IFLScience - Break It Down

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IFLScience - Break It Down

Your bite-size guide to this week in science. Join hosts Eleanor Higgs and Rachael Funnell as they discuss the biggest news stories of the week with guests from the IFLScience team and maybe even a surprise expert or two. So, let’s Break It Down…

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    Killer Whale Fashion, Dinosaur Poop, And Pluto’s Birthday

    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

    22 min

  2. 22 NOV

    World’s Thinnest Spaghetto, Earth’s Frozen Core, And A Shark-Hunting Dog?

    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

    30 min

  3. 15 NOV

    Uranus Is Windy, Saber-Toothed Baby, And Is Animal Testing Necessary?

    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

    32 min

  4. 8 NOV

    A Murder Solved From The Grave, Chernobyl Frogs, and Cat Physics

    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

    32 min

  5. 1 NOV

    Quantum Cats, Drunk Monkeys, And Happy Birthday Godzilla

    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

    40 min

  6. 25 OCT

    Tiniest Dino Eggs, Hungry Black Holes, And Why People Believe In Ghosts

    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

    34 min

  7. 18 OCT

    Solar Storm Season, Dolphin Breath, And Resurrecting The Thylacine

    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?

    34 min

  8. 11 OCT

    Fusing Jellies, Bad Robot Jokes, And Elephants Evolve Before Our Eyes

    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

    37 min
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About

Your bite-size guide to this week in science. Join hosts Eleanor Higgs and Rachael Funnell as they discuss the biggest news stories of the week with guests from the IFLScience team and maybe even a surprise expert or two. So, let’s Break It Down…

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  • Episodes
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    IFLScience - Break It Down

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