Deborah Bloomfield

If you should find yourself promisingly positioned beneath the mistletoe this festive season with the object of your affections standing close by, then boy do we have a factoid guaranteed to seal the deal for you. Everybody loves a Christmas cocktail, but did you know where the word comes from?  The search for the origins […]

What if we could turn off fear? When it comes to certain stimuli, researchers from Germany believe their electrical stimulation method could do just that, preventing the fear response that happens when some people see things they are afraid of from returning. By zapping specific regions of the brain, the participants no longer had that […]

Lifelong learning is a thing, and it has become so popular because it offers so many benefits. From improving brain cognition to boosting career potential to expanding opportunities, lifelong learning is an important endeavor for everyone, no matter your age, and this mega bundle has numerous fields of learning for everyone.  The Mega Lifetime Bundle: […]

While telescopes are achieving stunning results these days, we shouldn’t forget that microscopes have also opened the door to unexpected worlds that are much tinier than what we’re looking at up in space. This Wi-Fi Digital Microscope brings that original sense of wonder to the modern age with an easy-to-use device that ties into smartphones, […]

The planet Kepler-1658B is not long for this, or any other, world. It’s on a death spiral to be assimilated, Borg-like into the star Kepler-1658. The doomed (very) hot Jupiter  will give astronomers their first opportunity to measure an important part of star systems’ development. As stars age and run out of hydrogen to fuse […]

Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in collaboration with Karolinska University Hospital have identified the origins of a severe cancer-like disease that affects children. The findings may lead to new targeted treatments.  Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease that normally affects young children but can affect people of all ages. The severity of the disease […]

Around the Milky Way, there are many satellite galaxies. The spatial distribution of eleven of the small and faint ones which appear to lie on a thin plane is something that has been noted as not just quirky but very puzzling by astronomers. For decades, data suggested that these were actually all rotating on this […]

A widely-used drug that currently treats liver disease could prevent COVID-19 infections, a recent study has found. It may also offer protection against emerging variants and other coronaviruses – something that could be vital in the fight against COVID-19, particularly for the most vulnerable individuals. Existing treatments and vaccines target SARS-CoV-2 – the virus responsible […]

NASA’s Perseverance has been doing some pretty awesome science on Jezero Crater – but the industrious rover is also looking at the future, collecting samples that will be taken to Earth in the next decade. It has started planning how to build the first extraterrestrial stash for the Mars Sample Return mission. This extraterrestrial depot […]

Describing your junk as a weapon is a pretty undesirable trait in humans, but for wasps, it could be a lifesaving adaptation. New research has found that the mason wasp got pretty creative when it cooked up its genital structures, evolving to possess spiky bits that double up as a defense mechanism against predators like […]

An encounter with a mysterious and extinct human relative – the Denisovans – has left a mark on the immune traits of modern Papuans, in particular those living on New Guinea Island. This is a new discovery we describe in a study published in PLoS Genetics today. It further suggests that our modern human diversity […]

With impeccable timing, the International Space Station (ISS) will be making its annual trek across the night sky on Christmas Eve – so if you are a parent, guardian, or know a small person who will be delighted to see “proof” of Santa on his busy mission, here’s how you win all the brownie points.  […]

There are many folk remedies for having over-indulged in alcohol, but alas they usually fail in testing. This is fine when you’ve just had one beer too many, less so when facing fatal alcohol poisoning. However, a study has shown you can achieve surprising results through controlled heavy breathing. An estimated 3 million people die […]

During the holidays, it’s typical for people to indulge in special foods. Being a pet owner myself, I know that many pet parents want to give their fur babies special treats as well. As a veterinarian and clinical veterinary researcher, however, I also know that some very common foods – including many popular holiday staples […]

Looking a bit like a cluster of frozen cowpats, peculiar “ice pancakes” appeared on the River Bladnock, Scotland, after a sudden drop in temperatures across the UK this month. Project manager for the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative (SISI) Callum Sinclair snapped the images of these strange disks on December 9, sharing them to Twitter along […]

In our lifetimes, it is almost certain we will see humans set foot on Mars. If the modern-day space race between private companies and nations continues, it is not out of the question that we will see a long-term human presence on either the Moon or Mars in that time frame too, an incredible yet […]

Researchers claim to have found a method to break up “forever chemicals”, or PFAS, into smaller and less harmful compounds in drinking water. The technique could be added to the water purification process to prevent the concerning build-up of these chemicals in our water supply, as more research highlights possible health problems associated with PFAS […]

A combination of two existing medications for concussion and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may help to alleviate brain fog in those suffering from long COVID. In a small-scale study, eight out of 12 patients experienced improvements in executive function, working memory, and concentration after being treated with the FDA-approved drugs. Long COVID is a […]

Do you have an Adam’s Apple? It’s a lump that sits in the middle of the throat of many adult humans, prone to bouncing around when we laugh and swallow. But what is an Adam’s Apple? And what does it actually do? Adam’s Apples are just one of many changes we see set in during […]