IFLScience - Break It Down

Wonky Giraffe, Hamster Vaccines, And Wildlife Rock Art

This week on Break It Down: a wonky-necked giraffe is somehow still alive, an extraordinary fossil find shows a tyrannosaur with a stubby snout, a vaccine to stop COVID transmission is a success (at least, in hamsters), ancient stars are not where we expect them to be, 12,500-year-old rock art is a wildlife masterpiece, and we debunk some cortisol-based misinformation.

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

Links:

Wonky giraffe: https://www.iflscience.com/wonky-necked-giraffe-spotted-in-south-africa-is-somehow-still-alive-75382

New tyrannosaur: https://www.iflscience.com/new-species-of-69-million-year-old-tyrannosaur-identified-in-awesome-fossils-75343

Hamster vaccines: https://www.iflscience.com/covid-19-vaccine-nasal-drops-could-stop-viral-transmission-75386

Ancient stars: https://www.iflscience.com/ancient-stars-found-in-unlikely-region-of-the-milky-way-75377

Wildlife rock art: https://www.iflscience.com/rock-art-shows-early-humans-in-south-americas-contact-with-new-worlds-animals-75312

Cortisol lies: https://www.iflscience.com/cortisol-is-the-stress-hormone-really-the-health-villain-its-made-out-to-be-75242

Gregorian calendar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Moxf1yy_5Q

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

Singing Elephants, Animal Olympics, and A Popcorn-Covered Neanderthal

This week on Break It Down: deep-sea potatoes just shook foundational ideas about life on Earth, NASA plans to launch an artificial star, elephants sing “let’s go” like a barbershop quartet, the most complete Neanderthal skeleton has sprouted cave popcorn, the record for hottest day ever gets smashed twice in one week, and who would win in the animal Olympics?

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

Links:

Deep-sea potatoes: https://www.iflscience.com/natural-batteries-on-the-deep-ocean-floor-appear-to-be-making-dark-oxygen-75206

Artificial star: https://www.iflscience.com/nasa-will-soon-launch-an-artificial-star-into-orbit-over-the-usa-75197

Barbershop elephants: https://www.iflscience.com/barbershop-elephants-first-ever-lets-go-recordings-reveal-incredible-harmonies-75193

Cave popcorn: https://www.iflscience.com/the-most-complete-neanderthal-skeleton-ever-found-still-cant-be-excavated-75199

Hottest day: https://www.iflscience.com/sundays-hottest-ever-day-record-has-been-broken-already-75259

Animal Olympics: https://www.iflscience.com/if-animals-could-compete-in-the-olympics-which-events-would-they-win-75252

Read CURIOUS: https://www.iflscience.com/curious-magazine

Jurassic garden:  https://www.iflscience.com/how-to-create-a-jurassic-garden-75255

Yellowstone goes boom: https://www.iflscience.com/watch-as-surprise-yellowstone-eruption-sends-rocks-flying-and-visitors-fleeing-75229

The Big Questions: https://www.iflscience.com/iflscience-the-big-questions-is-evolutionary-biology-sexist-75243

$44 Million Stegosaurus, Air Butter, And Life On Venus?

This week on Break It Down: why Venus just got very exciting as a potential site of extra-terrestrial life, how you make butter out of thin air, a Stegosaurus on sale for $44 million, the discovery of the first Moon cave, why Earth just landed itself a new microcontinent, and pseudoscience Vs anti-science – what the differences are and how to tackle them.

So sit back, relax, and let’s Break it Down…

Links:

Phosphine on Venus: https://www.iflscience.com/new-detection-of-phosphine-deeper-in-venuss-atmosphere-and-possibly-ammonia-too-75139

Air butter: https://www.iflscience.com/lab-made-butter-created-from-co2-tastes-like-the-real-thing-says-bill-gates-75144

$44 million stegosaurus: https://www.iflscience.com/stegosaurus-fossil-fetches-record-breaking-446-million-at-auction-75151

Moon caves: https://www.iflscience.com/the-first-cave-has-been-found-on-the-moon-is-it-ready-for-occupation-75103

Microcontinent: https://www.iflscience.com/new-microcontinent-discovered-between-greenland-and-canada-75135

Pseudoscience VS anti-science: https://www.iflscience.com/pseudoscience-vs-anti-science-how-to-tell-the-difference-and-fight-both-75082

Interview with Prof Jim Al-Khalili: https://youtu.be/6cBV1fnp7E4?si=IEhqrdq7bCy4Et7v

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

Dinosaur casts: https://www.iflscience.com/are-dinosaur-skeletons-in-museums-the-real-thing-75146

Mammoth Jerky, Endangered Language, And Rocket Science In The Jungle

This week on Break It Down we report live from a rocket launch, freeze-dried skin gets us a step closer to bringing back mammoths, “polar rain” auroras seen on Earth in a first, two lion brothers should star in their own Disney movie, a complete larynx transplant for a cancer patient, and the people fighting for the survival of the world’s most endangered language. 

