Episoder

  • This week on Break It Down: fishers discover a mysterious tablet bearing an unknown language, sequencing the oldest human genome reveals when we first bred with Neanderthals, Jupiter’s got a shiny new ring, a new predator captured in the darkest depths of the Atacama Trench, working out the rules to an ancient boardgame, and can donor organs transfer memories? Transplant patients report strange personality changes.

    So sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Links:

    Mysterious tablet

    Complaint tablet

    Sequencing the oldest human genome

    Jupiter’s new ring

    Sharks older than Saturn’s rings

    Deep-sea predator

    Ancient boardgame

    The Big Questions

    Donor organs and memory

    Piggyback heart transplant

    Guitarfish

    True crime

    We Have Questions

    Subscribe

  • This week on Break It Down: scientists may have discovered a new ancient relative of humans, collar cameras from Andean bears reveal Paddington may have a taste for cubs, we’ve been paying the salmon tax to dogs for 2,000 years more than thought, new biohybrid wood glows green in the dark, diamond batteries could last for thousands of years, and it turns out spaceports make for remarkably good wildlife sanctuaries.So sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Links:

    New human species

    Cannibalistic Paddington

    Ancient dog friends

    Sign up to CURIOUS

    Glowing wood

    Diamond battery

    Spaceports and nature

    The Big Questions

    Genghis Khan

    Frosty the orca

    True Crime: Harold Shipman

    Wisdom the albatross has laid an egg

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  • This week on Break It Down: killer whales have been wearing salmon hats (again) and sucking out the livers of the world’s largest shark, 1.5-million-year-old footprints reveal Homo erectus co-existed with a now-extinct protohuman, fossil dinosaur poop and vomit indicate their rise to power began with plants, we have a date for when Pluto will complete its first orbit since we discovered the non-planet (don’t hold your breath), COVID-19 may hold the key to shrinking tumors, and we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Lucy's discovery, a moment that changed our understanding of human evolution.

    So, sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Links:

    Killer whale fashion

    Killer whales eating whale sharks

    1.5-million-year-old footprints

    Dinosaur poop and vomit

    Pluto’s birthday

    COVID-19 shrinking tumors

    Lucy’s legacy

    True crime: Colin Pitchfork

    Subscribe

    CURIOUS magazine

  • This week on Break It Down, astronomers have taken the first-ever close-up photo of a star outside of the Milky Way, putting weight back on after losing it could be down to your fat cells' “memories”, the mystery surrounding the Earth’s inner core “freezing”, footage shows a “giant” virus infecting a cell for the first time, the world’s thinnest spaghetto is 200 times narrower than a hair, and meet Dadu, a shark-hunting dog who survived alone on a remote island for nearly a year, and then became beloved.

    So, sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Links:

    Star outside the Milky WayFat cell “memories”Earth’s inner coreGiant virusThinnest spaghettiShark-hunting dog

    Dog shoving children in the SeineShipwreck whiskeyLargest coralTrue Crime In ScienceSubscribe to the newsletter

  • This week on Break It Down: turns out the one time we saw Uranus it was having an uncharacteristically windy moment, new meanings behind the Amazon’s most incredible rock art, the world’s largest coral found lurking off the Solomon Islands, a ~35,000-year-old saber-toothed baby comes complete with fur, whiskers, and toe beans, and amber found in Antarctica for the first time ever. Plus, can we phase out animal testing? Science is trying.

    So, sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Links:

    Uranus was having a bad day

    Amazon rock art

    World’s largest coral

    Saber-toothed cub

    Antarctic amber

    Animal testing

    Disco worm

    Fire and ice

    UAP hearing

    We Have Questions

    How Many Geese

  • This week in Break It Down: clues inside Pompeii victims' casts reveal they're not who we thought they were, the frogs of Chernobyl are doing just fine, cat physics and a crime of authorship, the North Atlantic is getting saltier and saltier, good news for double jabs, and a DNA scientist who picked up the research that would solve her own murder.

