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 Way Fat cell “memories” Earth’s inner core Giant virus Thinnest spaghetti Shark-hunting dog Dog shoving children in the Seine Shipwreck whiskey Largest coral True Crime In Science Subscribe 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 Interview Spooky 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-76094 World’s oldest cheese: https://www.iflscience.com/the-worlds-oldest-cheese-has-been-found-rubbed-on-a-bunch-of-mummies-76096 Blasting asteroids: https://www.iflscience.com/the-latest-idea-for-deflecting-threatening-asteroids-x-ray-pulses-76077 Tongue-legged fish: https://www.iflscience.com/this-winged-fish-uses-strange-tongue-like-legs-to-taste-the-seafloor-yes-really-76120 Biblical seeds: https://www.iflscience.com/scientists-revive-1000-year-old-biblical-tree-from-seed-found-in-a-judean-cave-76095 Hubble tension: https://www.iflscience.com/hubble-tension-solved-astronomers-race-to-save-standard-model-of-cosmology-74306 IFLScience YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IFLScienceOfficial IFLScience 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-75659 The Big Questions Podcast: https://www.iflscience.com/iflscience-the-big-questions-how-will-the-solar-system-end-75652 Curious Magazine: https://www.iflscience.com/curious-magazine Mine 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-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

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

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

This week on Break It Down, Charlotte the stingray is back and it’s not good news, a zig-zagging snake stretching over 40 meters might be the world’s longest rock art, the irony of offering endangered orangutans as a form of diplomatic gift, the mysterious aurora STEVE gets a long-lost twin, why Seahenge was built, and how the iconic “March of Progress” evolution image is actually all wrong. Sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down… Links: Stingray: https://www.iflscience.com/aquarium-solves-mystery-after-stingray-alone-in-tank-of-sharks-appeared-pregnant-74480 Parthenogenesis: https://youtu.be/W31JiNsN3mg Snake rock art: https://www.iflscience.com/2000-year-old-snake-engraving-is-among-the-worlds-largest-rock-art-74508 Orangutan diplomacy: https://www.iflscience.com/orangutan-diplomacy-malaysias-new-plan-to-give-endangered-primates-to-palm-oil-partners-74547 STEVE’s twin: https://www.iflscience.com/steve-the-aurora-like-phenomenons-morning-twin-has-been-spotted-in-a-photograph-74538 Seahenge: https://www.iflscience.com/forget-stonehenge-why-was-seahenge-built-over-4000-years-ago-74465 March of Progress: https://www.iflscience.com/the-famous-march-of-progress-image-is-wildly-wrong-74557 Claude the koala: https://www.iflscience.com/claude-the-koala-has-gone-on-another-heist-this-time-he-brought-a-crew-74510 Dinosaur discovery: https://www.iflscience.com/rare-teen-t-rex-fossil-discovered-by-three-kids-hiking-in-north-dakota-74530

This week on Break It Down, a mystery sighting in the deep ocean could be the first-ever footage of a colossal squid baby, orca attacks are more mischief than vengeance, astrology is debunked yet again, a second billionaire plans a trip to the Titanic, the world's largest genome comes in a surprisingly small package, and we explore the differences between human and chimp DNA.  Sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down… Links: Mystery Squid: https://www.iflscience.com/mystery-glass-squid-in-antarctica-could-be-first-ever-colossal-squid-baby-filmed-74424 Orca attacks: https://www.iflscience.com/the-puzzling-rise-in-orca-attacks-on-boats-has-been-explained-by-whale-scientists-74395 Astrology: https://www.iflscience.com/your-star-sign-has-no-impact-on-your-well-being-debunking-yet-another-astrology-claim-74448 Billionaire Titanic Trip: https://www.iflscience.com/billionaire-aims-for-new-sub-trip-to-titanic-wreck-one-year-after-oceangate-disaster-74429 World’s Largest Genome: https://www.iflscience.com/tiny-fern-breaks-the-world-record-for-the-largest-genome-of-any-organism-74447 Chimp and Human DNA: https://www.iflscience.com/human-and-chimp-dna-is-988-percent-identical-so-how-are-we-so-different-74406 Virtual Event: https://ifls.online/3y4rMoS Instagram Videos:  https://www.instagram.com/iflscience