Sit back, relax and let’s break it down...

 

Ariane 6: https://www.iflscience.com/europes-ariane-6-rocket-is-about-to-launch-heres-why-its-a-big-deal-74147

Woolly mammoth: https://www.iflscience.com/woolly-mammoth-skin-freeze-dried-for-52000-years-delivers-first-ever-3d-chromosomes-75043

Record-breaking lions: https://www.iflscience.com/lion-swims-record-breaking-distance-across-predator-filled-river-in-movie-worthy-epic-feat-75036

Incredible aurora: https://www.iflscience.com/incredible-polar-rain-aurora-seen-from-earth-for-the-first-time-74986

Larynx transplant: https://www.iflscience.com/cancer-patient-gets-total-larynx-transplant-to-restore-his-voice-in-world-first-75032

Endangered language: https://www.iflscience.com/nuu-the-worlds-most-endangered-language-has-just-one-fluent-speaker-left-75012

Bear "supermom":  https://www.iflscience.com/grizzly-bear-supermom-spotted-in-yellowstone-with-five-cubs-for-first-time-75047

Animals driving: https://www.iflscience.com/when-animals-learn-to-drive-for-science-75066

Flying Hippos, Talking Animals, And Palaeolithic Underpants

This week on Break It Down, why dinosaurs had to die so that we could have wine, the world’s oldest narrative art, the flying skills of hippos, evidence for pants in the Palaeolithic, turning meteorites into space LEGO, and a bunch of animals talking like humans that really shouldn’t be talking like humans.

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

Links:

Dinosaurs VS wine: https://www.iflscience.com/we-might-owe-wine-to-the-asteroid-that-killed-the-dinosaurs-66-million-years-ago-74893

Oldest narrative art: https://www.iflscience.com/oldest-narrative-rock-art-discovered-with-mind-blowing-age-of-51200-years-74927

Flying hippos: https://www.iflscience.com/hippos-cant-swim-but-it-turns-out-they-can-fly-74937

Palaeolithic underpants: https://www.iflscience.com/paleolithic-humans-may-have-invented-underwear-40000-years-ago-74949

Space LEGO: https://www.iflscience.com/meteorite-billions-of-years-old-turned-into-lego-bricks-for-moon-habitat-test-74939

Talking animals: https://www.iflscience.com/from-orcas-to-ducks-the-surprising-animals-that-can-mimic-human-speech-74930

Ripper the duck: https://www.iflscience.com/you-bloody-fool-shouts-first-confirmed-talking-duck-60850

Nuclear blasts: https://youtu.be/XsSpI9cVNbg?si=aC_qGn0SBJSR26lT

Climate change and health: https://www.iflscience.com/podcasts

Big Bang on TV: https://www.iflscience.com/you-may-have-watched-the-big-bang-on-tv-74950

Popsicle Wolves, Primordial Black Holes, And A Fleshy Robot’s Smile

This week on Break It Down, a puppy gets a post-mortem 44,000 years after being frozen in permafrost, altruism found among Neanderthals in Down Syndrome case, the world’s largest terrestrial mammal migration is recorded in East Africa, a robot’s fleshy smile that will haunt your nightmares, NASA is being sued, and the Tunguska Event may have been caused by *checks notes* a primordial black hole ripping through Earth. Right.

Sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down…

Links:

Frozen wolf: https://www.iflscience.com/a-44000-year-old-wolf-frozen-in-permafrost-may-still-contain-living-bacteria-74848

Bog body whoopsies: https://www.iflscience.com/a-man-confessed-to-murdering-his-wife-but-the-body-turned-out-to-be-1600-years-old-59326

Neanderthals: https://www.iflscience.com/neanderthal-child-with-down-syndrome-highlights-altruism-among-ancient-humans-74828

World’s largest migration: https://www.iflscience.com/six-million-animals-make-moves-in-the-worlds-largest-land-mammal-migration-74827

Robot smile: https://www.iflscience.com/watch-this-uncanny-robot-face-grin-and-frown-thanks-to-self-healing-lab-grown-human-skin-74824

Weird robot finger: https://www.iflscience.com/this-robotic-finger-has-living-skin-made-from-human-cells-that-can-heal-63984

