Deborah Bloomfield

SpaceX has achieved an impressive feat as a Super Heavy booster was caught using mechanical arms as it returned to its launchpad.  Creating rockets and launching them into space is an expensive and time-intensive business. SpaceX has been working on reusable rocket systems, landing rockets vertically on their launchpads safely for reuse. While plenty of […]

The possibility of an Io-like moon around the exoplanet WASP-49b looks increasingly likely to be right, new research shows. The possible object is suspected of being peppered with volcanoes, creating a cloud of sodium that surrounds its planet. Although there have been claims for other exomoons (moons beyond the Solar System), these are now under […]

Astigmatism – you’ve probably heard of it, you might even have it, but what actually is it? Let’s find out. What is astigmatism? You might’ve guessed already from the title (or hearing the term bandied about in an optometrist’s office), but astigmatism is an eye problem that leads those with it to have symptoms including […]

This week, the “world’s most advanced humanoid robot” had a conversation with its new buddy Azi and the footage is slightly terrifying, ultra-powerful MRI scans reveal that COVID-19 damages a major brain “control center”, and Lucy the Australopithecus may have had hands capable of using tools 3.2 million years ago. Finally, we look at how […]

We’ve all been there: you take the fast food chain apple pie out of its case, bite into it, and immediately regret every decision that ever took you to the point where you somehow forgot that these things inevitably feel hotter than the actual sun. Panicking, you blow desperately at the snack to cool it […]

There is a town in Nebraska that holds a dubious status in American history. It has a population consisting of a single person: Elsie Eiler. Welcome to Monowi, the smallest incorporated town in the United States. Although Monowi’s population is now somewhat small, it used to be considerably larger. Back in the 1930s, the tiny […]

For the first time in 35 years, the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has manufactured a plutonium pit for use in a nuclear weapon. Functioning as a radioactive core for nuclear weapons, the component has been declared war-ready and marks the beginning of a scaling-up initiative that will see 80 plutonium pits created per […]

Tornadoes together with a hurricane sounds like something from a disaster movie, but it became reality this week as Hurricane Milton hit Florida and spawned a host of destructive twisters – but why did this happen? During a White House press briefing on October 10, US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters that at […]

The cleanup in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which swept through Florida this week leaving a trail of destruction and millions without power, has barely begun. But now, health experts are warning of a hidden threat that could be lurking in the floodwaters – a bacterium called Vibrio vulnificus. There are around 12 Vibrio species that […]

The Scottish Highlands could soon greet some new residents: a breed of super-beefy wild cattle that have been designed to possess the appearance of aurochs, the untamed ancestor of all domestic cattle that fell into extinction 400 years ago.  Known as tauros – yes, like the Pokémon – the cattle have been selectively bred in […]

There are plenty of obvious things that one might expect to be illegal – stealing, murdering, taking the last cookie from the jar. You know, the usual stuff. Take a closer look at laws in the United States, however, and you’ll find an absolute treasure trove of thoroughly bonkers legislation that’ll make you question why […]

The Earth faces dangers, such as space rocks and close encounters with nearby stars. Nevertheless, having survived the dangerous early years, as far as we know the only thing likely to bring it to an end is the same thing that gives it life: the Sun.  So, if some very bad luck can be avoided, […]

Mount Rainier is an icon of the Washington state landscape. An active volcano, the mountain attracts visitors every year who want to climb its peak or explore the lush forests and wildflower meadows surrounding it. However, the journey to the top of this mountain may be getting easier – the mountain is shrinking, an unofficial […]

In 1898, a pair of lions repeatedly raided the tents of an encampment in Kenya, killing at least 28 people. The infamous “Tsavo man-eaters” were eventually shot and their remains put on display at the Field Museum Of Natural History in Chicago, and now a new genomic study has revealed the grim story their teeth […]

This week on Break It Down: two comb jellies become one, how Hurricane Milton grew so intense, superpowered scans reveal COVID’s impact on the brain, a humanlike robot’s jokes fail to impress his friend, Lucy the Australopithecine might have used tools 3.2 million years ago, and Mozambique’s elephants offer modern-day proof of evolution. Available on […]

Walking under the blue welcome sign at the San Diego Convention Center earlier this year was quite an experience. I was greeted immediately with a kaleidoscope of activity and dynamic sounds that only hinted at the epic science adventures to come. This was Pittcon – the largest global conference and exposition on laboratory science held […]

A lucky group of swimmers from charity Ocean Culture Life (OCL) were met with a rare treat on a trip to Tonga – an encounter with an all-white humpback whale calf. The team, who were on one of Tonga’s regulated whale swimming charters, came across the rare calf swimming and playing alongside its mother and […]

New observations of the Great Red Spot (GRS), Jupiter’s enormous storm, have revealed that it is less stable than previously thought. Regular observations over the course of 90 days have revealed that its elliptical shape can change dimension, becoming squished in different directions. The fact that it changes shape is not exactly unexpected. It has […]

Tiny pieces of charcoal have been found in sediments at the Tam Pà Ling Cave in Laos. The discoveries call into question previous confidence humans did not camp in the cave, and that remains there were instead washed inside. The cave represents our only established resource to unravel some of the biggest questions about humanity’s […]

How we respond to arguments or opinions that differ from our own can have serious implications, whether it’s a tiff between a friend or a family member, or a stubborn dispute with a colleague at work. We’ve probably all had instances where everyone involved thinks they’re right and things just don’t go anywhere. According to […]