Tempting as it is to push memories of lockdown to the back of our minds, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting effect on society. Now, new research reveals the long-reaching effect of lockdowns on a crucial skill among children – social cognition. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE Social cognition is the ability […]
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Dolphin Or Sloth, Who Can Hold Their Breath For Longer?
While renowned for being exceptionally slow, sloths possess one superpower – they can hold their breath longer than an episode of Friends. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE These sluggish creatures are able to hold their breath for an incredible 40 minutes. In comparison, a dolphin can hold their breath for approximately 10 minutes and the world […]
EBC-46 Shows Tremendous Potential To Help Eradicate HIV
A new chemical compound has been making a big impression in the fight against cancer in recent years. Now it seems EBC-46, otherwise known as tigilanol tiglate, may also have immense potential for eradicating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE EBC-46 is a compound derived from the seeds of the blushwood (Fontainea […]
In Earth’s Extremes, Nights Can Last For Months, Even Up To 179 Days
Each year in the North Pole, the Sun sets in mid-September and doesn’t return until mid-March, creating a polar night that lasts for 179 days (around six months). An equally long night occurs in the South Pole too, albeit in the “opposite” time of year during the Southern Hemisphere’s winter. In fact, a bunch of […]
Seven Advances In Technology That We’re Likely To See In 2025
In the grand scheme of things, 45 years is not a long time. Back in 1980, it would take me three weeks to run a computer program, written in the programming language Cobol, that worked using punched cards. Each card represented one line of code and it required multiple re-punches to correct errors. Eventually, I […]
Why Does January Consistently Witness A High Divorce Rate?
It is officially February and that might just be a good thing for your relationship. Not only are we approaching Valentine’s Day but we have made it through January, which has a notorious rep for breaking marriages. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE The first working Monday of the New Year has earned the unenviable title “Divorce […]
CIA Says COVID Lab Leak “Likely” – Let’s Explain, Asteroid Bennu Shows Life’s Ingredients In Early Solar System, And Much More This Week
This week, a mouse with two dads has survived into adulthood for the first time, if you’ve ever asked someone a question with the sole intention that they ask you the same question back, there’s now a name for it, and the world’s oldest known example of a poison-covered arrow has been found embedded in […]
The Weird Psychology Of Airports
Many of us have witnessed unusual and even anti-social behaviour at an airport or on a flight. These may range from benign acts such as sleeping on the floor or doing yoga in front of the flight information display system to serious incidents like early morning drunken arguments or even trying to open the aeroplane […]
Do Extreme Microbes Live Outside The ISS? Yesterday’s Spacewalk Will Help Find Out
Yesterday, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore performed their ninth and fifth spacewalks respectively, with Williams setting the record for the longest total spacewalking time by a female astronaut. Among the objectives of the walk, there was an intriguing scientific objective: The duo swabbed the surface material around the Quest airlock and outside the […]
Despite Being Pretty Much Useless, These Ear-Wiggling Muscles Still Attempt To Work
Thought to be pretty redundant in modern humans outside of wiggling our ears for a giggle, new research has revealed that certain ear muscles that let animals and our ancient ancestors move their ears to focus on sounds actually still respond to how intently we listen to a sound or the direction it’s coming from. […]
US Set To Ban Seafood Imports Linked To Marine Mammal Bycatch In 2026
A long-delayed ban on the import of seafood that doesn’t meet US marine mammal protection standards is finally set to be implemented next year, after conservation groups reached a legal agreement with US authorities. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE Come January 1, 2026, in order to receive authorization to export their products to the US, foreign […]
COVID Lab Leak, Mouse With Two Dads, And Are We Living In A Simulation?
This week on Break It Down: a CIA report says the origins of COVID being a lab leak is “likely” but what does that really mean? The Doomsday Clock ticks closer to humanity’s destruction, asteroid Bennu’s sample contains the building blocks of life (but not aliens), the oldest poison arrow dates back 7,000 years, a […]
Radioactive Plutonium In Sahara Dust Came From An Unexpected Source
Every now and again, the Sahara Desert in North Africa will kick up a storm and spread dust clouds across Europe and other parts of the world. Remarkably, the sand still carries traces of radioactive isotopes from the atomic bomb tests of the Cold War. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE In a new study, scientists have […]
How Do Astronauts Deal With Dirty Laundry In Space?
Changing clothes and washing them regularly is basic hygiene, but there are some situations where that is more difficult to do than others. Space, for example, is one of those extreme environments where laundry is not something that can be done easily. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE The main reason is that water is an incredibly […]
Got An Itchy Rash? Now We Know Why You Probably Shouldn’t Scratch It
How many times were you told not to scratch an itchy rash when you were a kid because you’d only make it worse? Well, it turns out that advice was actually correct and now we know why, according to a new mouse study. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE Let’s face it, scratching an itch can be […]
Orcas Confirmed Hunting Australian White Shark For Its Liver For First Time
In 2023, the remains of a great white shark washed up on the shore near Portland in Victoria, Australia, in 2023. It’s needless to say the body instantly caught media and scientific attention: this iconic apex predator, the source of fear and awe for so many people across the world, had been savaged by something […]
Global Planetary Defense Protocols Now Active Following “Potentially Hazardous” Asteroid Discovery
For many years, groups around the world have rehearsed what to do in case we discover an asteroid that might impact Earth. Well, this time is for real. Asteroid 2024 YR4 has been placed at Level 3 on the Torino impact scale, with a 1.2 percent chance of impact with Earth in late 2032. This […]
Why The World’s Deadliest Mushroom Is Worthy Of Its Terrifying Name
Toxic mushrooms are one of the leading causes of food poisoning deaths worldwide, and an incredible 90 percent of these fatal fungal foragings are the work of one species: the aptly named death cap mushroom. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE Also known by its taxonomic label Amanita phalloides – which actually means penis-shaped – this deadly […]
Astronaut Suni Williams Sets New Record For Total Spacewalk Time By A Woman
NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore were outside of the International Space Station (ISS) yesterday for a very interesting spacewalk, which ended up being a record-breaking one for Williams. After completing the almost 5.5 hours of extravehicular activity (EVA), Williams is now the woman who has spent the longest time in space […]
Move Over, Punxsutawney Phil: These Birds Can “Predict” The Weather Too
For nearly 140 years, every February 2 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, has seen a bizarre ceremony in which a groundhog named Phil “forecasts” whether or not there’ll be six more weeks of winter. The tradition even has a day named after it – but are there other animals with weather-predicting abilities that deserve attention too? ADVERTISEMENT […]