Suing NASA: https://www.iflscience.com/family-sues-nasa-in-unprecedented-case-after-piece-of-iss-smashes-into-their-house-74787

Primordial black hole: https://www.iflscience.com/physicists-once-proposed-the-tunguska-event-was-caused-by-a-black-hole-passing-through-earth-74813

The Big Questions: https://www.iflscience.com/iflscience-the-big-questions-why-are-we-the-only-surviving-human-species-74807

Sign up to CURIOUS: https://www.iflscience.com/can-you-think-yourself-well-find-out-more-in-issue-23-of-curious-out-now-74445

Science facts video: https://youtu.be/37LxKjPaxWM?si=CnOjTLLmMrDA9RBU

Disco Dinosaur, Ancient Wine, And A $17 Billion Shipwreck

This week on Break It Down, white wine with a hint of human remains becomes the oldest ever discovered, Jupiter’s Red Spot may be younger than the United States, a disco dinosaur has been discovered with one hell of a hat, people volunteer to be infected with COVID-19 – for science, NASA uses its first two-way end-to-end relay system to send pet photos to the ISS, and a $17 billion shipwreck has launched an international argument.

Sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down…

Links:

Oldest wine: https://www.iflscience.com/worlds-oldest-liquid-wine-contains-surprising-ingredient-cremated-human-remains-74727

Deep-sea champagne: https://www.iflscience.com/why-did-champagne-bottles-on-the-titanic-not-implode-72621

Ancient bison stew: https://www.iflscience.com/in-1984-scientists-ate-50-000-year-oid-bison-in-a-stew-65758

Jupiter’s Red Spot: https://www.iflscience.com/jupiters-great-red-spot-may-be-younger-than-the-united-states-74715

Disco dinosaur: https://www.iflscience.com/get-a-load-of-the-fancy-headgear-on-this-new-78-million-year-old-dinosaur-74738

Volunteering for COVID-19: https://www.iflscience.com/never-before-seen-immune-response-found-in-volunteers-deliberately-infected-with-covid-19-74721

Volunteering for hookworms: https://www.iflscience.com/scientist-volunteers-to-be-parasitized-by-50-hookworms-for-vaccine-study-58548

Pet photos in space: https://www.iflscience.com/nasa-is-using-its-fancy-new-laser-system-to-send-astronauts-videos-of-pets-74700

$17 billion shipwreck: https://www.iflscience.com/the-messy-fight-over-who-owns-the-17-billion-shipwreck-of-the-san-jose-74633

Stone Henge: https://youtu.be/hRRKdxrUbns?si=4z3qwU2r9lI_QWuW

What do you mean it's "not a real henge"?: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-yusua-15dc840

Mammoth VS mastodons: https://youtu.be/NjOvfnVELdc?si=BdLyfdbXsBRVkNuq

Corpse Flowers, Grolar Bears, And “Alien Signals” From Mars

This week on Break It Down, elephants have names, the ISS just scared the bejesus out of everybody, how to Benjamin Button yourself in space, grolar bears remain extremely rare, “alien signal” from Mars finally gets decoded, and why London’s Kew Gardens are about to reek of corpses.

Sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down…

Links:

Elephant names: https://www.iflscience.com/african-elephants-call-each-other-by-names-just-like-humans-do-74595

ISS audio whoopsie: https://www.iflscience.com/internet-panics-after-hearing-leaked-audio-from-the-iss-they-were-not-supposed-to-hear-74638

Benjamin Button’ing: https://www.iflscience.com/turns-out-billionaires-can-go-to-space-to-temporarily-benjamin-button-themselves-74642

Grolar bears: https://www.iflscience.com/grolar-bear-hybrids-are-extremely-rare-with-just-8-confirmed-individuals-74652

Mars “alien signal”: https://www.iflscience.com/alien-signal-from-mars-finally-decoded-one-year-on-74625

Corpse flower: https://www.iflscience.com/extraordinary-corpse-flower-blooms-in-kew-gardens-and-we-were-there-to-see-it-74649

Cosmic ray factory: https://youtu.be/djz32NHixgc?si=6qVCI7kP2Wk-a5GJ

CURIOUS magazine: https://www.iflscience.com/curious-magazine

Sign up for CURIOUS: https://www.iflscience.com/subscribe

A Little Gay Natural History: https://www.nhmshop.co.uk/a-little-gay-natural-history.html

Queer animals talk: https://youtu.be/RXE11Ia70GQ?si=i7U5F1QuKsXO-Lbk