After getting a plastic lid stuck around its neck as a cub two years ago, a young black bear in Michigan is finally free of his unwanted accessory, after state wildlife biologists successfully removed it. According to a statement from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the bear first caught the attention of biologists […]
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Pangolins, The World’s Most Trafficked Mammal, May Soon Get Federal Protection In The US
Pangolins, the most trafficked mammals on the planet, could soon be protected under the US Endangered Species Act. These enchanting creatures aren’t native to the US, but the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has recently proposed that seven species of pangolin in Asia and Africa should receive federal protection as a tool to solve the […]
Sharks Have No Bones, So How Do They Get So Big?
At up to 18 meters (60 feet) long, the whale shark is the largest fish in the ocean. That’s quite a size, especially considering that it, along with all other sharks, has no bones. So, how do these behemoths get so big? Sharks don’t have bones Instead of bone, shark skeletons are made up of […]
2025 Is Shaping Up To Be A Whirlwind Year For Tornadoes In The US
Buckle up and batten down the hatches: we’re almost halfway through 2025, and it’s already a whirlwind year for tornadoes. This season is highlighting a shift in US tornado trends, with more activity brewing in the East and rising danger across the board. At least 1,200 tornadoes were reported between January 1 and June 20, […]
Unexpected Nova Just Appeared In The Night Sky – And You Can See It With The Naked Eye
For the last year or so, astronomers and sky lovers have been waiting for the explosion of T Coronae Borealis. The system is a notorious recurring nova, which is expected to go any moment now, but still has not. So, while astronomy can be a cruel mistress, making us wait, it can also be a […]
Watch As Maori Octopus Decides Eating A Ray Is A Good Idea
What goes on beneath the waves is a mystery to many people. While scientists can work out whale behavior, discover new species, and even store messages in bubbles, sometimes the casual observer can also learn something. Recently, a diver witnessed a remarkable interaction between an octopus and a ray in which only one came out […]
There Is Life Hiding In The Earth’s Deep Biosphere, But Not As You Know It
Where does life on Earth end? You’d think it must be at the crust, right? Oh-ho-hoo, dear reader, think again. Allow me to introduce you to a little something called the deep biosphere. The crust is Earth’s outermost shell, and it can be as thin as 5 kilometers (3 miles) at the bottom of the […]
Two Sandhill Cranes Have Adopted A Canada Gosling, And It’s Ridiculously Adorable
Families can come in all sorts of different shapes, sizes, and even species, as it turns out. That’s certainly the case in Madison, Wisconsin, where a pair of sandhill cranes with a leggy young chick of their own have also adopted a fluffy little Canada gosling. If that sounds pretty darn adorable, we can confirm […]
Hybrid Pythons Are Taking Over The Florida Everglades With “Hybrid Vigor”
Interspecies breeding is creating a slippery problem in Florida’s conflict with invasive pythons. A few years ago, scientists discovered that a significant number of the giant snakes stalking the Everglades are hybrids created as a result of breeding between two different species: Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) and Indian pythons (P. molurus). Remarkably, these hybrids appear […]
Mysterious, Powerful Radio Pulse Traced Back To NASA Satellite That’s Been Dead Since 1967
The dead speak! Humanity has heard a mysterious signal, but the origin is not a broadcast from Star Wars’ Emperor Palpatine – it is from another seemingly defunct object. The NASA Relay 2 satellite, which worked for several years in the 1960s, appears to have sent a radio pulse back to Earth. Is the satellite […]
This Is The Best (And Worst) Sleep Position
What’s your preferred sleeping position? Do you lie on your side like a fetus, sleep on your back like a log or corpse, or do you lie on your stomach like you’ve fallen from a great height? You might think your preferred sleeping position is a trivial quirk, but scientists believe some positions are better […]
Artificial Eclipse, Dancing Dinosaurs, And 50 Years Of “JAWS”
This week on Break It Down: Two spacecraft just created the first ever artificial solar eclipse, thanks to some impressive drone photos we know now dancing dinosaurs might have been leaping around to impress females in Colorado, a child from the world’s oldest burial site appears to be a Neanderthal-Homo sapiens hybrid, for the first […]
The Longest-Reigning Monarch In History Is Someone You’ve Never Heard Of
When Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, her 70 years on the throne fell slightly short of the record for a sovereign state monarch. That accolade belongs to Louis XIV of France, who ruled for 72 years until his death in 1715 – although even his reign was but a flash in the pan […]
World’s First Microfiber Recycling Center Plans To Combat Ocean Pollution At Its Source – Our Homes
The world’s first microfiber recycling facility has just opened in Cornwall, England. Run by the Cleaner Seas Group, the new Microfibre Filter Hub, Microplastic Recycling Lab, and Return and Recycle Center aim to transform our approach to microplastic pollution in the world’s oceans. Many of us are probably aware of the prevalence of microplastics, given […]
Dancing Dinosaurs May Have Used Site In Colorado As “Largest Lekking Arena In The World”
For clues as to how dinosaurs dated, we can look to the last living dinosaurs: birds. On Earth today, several species perform lek mating, a spectacular display that sees males gather together for what is essentially a dance-off. Females will watch the males perform, and the most impressive wins the chance to mate with her. […]
World’s Largest Digital Camera To Reveal Revolutionary First Images On Monday – And You Can Watch Live
Astronomers are ready to share with the world the very first groundbreaking images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The facility, supported by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, is set to observe the sky like never before, thanks to its incredible digital camera, the largest in the world. You can […]
Common Brain Parasite Infecting Up To 30 Percent Of Americans Disrupts Neuron Communication
New research explains how a common brain parasite, called Toxoplasma gondii, can disrupt brain functions, even when it only infects a small number of neurons. The microscopic parasite, which infects nearly one-third of the world’s population, interferes with communication between brain cells. The researchers behind the new study hope their findings will lead to new […]
First Clear Example Of A “Ghost” Mantle Plume Discovered Beneath Arabia
Evidence has been found for a mantle plume beneath Oman, on the Arabian Peninsula. Unlike all the confirmed mantle plumes found before, however, this one is not associated with current or recent volcanic activity, earning the title “ghost” plume. Mantle plumes rise from the boundary of the Earth’s outer core, bringing extra heat to the […]
“Some People Took JAWS As A License To Kill”: 50 Years On, Can We Turn Fear To Fascination?
Fifty years ago, a film hit the cinemas that would change the way movie-goers saw the ocean. Author Peter Benchley’s creation, JAWS, was brought to the silver screen by (a relatively unknown, in 1975) Steven Spielberg and, helped along by a killer score from John Williams, they created a supervillain unlike any Hollywood had ever […]
IFLScience The Big Questions: Would You Rather Go To Space Or The Bottom Of The Sea?
The expanse of space and the oceanic abyss hold a fascination for humanity; extreme environments where our bodies and technology are pushed to their limits, yet we continue to explore. We take this tongue-in-cheek question seriously and pose it to astronauts and explorers who have done both. Join co-hosts Dr Alfredo Carpineti and Katy Evans […]