Deborah Bloomfield

The transmission of information is the lifeblood of humanity and we have been able to do it faster and faster. The latest record is so mind-bogglingly fast that to comprehend it, we ought to compare it to the whole internet. Using a single laser and a single optical chip, researchers were able to transmit 1.8 […]

Usnea, also known as beard lichens, is a group of pale, grayish-green lichens which like to grow on anything from bark and twigs to gravestones and skulls. In late Medieval times, the latter was considered to be worth its weight in gold as doctors prescribed skull lichens for various diseases, and the nature of the […]

An old enemy has regained the title of the deadliest infectious disease: tuberculosis (TB). The fight to defeat TB has dramatically slowed down over the past couple of years due to the world becoming preoccupied with COVID-19, Dr Mel Spigelman, president of the nonprofit TB Alliance, told AFP.   “We went from what I honestly […]

One of the best things about evolution (other than our good friend the thumb) is how it hasn’t brought about an army of tank-sized cockroaches. Bar a few giants from the past and some freakily-long stick insects, insects tend to remain relatively small – but why is that, and how big is it possible for […]

China claims to have successfully tested a hyperloop-style train on a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) test track in North China, in which a train is levitated above magnetic rails inside a vacuum tube. State-run media outlets are reporting the train reached speeds of 81 miles per hour (130 kilometers per hour) but the design could lead to […]

Elon Musk is expected to take the keys to Twitter by the end of next week following a rollercoaster of legal battles, online spats, and complex negotiations. Regardless of who owns the platform, the social media giant appears set for some severe cuts to its workforce.  That’s according to a new report by the Washington […]

The biggest spider in the world prowls the Amazon in search of insects, rodents, and even birds that it can sink its one-inch (2.5 centimeter) fangs into before dragging back to its burrow. With a leg span of almost a foot (0.3 meters) and weighing around 170 grams (6 ounces), it’s a hefty arachnid that […]

Here’s a weird mystery for you: between 1950 and 1959, data on black widow bites was collected in the US, during which time 63 people died. The majority of those people were male, and in older studies, it was apparently shown that around 80 percent of black widow bites happened to men. Weirder still, according […]

Patterns have emerged in the thousands of planets recently discovered orbiting stars besides the Sun. So when planets are found that break those patterns, astronomers get curious, particularly when they have been confident in their explanations for what they have seen. The latest rule-breaker goes by the not-exactly rebellious-sounding name of TOI-3757 b and lies […]

An owl has kicked off Halloween by stealing a toy stick horse (also known as a hobby horse) and riding it around like a witch on a broomstick. The great horned owl took the horse from an unknown resident of Eureka, Illinois, before being captured on film by resident Eric Lind. Lind’s mother had been […]

Next week, the Sun, Moon, and Earth will come together in near-perfect alignment, creating a partial solar eclipse as the Moon passes in front of the Sun. It may not be as showy as a total eclipse, but it’s always fun to watch the Moon take a bite out of the Sun. Partial eclipses happen […]

Scientists recently had the first-ever opportunity to study gases freshly grabbed from a moving asteroid. These unbelievably rare samples are the subject of a bunch of new studies published this week and have revealed that the space rock, asteroid Ryugu, was once a child of the Solar System’s iciest depths.  Asteroids can prove to be […]

Back in July, three female bison made history after being reintroduced to a reserve in Kent, UK, making them the first wild roaming bison in Britain for thousands of years. Now, they’re making history once more with the pitter-patter of tiny bison hooves surprising their rangers.   On September 9, after not seeing the younger […]

Three ancient galaxies have been caught in the act of merging around a so-called “extremely red quasar”, providing fascinating new insights into how modern galaxy clusters may have formed. The event – which was spotted by NASA’s JWST – occurred some 11.5 billion years ago in what may have been one of the densest areas […]

Urine therapy (or urotherapy) is a longstanding practice based on the concept that urine can be drunk, bathed in, or otherwise applied to bring good health or even heal the body of certain ailments. Unusual as it may sound to most people, it’s an idea that persists even today. And like most things of this […]

You may have heard of the carnivore diet, and the claims it is beneficial for our health. Many diet trends, such as the paleo and Atkins diets, advocate high protein and low carbohydrate intake. But the carnivore diet takes this trend to the extreme. Advertisement So what is it, and is it bad for your […]

Some twins are born as mirror twins, which is when one twin has physical features that are the mirror image of those of the other twin. This can be in the form of the layout of moles, the direction in which their hair curls, or even the layout of their internal organs. It’s thought to […]

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been busy playing around with an unconventional new type of lander that’s designed to crash onto the surface of Mars. In a newly released video, engineers have shown a prototype of the accordion-like lander being dropped from a tall tower – with some interesting, bouncy results.  The experimental lander […]