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Scientists have figured out a way to transform white fat cells into beige ones, effectively forcing them to burn calories rather than store them. Though the feat has so far only been achieved in mice, the researchers say their discovery could lead to the development of new weight-loss treatments for humans. Advertisement We all have […]

A new image taken from a satellite orbiting Mars has revealed a striking canyon in unprecedented detail. Known as Aganippe Fossa, the gnarly, scar-like ravine was first spotted by astronomers almost a century ago, yet can now be seen up close for the first time. Advertisement Measuring roughly 600 kilometers (373 miles) from end to […]

Hypothetical questions are always really fun in science because they make us think about what we know in a different light, which can make us better understand the huge scale of our planet. So let’s stop the Earth from spinning and see what happens.  Advertisement First of all, let’s imagine the rotation stops in one […]

A new COVID-19 strain may be contributing to more infection this winter in Australia. The KP.3, otherwise known as “FLuQE”, is a subvariant of the FLiRT strain but contains a mutation that has made it easier to spread. Advertisement FLiRT is just one strain of the infection responsible for the global Pandemic in 2020, it’s […]

In the year 1181, a new star appeared in the sky in the constellation of Cassiopeia. It was a “guest star”, what we now call a supernova. For 180 days it was bright enough to be seen before disappearing, lost for centuries. When it was rediscovered in 2021, astronomers were able to work out what […]

Chessboards have inspired many brainteasers over the years. For example: given a standard chessboard and a knight, is it possible to move the piece such that it visits every square once and only once? The answer is yes – and that fact might end up helping in the struggle against climate change. Advertisement In mathematical […]

Area 51 isn’t the only place that’s kept under wraps. In fact, the world is full of closely guarded sites that no one is allowed to enter, either for their own safety or to protect a secret. Here’s a look at five of the most enigmatic spots that no one is allowed to enter. North […]

Despite two centuries of excavations and archaeological investigations in Giza, only three items have ever been retrieved from within the Great Pyramid. Known collectively as the Dixon Relics, the trio of artifacts was discovered in 1872 by Waynman Dixon and James Grant, although we still don’t know what they are. Advertisement The pair came across […]

Astronomer David Kipping, of Cool Worlds fame, has urged other astronomers to use their telescope time to observe a particularly unusual star that appears to have a very strange or “seemingly impossible” chemical abundances.  Advertisement In recent years, we have observed some stars acting seriously strangely. The classic example is KIC 8462852, better known as […]

On Christmas Day 2022, a highly peculiar aurora was seen over an enormous section of the Arctic sky, the likes of which have never previously been observed from the ground. Known as a polar rain aurora, this exceptional light show was produced by a waterfall of electrons that emanated from the sun before cascading peacefully […]

IFLScience needs the contact information you provide to us to contact you about our products and services. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For information on how to unsubscribe, as well as our privacy practices and commitment to protecting your privacy, check out ourPrivacy Policy Deborah BloomfieldSource Link: Watch As A Solar […]

As much as people might try, things don’t always go to plan when it comes to sex – the condom breaks, someone forgot to take their pill that day, or people just get a bit lost in the moment. Not everyone wants a baby to come out of such situations, and that’s where emergency contraception […]

The quest to find “missing matter” in the universe has been unsuccessful so many times that some exotic suggestions get taken more seriously than they once might. As Sherlock Holmes famously said, “When you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, however, improbable, must be the truth.” In this case, there are many improbable ideas being […]

This week, 51,200-year-old narrative rock art is the oldest of its kind, paleolithic humans may have invented underwear 40,000 years ago, and scientists built LEGO bricks out of ancient celestial material to test Moon construction possibilities. Finally, we explore the surprising animals that can mimic human speech. Advertisement Subscribe to the IFLScience newsletter for all […]

One of the world’s greatest examples of sexual selection is the elaborate performances put on by birds-of-paradise, and it’s possible the female’s choosiness may be a way of avoiding mating with males of the wrong species. However, new research has revealed that this isn’t always enough to prevent mating between species, as it has identified […]

A spectacular display could be seen lighting up the night sky on Thursday near Mount Etna, as a fountain of lava burst out from a crater of Italy’s largest active volcano. Advertisement It’s not unusual for the volcano, which is on the Mediterranean island of Sicily, to erupt, but activity at some of its craters […]

A new study has taken a look at the weird “lunar swirls” seen on the Moon, and identified a possible cause beneath the lunar surface. Advertisement When humanity first developed telescopes and began examining the Moon in closer detail, we noticed some odd features. Using early telescopes in the 1600s, astronomers were able to see […]

An effort to explore the temperatures to which people warm or cool their houses started by finding something obvious, but then moved into more intriguing territory. With 11 percent of energy in the United States devoted to household temperature control, understanding the drivers of people’s choices could be much more important than it seems. Advertisement […]

Math is a language written primarily using equations – little sentences of letters and numbers that entirely govern our understanding of the universe.  Advertisement They can have a scary reputation, but really an equation is just a statement: it’s a math-y way of saying “These two things are equal to each other.” And each has […]

Juneau Icefield is one of North America’s largest, home to swathes of glaciers – but, according to new research, those glaciers are melting at a dramatically increased rate and the loss seen could reach an “irreversible” tipping point far earlier than previously thought. Advertisement An international team of researchers analyzed records of the 3,885-square kilometer […]