This week on Break It Down, we now know when humans and Neanderthals hooked up, could a human head transplant ever be realistic, a dino fossil skin preserved like glass has both scales and feathers, sometimes stars completely vanish, a skull from China tells us more about the Dragon Man, and we delve into the concept of dark extinctions. Sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down… Links: Humans and Neanderthals: https://www.iflscience.com/we-now-know-exactly-when-humans-and-neanderthals-hooked-up-74337 Human head transplants:https://www.iflscience.com/hair-raising-human-head-transplant-machine-concept-unveiled-by-startup-but-is-it-realistic-74332 Dino skin fossil: https://www.iflscience.com/hidden-gem-fossil-of-dinosaur-skin-preserved-like-glass-reveals-it-had-scales-and-feathers-74317 Vanishing stars: https://www.iflscience.com/hundreds-of-stars-have-vanished-without-a-trace-a-new-study-could-explain-why-74343 Dragon Man lineage: https://www.iflscience.com/mysterious-1-million-year-old-skull-from-china-may-belong-to-dragon-man-lineage-74301 Dark extinctions: https://www.iflscience.com/how-dark-extinctions-are-silently-erasing-life-on-earth-74316 Euclid images: https://www.iflscience.com/dark-matter-hunting-euclid-releases-incredible-new-images-sparkling-with-stars-and-galaxies-74331 Heart symbol video: https://youtu.be/tmIj7cohdCQ

This week on Break It Down, COVID’s new FLiRT variants, when and which dinosaurs went warm-blooded, could a lost river explain the pyramids, the search for alien megastructures, the shrinking Y chromosome, and what’s it like sailing to Point Nemo? Really hard, apparently. Sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down… Links: FLiRT: https://www.iflscience.com/whats-going-on-with-the-new-covid-flirt-variants-74245 Hot dinosaurs: https://www.iflscience.com/the-first-warm-blooded-dinosaurs-probably-evolved-180-million-years-ago-74237 Lost river: https://www.iflscience.com/this-lost-river-could-explain-how-the-pyramids-were-built-74246 Alien megastructures: https://www.iflscience.com/two-new-searches-find-60-potential-alien-megastructures-in-our-galaxy-74222 Shrinking Y chromosome: https://www.iflscience.com/whats-happening-with-the-y-chromosome-74217 Point Nemo: https://www.iflscience.com/point-nemo-what-its-like-sailing-to-the-most-remote-place-on-earth-74242 Point Nemo video: https://youtu.be/POApwucft2c?si=9SfKuJg9OqX17JQw CURIOUS Live register: https://ifls.online/3y4rMoS CURIOUS, May issue: https://curious.iflscience.com/issue-22/full-view.html Poles of Inaccessibility: https://inaccessibility.net/ Fox in a sink-hole: https://www.iflscience.com/curious-fox-cub-rescued-after-getting-head-stuck-in-a-sink-drain-74238

This week in Break It Down, scientists discover the “sperm whale phonetic alphabet”, AstraZeneca pull their COVID vaccine from the shelves, why a weak magnetic field might be a good thing for life on Earth, rock art reveals that the Sahara looked a little different 4,000 years ago, toads might be helping treat depression, and what on Earth is a dinosauroid?! Sit back, relax, and let's Break It Down... Links: Whale alphabet: https://www.iflscience.com/sperm-whale-phonetic-alphabet-surprisingly-similar-in-structure-to-human-language-74097 [Whale Audio Credit: Project CETI] AstraZeneca pull their COVID vaccine: https://www.iflscience.com/why-has-astrazeneca-taken-its-covid-19-vaccine-off-the-market-74136 Magnetic fields and complex life: https://www.iflscience.com/earths-magnetic-fields-near-collapse-590-million-years-ago-may-have-helped-complex-life-74049 Rock art: https://www.iflscience.com/rock-art-shows-the-sahara-was-a-radically-different-place-4000-years-ago-74114 Toads as antidepressants: https://www.iflscience.com/could-this-toads-psychedelic-venom-be-the-next-big-thing-in-antidepressants-74122 Dinosauroids: https://www.iflscience.com/if-dinosaurs-werent-extinct-would-the-dinosauroid-walk-among-us-74131 Virtual event: https://ifls.online/3y4rMoS What is “virgin birth”: https://youtu.be/W31JiNsN3mg

