News

NASA has conducted a reassessment of Earth-sized planets around nearby stars and the authors have concluded that 17 of these could resemble some of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Rather than being the rocky worlds we have imagined, they probably have icy shells, with liquid oceans beneath. Like the moons Europa and Enceladus, these […]

As the year draws to a close, we can now look back at the scientific stories that helped shape it. From groundbreaking discoveries that challenged the boundaries of our understanding, to technological marvels set to reshape our future, join us as we take a look at the dynamic world of science in 2023. Download this […]

So-called “Zombie Deer Disease”, also known as chronic wasting disease (CWD), is currently spreading among deer, elk, and moose in the USA. Hundreds of animals are estimated to have been affected by the disease last year – and as it spreads, experts are questioning if the illness could spread to humans. As a prion disease, […]

With cases of COVID reaching relatively high levels once again, here are the symptoms to keep an eye out for.  The JN.1 COVID variant had a rapid spread throughout December 2023 and has now become the most common strain of the virus spreading across the US, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and […]

New species are found every year, some are hiding in plain sight, some are camouflaged into the world around them, and some have been identified after painstaking hard work and genetic analysis. The team at the Natural History Museum London has named 815 new species this year, making 2022’s 351 species look a little paltry in […]

As NASA struggles to access the treasure obtained by the OSIRIS-REx mission to Bennu, it has also had to decide what to do with the valuable and still-operating spacecraft responsible. Now that decision has been made, confirming a long-standing plan, with the target set for an even more-famous Earth-crossing asteroid, 99942 Apophis, and a tweak […]

It’s difficult to fathom a wave taller than the Empire State Building, but a tsunami that big struck Alaska in 1958. The megatsunami remains the tallest ever recorded, but it wasn’t the most destructive as it hit Lituya Bay, a remote spot along the Gulf of Alaska where not many people live. Five people are […]

Exercise can be amazing for you: regularly getting active can reduce your risk of a whole host of ailments, such as heart attacks and strokes, and simply getting out for a walk can reduce your risk of death (although the infamous 10,000 steps goal is pretty arbitrary). Indeed, the World Health Organization states that those […]

Joining the ranks of newly discovered species in Asia is a snazzy-looking iguana with a bright orange tongue. Researchers have been looking closely at what they initially believed to be one species of iguana found in the subtropical evergreen forests of South China and Northern Vietnam. On further inspection, however, the team found that the […]

Archivists have stumbled across a walking cane that’s believed to depict a suspect in the case of Jack the Ripper, the notorious serial killer who raised hell in the East End of London in the autumn of 1888. Jack the Ripper was responsible for the murders of at least five female sex workers in the […]

When the Manhattan Project set out to research and develop nuclear weapons during World War II, it became apparent to the scientists involved that they would need to better understand the effects of the radioactive materials they were going to be working with on the human body. To find out, they conducted Human Plutonium Injection […]

When it comes to the most unkillable beasts out there, a jellyfish the size of your pinkie fingernail probably doesn’t leap straight to mind. However, not only is this subphylum responsible for producing the only known case of natural immortality, but it’s also home to the species Cladonema – a jelly with the ability to regrow […]

Over the holiday season, many people will be tucking into meals with meats like turkey and ham on the menu – but have you ever thought about going meat-free at this time of year, or what the future of the meat industry could look like?  For The Big Questions, IFLScience’s podcast, we spoke to Daniel […]

The enormous teeth of a “giant sea monster” were restored by fossil expert Chris Moore after he and Steve Etches endured the painstaking task of removing a huge fossil skull 12 meters (39 feet) up a cliff in Dorset, UK. It belonged to a pliosaur, an ancient marine reptile with a bite force that could’ve […]

It’s quite normal to feel a little bummed out when the weather is miserable, but there’s a big difference between the rainy-day blues and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Sometimes referred to as winter depression, SAD is a clinical condition that resembles major depressive disorder but comes and goes in a seasonal pattern. While SAD can […]

Dream Chaser Tenacity, a next-generation reusable spaceplane, is set to undergo testing at NASA ahead of its maiden voyage to the International Space Station (ISS) scheduled for 2024. Sierra Nevada Corporation, the aerospace company behind the spaceplane, has just delivered the first Dream Chaser spaceplane, called Tenacity, to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio. […]

Sea turtles of different species have become somewhat of a poster child for all things climate change and plastic pollution-related, with dramatic pictures and rescue videos flooding our news feeds. However, conservationists have some good turtle-based news for once. In Cambodia, nine green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) nests have been found along […]

Lots of things changed during the global COVID-19 pandemic – and while the effect of restrictions was felt keenly by the world’s human population, the animal kingdom was also affected, with some surprising outcomes. On a small island along the Thai Gulf in Koh Ped (KPE), eastern Thailand, a group of common long-tailed macaques (Macaca […]

Death is a natural and necessary part of life. As Chris Packham explained in Earth, even extinction has its upsides as it clears the way for new life. However, having a bunch of corpses lying around is a nightmare for disease spread, but fortunately life… uh… found a way, to take care of all the […]

There are quite a few examples of materials on Earth more expensive than gold. From glittering diamonds to shiny rhodium, the world’s precious natural resources can fetch high prices. But what about iridium? What is iridium? Iridium is a chemical element that has the atomic number 77 and is classed as a transition metal. Iridium […]