Deborah Bloomfield

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 […]

In cartoons, characters getting bonked on the head with a giant saucepan will sometimes see double, a symptom that can arise in real life as a result of disease or trauma. It’s a warning sign many of us are quite aware of – but did you know that it’s possible to hear double, too? The […]

A new oral drug compound may be able to stimulate the body to form bone and increase bone mass, possibly preventing and treating osteoporosis in patients, according to a study in mice. The discovery may offer an alternative to the current hormone treatments, which can only be given by daily injection, and could result in […]

Singer Celine Dion has told fans that she has been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), as she canceled tour dates due to the rare and incurable condition. “Recently I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff person syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people,” Dion, 54, said […]

A pair of 165-year-old jeans that were recovered from a 19th-century shipwreck have been sold off at an auction for $95,000.  The jeans went under the hammer at Holabird Americana auction house on December 3 with a load of other objects discovered among the wreck of the “Ship of Gold”. Based on their material and the distinct […]

One man, in an attempt to ensure his final moments were not spent inside his own grave, took extreme measures that would freak out passers-by for over a century after his death. Taphephobia, or the fear of being buried alive, is not as irrational as you’d like, historically speaking. Hans Christian Anderson, Alfred Nobel, Abraham […]

History books are full of grim examples of torture, punishment, and execution. Even the Romans, who are often heralded for their supposed civility, were well-versed in cruel and inhumane ways to end another person’s life, from crucifixion to the notorious bronze screaming bull. But of these methods, one has gained an especially feared reputation over […]

January 17, 2019 is a day that will go down in British history. Not because of an important national holiday or great sporting victory, oh no. January 17, 2019, was the day we were all introduced to this man: You may be familiar with the work of one Usain Bolt, widely considered to be among […]

The pandemic has represented a triple blow to childhood vaccination rates. A World Health Organization report shows nearly 40 million children missed at least one measles dose in 2021. The decline in vaccinations, in general, is alarming epidemiologists, but there are reasons why measles is their biggest concern. Getting children vaccinated was a logistical problem […]

Human beings generally have pretty lousy hearing, so it’s unsurprising to learn that there are a lot of animals we weren’t aware are actually talking behind our backs. At the same time, our penchant for anthropomorphizing often has us thinking animals are trying to communicate when really they’re not. For the purpose of this article, […]

Here’s a fun “what if”: what if all microbial life on Earth was to suddenly disappear? One team of biologists has pondered this question and come up with an answer: we could survive, but only briefly, and during that time life “would become incomprehensibly bad”.  The team broke down their answer to separate out what […]

The winners of the 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have been revealed, showcasing some of the year’s funniest and wildest images of the natural world. This year’s top prize was scooped by Jennifer Hadley for her photograph of a lion cub losing its grip on a tree trunk titled “Not so cat-like reflexes”.  She captured […]

Flushing a toilet is something we do to get rid of waste – but while the basin’s contents go swirling into the sewers, some of the contents actually go up. This is why we have toilet lids (there’s also a reason why we have horseshoe-shaped seats), and if you don’t flip the toilet’s top down, […]

Many of us have heard: “Don’t go outside without a coat; you’ll catch a cold.” That’s not exactly true. As with many things, the reality is more complicated. Here’s the distinction: Being cold isn’t why you get a cold. But it is true that cold weather makes it easier to get the cold or flu. […]

As 2022 starts to conclude its final chapter, Google Trends has revealed the past 12 month’s most searched terms globally, providing an interesting snapshot of this strange, surreal, and action-packed year. Both in the US and globally, the most searched term on Google in 2022 was “Wordle”, that daily online word game that millions of people […]

The sex of human and other mammal babies is decided by a male-determining gene on the Y chromosome. But the human Y chromosome is degenerating and may disappear in a few million years, leading to our extinction unless we evolve a new sex gene. The good news is two branches of rodents have already lost […]