This week in Break It Down, the debate on T. rex intelligence rages on, a world-first video shows an orangutan applying leaves as medicine, the most complete Neanderthal gets a face, why alpaca sex is so weird that no other mammal does it like them (that we know of), the mystery of a giant hole in Antarctic ice solved, and could Earth ever get its own rings? Sit back, relax, and let's Break It Down... Links: Brainy T. rex: https://www.iflscience.com/t-rex-was-a-smart-giant-crocodile-not-a-massive-brainy-baboon-73991 Dr Orangutan: https://www.iflscience.com/orangutan-seen-treating-a-wound-with-a-medicinal-plant-in-world-first-observation-74034 Neanderthal face: https://www.iflscience.com/best-preserved-neanderthal-skeleton-in-over-25-years-found-in-flower-funeral-cave-74024 Alpaca sex: https://www.iflscience.com/alpaca-sex-is-so-weird-its-never-been-seen-in-another-mammal-73994 Antarctic ice hole: https://www.iflscience.com/eight-years-ago-a-huge-opening-appeared-in-antarctic-sea-ice-now-we-know-why-74029 Earth’s rings: https://www.iflscience.com/what-would-the-earth-be-like-with-rings-74015 Register for CURIOUS Live: https://webapp.spotme.com/login/eventspace/c-u-r-i-o-u-s-live-may-2024?utm_source=iflscience-podcast-shownotes&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=curious-live-may-2024 Megaliths: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9GauXgPanI Shamrock the green puppy: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6eYbE6JGaO/

This week in Break It Down, we explore why Uranus might contain more methane than we thought, just what is happening to bacteria on the ISS, quite how long animals have been making their own light for, why carvings on a bear bone are culturally important, giant megaraptor footprints in China, and whether anything spooky might happen if you dare to enter the Pharaoh's tomb. Sit back, relax, and let's Break It Down... Links: Methane on Uranus: https://www.iflscience.com/uranus-may-be-filled-with-a-lot-more-methane-than-we-thought-73921 Space bacteria: https://www.iflscience.com/bacteria-on-the-iss-have-mutated-into-something-not-seen-on-earth-before-73932 Glowing animals: https://www.iflscience.com/bioluminescent-animals-have-been-glowing-for-at-least-540-million-years-73948 Bear bone culture: https://www.iflscience.com/engraved-bone-of-prehistoric-bear-is-the-oldest-example-of-neanderthal-culture-73884 Megaraptor:  https://www.iflscience.com/meet-a-megaraptor-new-dinosaur-footprints-reveal-raptors-grew-scarily-big-73951 The Pharaoh's Curse:  https://www.iflscience.com/the-pharaohs-curse-does-opening-a-tomb-really-lead-to-an-untimely-death-73959 Subscribe to our newsletters: https://www.iflscience.com/subscribe Why is the Dead Sea so salty? https://youtu.be/MYE1d_3-ZB8

This week in Break It Down, a new species of tiny titanosaur is compared to a cow, a 47-million-year-old snake becomes the largest ever, an RNA breakthrough brings us closer to "universal vaccines", a heart flies 7,000 kilometers to its recipient, we question Stonehenge's relationship to the Moon, and why the philosophy of science matters in the modern day. Sit back, relax, and let's Break It Down... Links: Tiny titanosaur: https://www.iflscience.com/anyone-for-a-mini-titanosaur-new-species-is-one-of-the-smallest-ever-found-73817 Giant snake: https://www.iflscience.com/new-species-may-be-the-largest-snake-to-have-ever-lived-73871 Vaccine breakthrough: https://www.iflscience.com/vaccine-breakthrough-could-mean-future-proof-shots-with-no-need-for-boosters-73825 Stonehenge and the Moon: https://www.iflscience.com/stonehenge-may-be-aligned-to-this-rare-lunar-event-73831 Transatlantic heart: https://www.iflscience.com/world-first-as-donor-heart-travels-nearly-7000-kilometers-across-atlantic-for-successful-transplant-73827 Philosophy of science: https://www.iflscience.com/why-the-philosophy-of-science-matters-73821 The largest marine reptile: https://www.iflscience.com/202-million-year-old-ichthyosaur-may-be-the-worlds-largest-marine-reptile-73855 Avocado testicles: https://www.iflscience.com/does-the-word-avocado-have-a-double-meaning-73854