    So sit back, relax, and let's Break It Down...Links:

    Pompeii Victims

    Chernobyl Frogs

    ⁠Cat Physics

    Salty Atlantic

    Double Jab

    1985 Murder

    We Have Questions

    How Many Geese

    Bats On Treadmills

    Oldest Text

    Tsunami: Race Against Time

  • This week on Break It Down: a quantum cat experiment breaks a record for surviving over 23 minutes, Voyager 1 encountered a glitch but fixed itself with some old school tech, fossils from the Ordovician are a glittering new species, animals are getting drunk more than we thought, though we’re not quite sure why, kyawthuite is the rarest gemstone of them all, and we wish happy birthday to a giant, city-destroying lizard who has much more cultural impact than meets the eye.

    Links:

    Quantum Cat Experiment

    Voyager Phoned Home

    Fool’s Gold Fossils

    Drunk Animals

    Rarest Gemstone

    Ruby Seed

    Jade Toughest Natural Mineral

    Godzilla At 70

    Annie Jacobson Curious Live InterviewSpooky Season Content

    Polar Bear Week

    How Is Climate Change Affecting Polar Bears?Rats Wearing Vests

  • This week on Break It Down: the discovery of the smallest-ever dinosaur eggs reveals teeny tiny bones, first black hole triple is changing our understanding of giant star death, the longest venomous snake is now four separate species, a rare bit of positive carbon capture news, how a new overdose implant can save lives, and why do people believe in ghosts? We asked an expert.

    So, sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Links:

    Smallest known dinosaur eggs

    Black hole triple

    How many times could the Earth fit in the Sun?

    King cobra x 4

    Positive carbon capture news

    Overdose implant

    Why do people believe in ghosts?

    Can Fear Be Fun? CURIOUS October issue

    Prof. Chris French interview

    Spooky Season trailer

    We Have Questions: What’s It Like Working In A Human Tissue Bank

    The Big Questions: Are Octopuses Sentient?

    Ricky The Bear

  • This week on Break It Down: the Sun has entered its solar maximum bringing new auroras and geomagnetic storms, a chance find of a thylacine head in a jar could be the next step in the de-extinction of the species, microplastics have been discovered in the breath of wild dolphins for the first time, why Neanderthals never improved their spear-throwing, how high-potency THC could leave markers on your DNA, and does the page you’re reading this on look blurry? We explore what astigmatism is.

    So, sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Links:

    Solar Maximum

    Thylacine Genome

    Microplastics In Dolphin Breath

    High-THC Cannabis And DNA

    Neanderthals Can't Throw

    Astigmatism

    Are Octopuses Sentient?

  • This week on Break It Down: two comb jellies become one, how Hurricane Milton grew so intense, superpowered scans reveal COVID’s impact on the brain, a humanlike robot’s jokes fail to impress his friend, Lucy the Australopithecine might have used tools 3.2 million years ago, and Mozambique’s elephants offer modern-day proof of evolution.

    So, sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Links:

    Comb jellies

    Hurricane Milton NASA animation

    NOAA Hurricane Hunters

    Florida coastline after Milton

    COVID-19 and the brainstem

    Robot conversation

    Lucy’s hands

    Elephant evolution

    The Big Questions: What Would A Human On Mars Look Like?

    Dino Footprints

  • This week on Break It Down: resurrecting Cold War spy planes to explore radioactive storms, the most detailed brain wiring diagram we've ever seen, mystery “skyquake” sounds have the world perplexed, plus grinning dolphins, glow-in-the-dark gemstones, and can you really feel when you’re being watched? So, sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Radioactive storms

    "Google Maps" for the brain

    Mysterious "skyquakes"

    Smiley dolphins

    Glow-in-the-dark crystal

    Lab-grown ruby

    Are you being watched?

    The Big Questions: What Would A Human On Mars Look Like?

    The Science Of Whisky

    Solar Systems interview

    Fat Bear Week 2024

  • This week on Break It Down: the major African civilization the world forgot, the world’s oldest cheese gets found on mummies, blasting asteroids with X-rays, a fish that’s basically got tongues for legs, the resurrection of a biblical seed, and why no one can decide how fast the universe is expanding.

