a profound influence on health and happiness. As part of this field, a small handful of […]

Back in 1983, the CIA wrote an obscure report looking into the “Gateway Experience,” claiming that an altered state of human consciousness may be able to transcend space and time. Decades on, the document has since been declassified and is now experiencing a resurgence on social media.  However, despite what you saw on TikTok and […]

You may have heard about married couples getting the “seven-year itch”. The term suggests that around the seven-year mark of marriage, individuals become more distant from each other as their happiness and satisfaction with the relationship begin to decline, and the urge to stray gets stronger. According to research, there may be some truth to […]

Cost of living crises in areas currently plunging into winter have people worried about mold. This household invader loves dark, damp environments and as fewer people can afford to open windows and crank up the heating, it’s expected that fungi will have a prosperous winter. While most of us think about window panes and bathrooms […]

Astronomers using JWST have confirmed the distance of some of the furthest galaxies yet. One of them was in place just 330 million years after the Big Bang – one of the very first galaxies that ever shone in our universe. The galaxy is called JADES-GS-z13-0 and is now located 33 billion light-years from us […]

South Korea’s government announced this week that it has scrapped Korea’s traditional aging system in a push to avoid confusion. From June 2023, the “Korean Age” system will no longer be allowed on any official paperwork and all documents in the country will follow the same aging system most of the world uses. Using the […]

The vagina microbiome: not something that you regularly hear about, but something that plays a vital role in vaginal health and disease. Now, researchers have developed a new technology called the Vagina Chip that will help scientists develop new therapeutic tools. If you possess a vagina, you may have encountered the uncomfortable condition known as […]

A metallic alloy of chromium, cobalt, and nickel (CrCoNi) has amazed scientists, thanks to its properties. The material is impressively strong, meaning it resists permanent deformation, and at the same time remains extremely ductile, meaning it is highly malleable. Together, these two properties form the measurement of toughness, and CrCoNi is by far the toughest […]

Worldwide, more than forty percent of amphibian species are considered endangered, and Dr Marissa Parrott of Zoos Victoria told IFLScience that’s probably an underestimate, as the ones we haven’t studied are more likely to be in trouble. Rather than feeling helpless however, Parrott has just collected and frozen sperm that will preserve the genetic diversity […]

It’s a worrying time to be a parent in the UK. Official data for England shows that the country is seeing higher than usual case numbers of two diseases caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria: scarlet fever and invasive group A Streptococcus (iGAS). Media coverage has often focused on the impact on young children. Now, the Centers […]

Will Ferrell’s tongue approaching white dog poop to the backing track of Tristan Und Isolde by Richard Wagner is a scene few will be able to forget after watching Step Brothers. As punishments go it’s a pretty good one chosen by the bullies victimizing Brennan and Dale, and it’s also kind of intriguing. What’s going […]

It really is the worst situation: you have that slightly suspect bit of meat in the fridge that has been there a day too long, and you just can’t work out whether you should save yourself the trip to the shops and use it anyway, or be the responsible adult and throw it away. If […]

Think of an extinction event and your mind probably leaps to the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs – but Earth has been through five mass extinction events (so far) and is possibly going through our sixth. Of the extinction events, the Cretaceous mass extinction event that put an end to the non-avian dinosaurs is not […]

The color green has been shown to trigger the release of a signaling molecule that activates opioid receptors in the brains of mice, resulting in significant reductions in pain. While this research is yet to be replicated in humans, the findings add weight to previous studies showing that simply looking at the color green is […]

Researchers have discovered a new branch of the tree of life. Two microscopic predators make up this new “Provora” branch. The little organisms represent two different species. One is called nebulids and they eat their prey whole. The second one is called nibblerids: their name is inspired by the fact they have tooth-like structures that […]

The Southern Ring Nebula was one of the first science targets of JWST. The celestial object is a planetary nebula, created by the release of material from a red giant as it turns into a white dwarf – but a new analysis suggests that is not the whole story. Astronomers now believe that there are […]

The late Jurassic was a dangerous time, even if you weighed 20 tonnes, so everyone needed a weapon. The giant sauropods known as diplodocids are thought to have had one in the form of their tail, but just how fast could those tails move? Twenty-five years ago, early computer models of an Apatosaurus louisae tail […]