The Breakthrough Prize has announced its 2025 Laureates in Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics, and Mathematics. Among them are Professors Alberto Ascherio from Harvard University and Stephen Hauser from the University of California, San Francisco, who won the prize for their work in understanding multiple sclerosis (MS) and how to treat it. It was established by […]
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Man Attempts To Bring Cola “Offering” To Isolated Sentinelese Tribe, SpaceX Makes History By Orbiting Over Earth’s Poles, And Much More This Week
This week, a study has revealed a biological basis of near-death experiences, a Loch Ness monster trap that’s been lost underwater for 55 years has been recovered, revealing some eerie images, and scientists have drilled to the bottom of the Great Blue Hole and uncovered 5,700 years of history. Finally, we ask the experts why […]
Russian Military Satellites Release Mystery Object Into Orbit After Acting Strangely
Three Russian satellites launched into space on February 5, 2025, appear to have released a mystery object into Earth orbit. It’s not clear what the purpose of the satellites nor their new companion is, though US officials speculate that they are demonstrating “attack and defense tactics”, showing that they are capable of surrounding and targeting […]
Quantum Structure Thought Impossible Created By Merging 2 Synthetic Materials
Humanity has been creating new materials since the age of bronze (which does not occur naturally) and since the breakthrough in modern science, we have been able to make some truly peculiar substances. Now, two materials that possess properties that are truly extraordinary have been sandwiched together into a new quantum structure with very unusual […]
What Might The Next Big Particle Accelerator Look Like? We’ve Seen The First Glimpse
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) does what it says on the tin. It accelerates protons and ions to a speed never achieved before by humans, allowing them to probe new energy realms in particle physics. It will undergo upgrades to increase the number of collisions, but ultimately, it won’t reach any higher energies. To do […]
Robots Explored A Giant Iceberg In Antarctica And Found The Deep Ways It’s Impacting Earth
Robot gliders scouted the waters around one of the world’s largest icebergs, A-68a, before it melted and broke apart into obscurity. This was the first time such a feat had been achieved, providing scientists with an unprecedented glimpse into how icebergs impact the ocean. A-68a was sliced off from Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf in […]
Contraceptive “Crystals” Assemble Into Implant That Could Offer Long-Term Birth Control In Single Shot
In a bid to create a less invasive and more accessible form of birth control, scientists have created a self-injectable contraceptive shot, the components of which are able to self-assemble to form an implant. According to a new study introducing the technology, the result is a highly effective and long-term contraceptive method, which could avoid […]
Scientists Fermented Miso In Space – It Ended Up Tasting Different To That On Earth
Being in space impacts lifeforms that evolved on Earth. This is true for the many changes (some disgusting) to the human body, but it is also true for microorganisms – from those living in, on, and around us, to the ones we employ in our food. Miso is a fermented soybean paste and scientists have […]
The Majority Of American Christian Leaders Secretly Believe In Human-Caused Climate Change
Believe it or not, nearly 90 percent of Christian religious leaders in the US believe in human-driven climate change, according to a new study. Climate change is one of the most significant challenges facing the world today. Despite some vocal opposition, most Americans (72 percent, according to a recent report from Yale University) believe this […]
Near-Death Experiences, Loch Ness Camera Trap, And Why No Frozen Dinosaurs?
This week on Break It Down: study uncovers the biological basis of near-death experiences, what a camera trap captured after 55 years in Loch Ness, why it’s taken humans so long to orbit over Earth’s poles, what a sediment core from the “Great Blue Hole” can tell us about the Caribbean’s climatic past and future, […]
Which Of Earth’s Continents Is Moving The Fastest? And Where Is It Going?
Australia is the fastest-moving continent on Earth, resting on top of a tectonic plate that’s drifting at about 7 centimeters (just under 3 inches) each year – that’s somewhere between the rate at which your hair and fingernails grow. By comparison, Earth’s land masses move at an average rate of about 1.5 centimeters (0.6 inches) […]
Previously Unknown Human Lineage Lived In The Sahara When It Was Green
People living in North Africa today can trace their ancestry back to a unique human population that lived in the Sahara at a time when the region was lush, green, and humid. Identifying this prehistoric lineage for the first time in the genomes of two 7,000-year-old mummies, the authors of a new study confirm that […]
Happy Birthday Hubble – 35 Years In Space This Month!
On April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope flew aboard space shuttle Discovery, which makes this year the 35th anniversary of this incredible instrument. It is not hyperbole to say that this observatory has changed astronomy forever. It had a rocky start. Its primary mirror had a defect, with its outer edge being too flat […]
Why Aren’t We Using More Animal Cloning In Conservation? First Review Exposes Common Misconceptions And Untapped Potential
A landmark study has become the first to review the complete history of animal cloning, concluding that it is already a viable conservation tool, but one that’s being held back by common misconceptions. Despite widespread beliefs about shortened lifespan and infertility, it found that of the 56 species and subspecies cloned to date, the overwhelming […]
Adorable Gibbon Tries To Cure Hay Fever By Sticking Grass Up His Itchy Nose
Having hay fever can be a pretty miserable time, with people looking for medicine or home remedies to relieve the symptoms. However, one gibbon took the task a little too far when it managed to wedge a piece of grass up its nose, requiring a quick trip to the vet to fix its handiwork. Eight-year-old white-cheeked […]
Retro Gamers Like To Revisit The Games They Played When They Were 10
For those of us who have played videogames for a long time, there’s something special about digging out an old console and starting a new game of something you last played as a kid. Maybe it’s the polyphonic tones of the opening world to the first Mario games, or maybe the panic-inducing tempo of Sonic […]
What Do We Know About The Geology Of Myanmar’s Devastating Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake?
On March 28, the city of Mandalay, Myanmar, became the epicenter of a powerful earthquake that could be felt as far away as Bangkok, Thailand, and that is estimated to have killed over 3,000 people and injured thousands more. As rescue and relief efforts continue amid the collapsed buildings and wrecked roads, geologists are uncovering […]
Why Won’t This Contraption Turn? New Physics Puzzle Baffles Internet
Last week, the Internet was puzzled by a physics problem involving a set of scales, an iron ball, and a ping pong ball of equal size. Now that that one has been cleared up, Reddit has been mulling over a new problem: why won’t this contraption turn? “I don’t know where else to ask,” Redditor […]
Cory Booker Stands On Senate Floor For Over 25 Hours – What Does That Do To The Body?
US Senator Cory Booker made history earlier this week when he delivered the longest speech in the Senate’s history, holding the floor for a whopping 25 hours and 5 minutes. In all that time, Booker didn’t sit down, eat, or sleep – but what does such a feat of endurance do to the body? Not […]
What Are The Lightest Solids And Why Do They Matter?
If asked to make the lightest (least dense) solid possible, many people would start looking at the start of the periodic table for low-mass atoms. However, nature shows there are much better ways to lower something’s density, and humans have taken the approach much further. Volcanoes spit out lava that becomes heavy basalt, but sometimes […]