This week in Break It Down, 12-million-year-old snails reveal the oldest preserved fossil pigments, the violent mating dance of blue whales is caught on camera, scientists investigate the source of space’s brightest-ever explosion, foxes may have been the OG domestic canid, when is the North Star not the North Star, and what the hell even is a “henge”? Sit back, relax, and let's Break It Down... Links: Old snails: https://www.iflscience.com/oldest-known-intact-polyene-pigments-found-in-12-million-year-old-snail-shells-73735 Whale sex: https://www.iflscience.com/rare-photos-show-blue-whales-performing-the-largest-mating-dance-on-earth-73777 The BOAT: https://www.iflscience.com/we-now-know-what-caused-the-brightest-explosion-ever-seen-in-space-73782 Fox friends: https://www.iflscience.com/foxes-may-have-been-humans-best-friend-long-before-dogs-73754 Not the North Star: https://www.iflscience.com/so-long-polaris-the-earth-will-get-a-new-north-star-73745 A “henge” or not a henge: https://www.iflscience.com/what-is-a-henge-and-why-were-they-built-73755 Golden mole: https://www.iflscience.com/extremely-rare-gorgeous-marsupial-mole-with-blond-hair-spotted-in-western-australia-73776 Etna’s smoke rings: https://youtu.be/fdZGRsA3TI8?si=iVgWl2ol-K-w0yRn

This week in Break It Down, a rainbow-like glory is detected beyond our Solar System, a sand-slab stingray may be the oldest animal art, ancient etchings in Peru may depict psychedelic music, scientists complete the world’s largest digital camera, and a toad with heart-shaped pupils. Plus, how far can a bird fly without flapping? Turns out, pretty damn far. Sit back, relax, and let's Break It Down... Links: Glory in space: https://www.iflscience.com/we-may-have-just-seen-the-first-rainbow-like-glory-on-a-world-outside-our-solar-system-73681 Sand-slab stingray: https://www.iflscience.com/a-130000-year-old-stingray-sand-sculpture-may-be-worlds-oldest-animal-art-73649 Psychedelic rock art: https://www.iflscience.com/this-2000-year-old-peruvian-rock-art-may-depict-psychedelic-music-73677 Largest digital camera: https://www.iflscience.com/worlds-largest-ever-digital-camera-is-completed-73667 Heart-shaped pupils: https://www.iflscience.com/yes-this-adorable-toad-really-has-heart-shaped-pupils-73624 Fly without flapping: https://www.iflscience.com/whats-the-longest-a-bird-can-fly-without-flapping-its-wings-73664 Subscribe for further info on CURIOUS Live: https://www.iflscience.com/subscribe Ligers V Tigons: https://youtu.be/Aq5Fm4VXIG0?si=keu3BpIBOOaIj4Xb