    So, sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Links:

    African civilization: https://www.iflscience.com/five-thousand-years-ago-africa-had-a-major-civilization-we-forgot-76094World’s oldest cheese: https://www.iflscience.com/the-worlds-oldest-cheese-has-been-found-rubbed-on-a-bunch-of-mummies-76096Blasting asteroids: https://www.iflscience.com/the-latest-idea-for-deflecting-threatening-asteroids-x-ray-pulses-76077Tongue-legged fish: https://www.iflscience.com/this-winged-fish-uses-strange-tongue-like-legs-to-taste-the-seafloor-yes-really-76120Biblical seeds: https://www.iflscience.com/scientists-revive-1000-year-old-biblical-tree-from-seed-found-in-a-judean-cave-76095Hubble tension: https://www.iflscience.com/hubble-tension-solved-astronomers-race-to-save-standard-model-of-cosmology-74306IFLScience YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IFLScienceOfficialIFLScience Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iflscience

  • This week in Break It Down: Earth's about to get a new mini-moon (if only for a while), ancient rock art may have been based on a fossil, "third state" identified between life and death, a truly supermassive black hole with jets spanning 23 million light-years, there's a new blood group, and the remarkable reason why giant gorillas have tiny penises.

    So sit back, relax, and let's Break It Down...

    Links:

    Earth’s new mini-moon: https://www.iflscience.com/asteroid-2024-pt5-is-set-to-be-a-mini-moon-of-earth-for-two-months-75955

    Fossil rock art: https://www.iflscience.com/african-rock-art-may-show-extinct-animal-that-lived-millions-of-years-before-humans-76015

    Life after death: https://www.iflscience.com/the-third-state-that-lies-beyond-the-boundaries-of-life-and-death-75985

    Giant space jets: https://www.iflscience.com/truly-supermassive-black-hole-has-jets-spanning-23-million-light-years-the-biggest-ever-seen-76006

    New blood group: https://www.iflscience.com/scientists-solve-50-year-old-mystery-and-discover-an-entirely-new-blood-group-76000

    Gorilla dicks: https://www.iflscience.com/gorilla-dicks-are-absolutely-tiny-the-reason-why-is-fascinating-76004

    We Have Questions: https://www.iflscience.com/podcasts

    Solar System: https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2023/professor-brian-cox-solar-system

    Are the drugs of the future coming from the deep ocean: https://www.iflscience.com/iflscience-the-big-questions-are-the-drugs-of-the-future-coming-from-the-deep-ocean-75958

    Antimicrobial resistance deaths: https://www.iflscience.com/antimicrobial-resistance-forecast-to-increase-by-almost-70-percent-by-2050-threatening-millions-76025

  • This week on Break It Down, the first-ever private spacewalk makes history and also maybe a crime, a plasma bubble over the pyramids is spotted by snazzy Chinese tech, a new Neanderthal lineage lived in isolation for 50,000 years, a chance encounter on Google Maps leads to a new discovery, the recipient of a face and eye transplant has a major breakthrough, and we take a deep dive into whether orcas are really the “killer” whales they’d made out to be.

    So sit back, relax, and Break It Down...

    Links:

    Private Spacewalk: https://www.iflscience.com/polaris-dawn-crew-makes-history-with-first-ever-private-spacewalk-75929

    Space Crime?: https://www.iflscience.com/did-everybody-just-watch-a-live-stream-of-billionaires-breaking-space-law-75925

    Space Law Interview: https://www.iflscience.com/how-to-create-your-own-space-civilization-according-to-a-space-lawyer-72934

    Plasma Bubble: https://www.iflscience.com/chinese-radar-spots-plasma-bubbles-over-the-pyramids-of-giza-75896

    Neanderthals: https://www.iflscience.com/meet-thorin-a-cave-dwelling-population-of-neanderthals-were-isolated-for-50000-years-75910

    Google Maps Structure: https://www.iflscience.com/man-finds-unusual-spherical-structure-while-browsing-google-maps-it-could-be-a-huge-discovery-75869

    Face And Eye Transplant: https://www.iflscience.com/worlds-first-eye-and-face-transplant-1-year-later-eye-now-responds-to-light-75873

    Do Orcas Attack People?: https://www.iflscience.com/do-orcas-attack-humans-reports-from-the-wild-are-very-rare-75898

