News

Mention cetaceans and your first thought might be of blue whales and orcas, but this group doesn’t consist solely of giants. In the coastal waters of New Zealand can be found a member smaller than the average human: Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori).  Advertisement What do Hector’s dolphins look like? The title may well have clued […]

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted on a new definition of what counts as a planet. This has since made a lot of people very angry; whether it was a bad move remains to be seen. The definition was seen as a demotion of Pluto from the category of planet to the category of […]

Researchers have discovered that the long-term administration of low-dose tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive part of cannabis, may have an overall anti-aging effect, especially in the brain. Although this study focused on mice, the researchers hope the results may set the stage for future treatments of age-related cognitive decline in humans. Advertisement Cognitive decline is […]

Birdwatchers in France think they’ve seen a wild case of hybridization between a grey heron and a little egret. Should that be a hergret or an egron? Advertisement The hybrid waterbird with “mixed features” was spotted near Park Marquenterre in the Somme department of northern France in July 2024, according to French birdwatching outlet Ornithomedia.com.  […]

During the 1914-1917 Antarctic expedition, the crew of the Endurance experienced a harrowing journey after becoming trapped and eventually stranded in the Weddell Sea. The crew, led by Sir Ernest Shackleton, were forced to make an arduous trip across the notorious Drake Passage in a lifeboat to reach the coast of South Georgia Island. Advertisement The […]

This week on Break It Down: Earth has a snazzy new radiation belt, the Wow! signal finally has an explanation and spoiler: it’s still not aliens, whales have joined the list of animals using tools (but do bubbles really count?), a universal flu vaccine is one step closer to reality thanks to some ferrets, the […]

Archaeologists in Kenya have unearthed a jawbone belonging to an ancient hominin species that walked the Earth at the same time as some of the earliest human ancestors. Known as Australopithecus anamensis, this ape-like creature was previously thought to have appeared after the original human forebears, yet this fossil suggests that it may actually have […]

The intervals of time we can capture with devices are getting shorter, opening up a window on physical phenomena we have yet to study. Researchers at the University of Arizona have announced the development of the world’s fastest electron microscope, which can capture an interval of a single attosecond. Advertisement An attosecond is a mindboggling […]

Every small town has its local legend. In Inverness, Scotland, it’s Nessie; in Ocracoke, North Carolina, it’s Blackbeard. In Fredericton, New Brunswick, it’s… well, it’s a little different.  Advertisement It’s a massive, taxidermized frog. “People come from all over the world to see it,” said Penny Pacey, then manager of the Fredericton Region Museum in […]

Sweden’s annual brown bear hunt kicked off on Wednesday, with over 150 bears killed in the opening days. The country’s government has approved the killing of 486 brown bears – 20 percent of the wild population – between August 21 and October 15.  Advertisement By Thursday afternoon, less than two days in, 152 had already […]

New COVID-19 vaccines could soon be on their way to a pharmacy near you, as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved updated mRNA shots from manufacturers Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Advertisement The vaccines have been approved and granted emergency use authorization, according to a statement from the agency. Changes have been made to […]

Coastlines are eroding under pressure from rising oceans and more powerful storms, but help could come in a surprisingly modest form; a gentle electric voltage applied to wet sand. Advertisement Sea level rise is among the greatest threats posed by human-induced global heating. However, the imagined problem of cities and farmlands permanently sunk beneath the […]

A universal flu vaccine – one that would protect against multiple strains and could spell the end of yearly shots – is something virologists have been striving towards for a long time. Now, one candidate has moved a step closer to fruition, showing positive results in ferrets. Researchers hope to begin human trials in as […]

It might be best known as a treatment for “the bends”, but recent years have seen hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) reclaimed by the rich and famous as something of a cure-all, used to tackle problems ranging from stress to autoimmune conditions. Advertisement But what actually is HBOT – and does it really do any of […]

Scientists at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider have discovered the heaviest atomic nucleus of antimatter ever found, and it’s a weird one. Even its matter counterpart is weird as it contains a particle made of a strange quark. But before we get into all that weirdness let’s share the name of this new peculiar particle: […]

For most of human history, we relied on the stars to navigate. Knowing the time and day and looking towards the polar regions where some stars appeared fixed provided us with cardinal directions. Today, we navigate using satellite information, which is used not only on maps and in traffic apps, but in countless other applications […]

We all know the ocean is full of deep dark surprises and wacky-looking creatures – and sometimes, we get to enjoy those animals in the moments that humans and sea creatures cross paths. While it might not go well for some, one snorkeler has recorded her magical experience with a sea hare in Mexico.  Advertisement […]

In a super-green offensive against carbon emissions, the world’s first commercial seaweed farm inside a wind farm is slated to open off the coast of the Netherlands. Advertisement The pioneering aquaculture plot will be located within Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ), a set of 139 wind turbines in the North Sea around 18 kilometers (11 miles) […]

When you have a good idea, it is never too early to try it out. That is certainly the case for 17-year-old Cesare Mencarini, an Italian high school student at Cardiff Sixth Form College’s Cambridge campus. As a project for the Extended Project Qualification, he built a nuclear fusion reactor, which not only made him […]

We come to you with an absolute gem of a news story. Quite literally – the world’s second biggest diamond has been discovered in a mine in Botswana. Advertisement The rough stone is a certified whopper at 2,492 carats – that’s nearly half a kilo or just over a pound – and was found amongst […]