This week in Break It Down, why the solar eclipse can be fatal, Barbie pigs 5,000 meters below the sea, world-first cooperative mimicry in two spiders pretending to be a flower, the first image of magnetic fields around black hole Sagittarius A*, why climate change might be about to change the time, and are men really more likely to be psychopaths than women? The science appears to suggest otherwise. So sit back, relax, and let's Break It Down... Links: Apocaclipse: https://www.iflscience.com/potentially-fatal-consequence-linked-to-upcoming-us-total-solar-eclipse-73564 Barbie pigs: https://www.iflscience.com/barbie-pigs-among-strange-and-possibly-new-to-science-species-discovered-in-the-pacific-73539 Flower spiders: https://www.iflscience.com/male-and-female-spider-perfectly-resemble-flower-in-potential-cooperative-mimicry-world-first-73530 Black hole’s magnetic fields: https://www.iflscience.com/incredible-first-view-of-the-magnetic-fields-around-our-galaxys-supermassive-black-hole-73563 Earth’s shape-changing time: https://www.iflscience.com/earths-changing-shape-may-cause-a-global-timekeeping-crisis-73567 Female psychopaths: https://www.iflscience.com/are-women-really-less-likely-to-be-psychopaths-than-men-73418 Reptile house: https://www.iflscience.com/mountain-chicken-frogs-giant-salamanders-and-scrotum-frogs-get-a-new-home-at-zsl-73573 Childbirth VS kick to the balls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRZTcCATAWs

This week in Break It Down, a hill becomes a pyramid and then a hill again, quantum tornadoes teach us about black holes, a living human gets a pig kidney for the first time, Homer’s Iliad helps us find shipwrecks, the world’s rarest fish makes a comeback – one ridiculous baby at a time – and we find out about the longest eclipses on, and off, record. Sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down… Links: It’s a pyramid: https://www.iflscience.com/worlds-oldest-pyramid-was-built-25000-years-ago-inside-this-indonesian-mountain-71414 It might not be a pyramid: https://www.iflscience.com/the-25000-year-old-pyramid-in-indonesia-was-likely-not-made-by-humans-71767 It isn’t a pyramid: https://www.iflscience.com/study-claiming-humans-built-a-25000-year-old-pyramid-in-indonesia-removed-by-journal-73465 Getting it wrong is a part of science: https://youtu.be/6cBV1fnp7E4?si=OkLQT0bxZFj5a68l Quantum tornadoes: https://www.iflscience.com/first-ever-quantum-tornado-lets-scientists-simulate-black-holes-in-the-lab-73470 Pig kidney xenotransplant: https://www.iflscience.com/a-crispr-edited-pig-kidney-has-been-transplanted-into-a-living-person-for-the-first-time-73499 Homer’s Iliad shipwrecks: https://www.iflscience.com/archaeologists-find-shipwrecks-using-clues-from-homers-iliad-73448 World’s rarest fish: https://www.iflscience.com/the-worlds-rarest-fish-is-making-a-comeback-one-ridiculous-baby-at-a-time-73476 Longest eclipses: https://www.iflscience.com/when-was-the-longest-recorded-solar-eclipse-in-history-73412 Equinox VS solstice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK9jmLA_Qf0

This week in Break It Down, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a nova, astroforensic science, why everybody thinks male mammals are so big, the world’s oldest body piercings, 70 years in an iron lung, and the strange things animals do during a total solar eclipse. We’re looking at you, Galápagos tortoises. Sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down… Links: Nova: https://www.iflscience.com/this-year-could-be-a-once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity-to-see-a-nova-73379 Space crime: https://www.iflscience.com/csi-space-station-scientists-are-investigating-blood-splatter-in-microgravity-73357 Mammalian bodies: https://www.iflscience.com/males-are-larger-than-females-or-are-they-new-data-challenges-100-years-of-bias-73347 Oldest piercings: https://www.iflscience.com/11000-year-old-earrings-and-lip-studs-are-worlds-oldest-piercings-73321 Iron lung: https://www.iflscience.com/paul-alexander-the-man-in-the-iron-lung-has-died-73363 Animals in a solar eclipse: https://www.iflscience.com/why-do-animals-act-strangely-during-a-solar-eclipse-73346 Mammals trailer: https://youtu.be/fRSEMsutVdI?si=Jcyn-WUQuEm9Vl5s Unexplained anomalous phenomena: https://youtu.be/QKZl5wIySO8?si=IxwL5O539XbT4TKS Coral joy: https://www.iflscience.com/watch-corals-release-clouds-of-eggs-and-sperm-in-cambodias-first-observed-spawning-event-73387