    Dino Sex: https://www.iflscience.com/iflscience-the-big-questions-how-did-dinosaurs-have-sex-75489

    We Have Questions Trailer: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_vg7J6iola/

  • Coming soon: join IFLScience as we explore the questions nobody thought to ask but everyone wants the answers to. Get the behind-the-scenes conversations from CURIOUS magazine’s We Have Questions interviews, as we hunt down the experts to answer some of science’s stranger questions.Until then, catch up with the E-magazine here: https://www.iflscience.com/curious-magazine

  • This week on Break It Down, “dangerous” asteroid Apophis has a slightly increased risk of hitting Earth, a pig in Hong Kong undergoes an operation by a team in Switzerland, people in Iceland are throwing puffins off cliffs, an asteroid impact over the Philippines just made history, a python somehow managed to ingest another python, and we take a closer look at why homeopathy isn’t all it's cracked up to be.

    So sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Links:

    Asteroid Apophis: https://www.iflscience.com/the-chance-of-asteroid-apophis-hitting-earth-may-be-slightly-higher-than-we-thought-75797

    Pig Surgery: https://www.iflscience.com/a-pig-just-had-surgery-by-a-team-operating-9000-kilometers-away-75803

    Pufflings: https://www.iflscience.com/why-are-people-in-iceland-throwing-baby-puffins-off-of-cliffs-75820

    Asteroid in the Philippines: https://www.iflscience.com/meteor-that-burned-up-over-philippines-is-just-ninth-ever-detected-before-earth-impact-75836

    Python eating python: https://www.iflscience.com/in-world-first-burmese-python-is-found-eating-reticulated-python-75787

    Homeopathy isn't real: https://www.iflscience.com/how-we-know-homeopathy-isnt-real-science-75811

    How Did Dinosaurs Have Sex?: https://www.iflscience.com/iflscience-the-big-questions-how-did-dinosaurs-have-sex-75489

  • This week on Break It Down: orcas disable another boat as a new theory is put forward for the behavior, bacteria pass “memories” of perturbed genes to descendants, SETI scans 2,880 galaxies for advanced extraterrestrial civilizations, what you need to know about human parvovirus B19, flying spaghetti monsters sighted on a sea mount expedition, and how to avoid the nonsense that plagues the wellness industry.

    So sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Links:

    Killer whale pirates: https://www.iflscience.com/orcas-strike-a-boat-in-spain-as-a-new-theory-arises-to-explain-the-destruction-75750

    Bacteria memories: https://www.iflscience.com/bacteria-pass-memories-of-perturbed-genes-to-their-descendants-75733

    Hunting aliens: https://www.iflscience.com/seti-starts-looking-for-highly-advanced-extragalactic-civilizations-in-2880-galaxies-75751

    Human parvovirus B19: https://www.iflscience.com/human-parvovirus-b19-is-increasing-in-the-us-heres-what-to-know-75695

    Flying spaghetti monsters: https://www.iflscience.com/flying-spaghetti-monsters-and-20-potential-new-species-spotted-at-sea-mounts-75696

    Long stringy thingy: https://www.iflscience.com/the-curious-case-of-the-long-stringy-thingy-spotted-in-australia-55635

    Wellness nonsense: https://www.iflscience.com/theres-a-lot-of-misinformation-and-pseudoscience-in-the-wellness-industry-heres-how-to-avoid-it-75723

    The Big Questions: https://www.iflscience.com/podcasts/the-big-questions

    Gymnastic springtails: https://www.iflscience.com/watch-springtails-backflip-more-than-60-times-their-body-height-into-the-air-75748

    Join our Instagram broadcast: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbYsC7WjVRHwwaW-/

    Join our WhatsApp broadcast: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWag6qBVJl3scy4n83H

  • 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 Rift Valley might not be the cradle of humankind after all, and why supermassive black holes are more a part of daily life on Earth than we realized.So, sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Links:

    Earth's New Ring: https://www.iflscience.com/this-springs-massive-aurora-sparking-solar-storm-has-given-earth-a-new-ring-75617

    Wow! Signal: https://www.iflscience.com/iconic-wow-signal-may-finally-have-an-explanation-its-still-not-aliens-75619

