IFLScience - Break It Down

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-75458

Egyptian Hydraulic Lift: https://www.iflscience.com/did-the-egyptians-really-build-their-oldest-pyramid-with-a-hydraulic-lift-75417

Biosignature On Mars: https://www.iflscience.com/why-people-are-so-excited-about-perseverances-possible-biosignature-discovery-75445

Titanium 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

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

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

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

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

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

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