This week in Break It Down, we talk de-extincting the mammoth, the world’s oldest fossil forest, elephant burials, hypervaccination (and by hyper, we mean 217 COVID vaccinations in 29 months), a small Pacific nation that spans all four hemispheres, and a contentious question on geologists’ lips: are we in the Anthropocene? Sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down… Links: From elephants to mammoths: https://www.iflscience.com/we-just-got-one-step-closer-to-seeing-a-live-mammoth-by-2028-73258 De-extincting a dinosaur: https://youtu.be/jpcvqFMZFmA?si=wcMj-waAHqEGXpmF Fossil forest: https://www.iflscience.com/at-390-million-years-old-england-just-usurped-the-us-for-oldest-forest-on-earth-73247 Anthropocene: https://www.iflscience.com/geologists-conclude-we-are-not-living-in-the-anthropocene-for-now-73251 Elephant burials: https://www.iflscience.com/asian-elephants-bury-and-mourn-for-their-dead-calves-73219 Hypervaccination: https://www.iflscience.com/man-takes-217-covid-19-vaccines-in-29-months-for-private-reasons-is-fine-73253 All four hemispheres: https://www.iflscience.com/people-are-only-just-learning-that-earth-has-four-hemispheres-73288 Lost continents: https://youtu.be/hElndPVxGfA?si=jsm5gC5DzfpLuge9 Toki Pona: https://youtu.be/3dGZ2I4aVuY?si=bXx0rRQ--S7-n86U Living fossils: https://www.iflscience.com/what-is-a-living-fossil-first-evidence-of-a-biological-mechanism-reveals-all-73272

This week in Break It Down, the first-ever photographs of humpbacks humping involves two males, NASA changes the shape of an asteroid, a tiny fish makes a big din, some very old megaliths in Peru, the heaviest animal on the planet, and the bizarre story of one of the biggest astrophysical discoveries in recent times. Sit back, relax, and let’s break it down... Links: Queer nature: https://youtu.be/RXE11Ia70GQ Male whales: https://www.iflscience.com/first-ever-photos-of-humpback-whale-sex-involve-two-males-73150 Megaliths: https://www.iflscience.com/ancient-4750-year-old-megalith-discovered-on-peruvian-mountain-73114 Tiny noisy fish: https://www.iflscience.com/12-millimeter-long-small-brained-fish-can-make-sound-as-loud-as-a-jet-plane-73153 Heaviest animal: https://www.iflscience.com/blue-whale-back-on-top-as-heaviest-animal-ever-to-live-on-planet-earth-73175 Smashing asteroids: https://www.iflscience.com/nasa-hit-an-asteroid-so-hard-it-completely-changed-its-shape-73125 Gravitational waves: https://www.iflscience.com/the-bizarre-behind-the-scenes-story-of-the-first-ever-detection-of-gravitational-waves-73164 Earth Core Video : https://youtu.be/zDd_375k4jo Perpetual Stew Video: https://youtu.be/9G45eXJMWHk Space Spiders And Adam Sandler: https://www.iflscience.com/space-spiders-and-adam-sandler-welcome-to-the-love-story-that-is-netflixs-spaceman-73184

This week in Break It Down, we discuss how a Will Smith series led to the discovery of a new species of giant anaconda, plus the smallest star ever discovered, lab-grown testicles, an electric vehicle breakthrough, sophisticated Neanderthal glue, and how to destroy a dinner party by dropping the question: is math discovered or invented? Sit back, relax, and let’s break it down… Links: New species of giant anaconda: https://www.iflscience.com/new-giant-anaconda-species-discovered-while-filming-with-will-smith-in-amazon-73027 Smallest star ever discovered: https://www.iflscience.com/smallest-star-ever-discovered-and-its-only-a-tiny-bit-bigger-than-earth-73035 Lab-grown testicles: https://www.iflscience.com/first-ever-lab-grown-testicles-may-be-capable-of-producing-sperm-73038 Electric vehicle breakthrough: https://www.iflscience.com/breakthrough-could-make-electric-cars-go-1000-kilometers-on-one-charge-73059 Neanderthal glue: https://www.iflscience.com/40000-year-old-multi-compound-glue-suggests-neanderthals-were-smarter-than-we-thought-73056 Math: https://www.iflscience.com/is-math-discovered-or-invented-73005