    Whales Using Tools: https://www.iflscience.com/humpback-whales-revealed-to-be-tool-users-catching-krill-with-amazing-skill-75637

    Universal Flu Vaccine: https://www.iflscience.com/universal-flu-vaccine-could-enter-human-trials-in-1-3-years-after-more-positive-results-75653

    Rift Valley: https://www.iflscience.com/why-the-rift-valley-may-not-be-the-cradle-of-humankind-after-all-75620

    Supermassive Black Holes: https://www.iflscience.com/this-is-how-you-are-using-supermassive-black-holes-every-day-without-even-knowing-75659The Big Questions Podcast: https://www.iflscience.com/iflscience-the-big-questions-how-will-the-solar-system-end-75652Curious Magazine: https://www.iflscience.com/curious-magazineMine Spiders Video: https://www.iflscience.com/how-large-are-mine-spiders-75629

  • This week on Break It Down: two new victims discovered at the site of Pompeii tell a vivid story, Stonehenge’s altar stone reveals a surprising point of origin, plans to terraform Mars with “glitter”, ancient environments exposed in a kilometer-long Earth sausage, we may know where the dinosaur-killing asteroid came from, and a brief history of humans’ long history of burying the dead.

    So, sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down


    Links:

    Pompeii victims: https://www.iflscience.com/two-new-pompeii-victims-found-clutching-coins-and-jewelry-as-they-met-their-doom-75519

    Corpse casts: https://www.iflscience.com/the-stone-bodies-of-pompeii-arent-what-you-think-68838

    Stonehenge altar stone: https://www.iflscience.com/stonehenges-famous-altar-stone-may-be-from-scotland-over-700-kilometers-away-75554

    The disco planet: https://www.iflscience.com/humanity-could-use-glitter-to-terraform-mars-and-add-a-little-razzle-dazzle-75547

    Earth sausage: https://www.iflscience.com/scientists-drill-1268-metres-deep-under-the-atlantic-ocean-scooping-out-huge-piece-of-earths-mantle-75569

    Chicxulub’s origins story: https://www.iflscience.com/dinosaur-killing-impactor-was-probably-a-rare-asteroid-from-beyond-jupiter-75567

    Oldest human burial: https://www.iflscience.com/whats-the-oldest-human-burial-in-the-world-75584

    How will the Solar System end? The Big Questions: https://www.iflscience.com/podcasts/the-big-questions

    Some of Dr Alfredo Carpineti’s space scoops: https://www.iflscience.com/superflares-are-released-by-sunlike-stars-can-the-sun-create-these-events-75577

    https://www.iflscience.com/jwst-confirms-more-bright-galaxies-found-in-the-early-universe-than-expected-75574

  • This week on Break It Down, the first archaeological study takes place outside of Earth, the oldest calendar might show a comet impact, a new study thinks the ancient Egyptians were using hydraulic tech to build the pyramids (others disagree), what a rock on Mars could tell us about potential life in the Solar System, a titanium heart is something straight out of sci-fi, and why we get taken in by urban legends like the Russian sleep experiment.

    So, sit back, relax, and let's Break It Down...

    Links:

    Space Archaeology: https://www.iflscience.com/first-ever-archaeological-survey-in-space-carried-out-on-the-iss-75454

    Oldest Calendar: https://www.iflscience.com/worlds-oldest-calendar-may-depict-catastrophic-comet-impact-13000-years-ago-75458Egyptian Hydraulic Lift: https://www.iflscience.com/did-the-egyptians-really-build-their-oldest-pyramid-with-a-hydraulic-lift-75417Biosignature On Mars: https://www.iflscience.com/why-people-are-so-excited-about-perseverances-possible-biosignature-discovery-75445Titanium Heart Transplant: https://www.iflscience.com/world-first-implantation-of-titanium-heart-harnessing-maglev-technology-75411

    Russian Sleep Experiment: https://www.iflscience.com/the-russian-sleep-experiment-and-why-we-believe-in-urban-legends-75452

    Can Dogs Live Longer: https://www.iflscience.com/iflscience-the-big-questions-can-we-make-dogs-live-longer-75450

    Curious Magazine: https://www.iflscience.com/curious-magazine