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Breathing liquids is generally a bad idea. In fact‚ few ideas could be worse for anybody who enjoys breathing. But there is a concept – which has been tested on animals and humans – that we should be able to breathe in certain liquids that are rich in oxygen.It sounds like the stuff of sci-fi‚ largely because it is‚ appearing in a whole host of works from The Abyss to The Dark Forest‚ the origins of the Dark Forest hypothesis. But partial liquid ventilation is used clinically‚ providing oxygen to patients during mechanical ventilation.Of course‚ breathing isn't taking place in liquid oxygen. Or at least‚ maybe just the one breath‚ given that it becomes liquid at temperatures of -183°C (-297°F). Instead medical professionals use oxygen-rich liquids such as a perfluorocarbon (PFC) which can support pulmonary gas exchange. Outside of medical use‚ people occasionally get the idea that liquid breathing could benefit deep sea divers. Having your lungs filled with fluid while diving would make the inside pressure match the outside pressure‚ meaning that you would not have to worry about decompression sickness‚ aka the bends.The concept has been tried out in mammals‚ including cats and mice‚ some of which survived for weeks. Aside from one major hiccup – they tend to die when returning to normal breathing – it did demonstrate that full liquid ventilation could be possible. However‚ one problem found in cats may keep the concept out of reach. While getting oxygen into the bloodstream was effective‚ carbon dioxide elimination was impaired.In partial liquid ventilation‚ the amount of liquid is small‚ and is mainly eliminated via evaporation. Breathing completely submerged in liquid‚ meanwhile‚ would not be pleasant‚ and you would essentially feel like you are drowning the whole time you are doing it. Expanding and contracting your lungs would also be an issue‚ given that your body is not used to the work involved in moving denser liquids inside of you. Clearing carbon dioxide out would be a problem requiring assistance. To deal with this‚ some have suggested we could attach a device directly to the bloodstream (via a vein in your leg) to scrub carbon dioxide from your blood.Creating a new way of breathing underwater is not a pressing concern. However‚ liquid breathing has also been suggested as a way of dealing with another problem in the future: excessive G-forces faced by astronauts during spacecraft acceleration. Humans can withstand forces of around 9 G for a few seconds‚ but even facing forces of 6 G for a sustained period would be fatal. If you place somebody in liquid‚ however‚ you can distribute the force over the surface of their body‚ making them able to withstand forces up to about 24 G. Beyond this‚ things get unpleasant again."The thorax‚ with its air-filled lungs‚ has a mean density considerably lower than that of the rest of the body which results‚ when accelerated during water immersion‚ in orthogonal homogeneous thoracic squeezing‚" one review on the topic explains. "This compression causes severe difficulties from pain‚ lung hemorrhage‚ pneumothorax‚ alveolar collapse‚ to even death depending on the magnitude of acceleration."If the lungs are filled with fluid‚ however‚ that shouldn't be a problem. But the problems of filling someone's lungs completely with fluids and mechanically ventilating them while in space are‚ for now‚ insurmountable.All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text‚ images‚ and links may be edited‚ removed‚ or added to at a later date to keep information current.

Some of the best fossils in the world have been found along a 95-mile-long stretch of coastline in the UK. Known as the Jurassic Coast‚ it’s turned up the world’s first fossilized ammonite eggs‚ more belemnites than you can shake a stick at‚ and a giant sea monster that lived 150 million years ago.It was a pliosaur‚ the apex predator of its time‚ and one of the largest marine predators ever to swim in Earth’s oceans. With the biggest species at around 12 meters (39 feet) long‚ there wasn’t much that was off the menu‚ and they would use their enormous teeth to snatch prey like ichthyosaurs and chomp them into pieces. Not everyone visiting the Jurassic Coast can expect to find such a prehistoric beast‚ but find a fossil? That’s almost a guarantee because this rocky outcrop is known as one of the most productive fossil sites in the world with good reason.Fossils for everyoneRetrieving the marine monster involved a treacherous weeks-long expedition halfway up a cliff where the majority of the skull was revealed to be hiding after Philip Jacobs found the snout just sitting on the beach. It’s a story that summarizes the Jurassic Coast quite perfectly‚ as it really is a place where fossils can be found by just about anyone‚ just about anywhere.Ammonites are a common find along the Jurassic Coast.Image credit: Arjen de Ruiter / Shutterstock.comWhy? Because nature keeps chipping them out of the cliff face for us.“Fossils along this coast have been collected for hundreds of years now‚ from the famous Mary Anning who collected on the other side of Dorset‚ around 50 miles [80 kilometers] away‚” said fossil expert Chris Moore to IFLScience. “ [It used to be] a shallow warm sea [that was] very rich in life. [The area is] constantly eroded by the English Channel because it’s in the southwest UK. We get big storms that wash away the soft clay and continually reveal new fossils.”Cliff compositionMoore worked with fossil expert Steve Etches MBE‚ proprietor of the Etches Collection where the pliosaur skull will go on display‚ on the treacherous excavation and retrieval of the fossil. As they discovered during the dig‚ the Jurassic Coast cliffs’ composition explains why so many fossils are dropped onto the beaches before being reclaimed by the sea.A section of mudstone along the Jurassic Coast.Image credit: Ballista at the English-language Wikipedia‚ CC BY-SA 3.0“The whole cliff is composed of what we call mudstone‚ and mudstone is really a very compressed lithified clay‚” Etches told IFLScience. “So‚ when it's fresh‚ it’s really hard for us to excavate into that. But leave it a couple of months and you get wet dry effects‚ and it starts to revert back to clay. That slimy‚ sticky clay. So‚ it erodes away very‚ very quickly.”Etches compares the significance of the Jurassic Coast as making it comparable in importance to the Grand Canyon. It might be hard to fathom given it’s a third of the canyon’s length‚ but when you take a look at its history‚ it starts to make sense.Traveling through geological timeProspective time travelers could do worse than to go for a weekend away at the Jurassic Coast‚ as the unique history of the land means you can explore different times in Earth’s history simply by putting one foot in front of the other.“From West Dorset to East Dorset‚ you're walking through the whole Jurassic suite sequence of rocks‚” explained Etches. “You're going through 200 million years to basically 140 million years‚ and as you walk East‚ you’re going through time. All the rocks are dipping this way and they're cut off‚ so you can see every Jurassic suite sequence of rocks.”A section of cliff face along the Jurassic Coast showing off its strata.Image credit: Josie Elias / Shutterstock.comTo put it into context‚ Moore explains the region is a bit like a sponge cake that’s been tilted and cut off‚ so the cliff face provides a window into all the layers between which life is sandwiched like delicious‚ fossil jam. If you start hunting along that cake in the East‚ you’ll be looking at the youngest rock layers and moving toward the oldest as you head further west.Ancient animals to be foundFeeling inspired to go on a fossil hunting trip? It takes dedication‚ but as the Etches collection is a testament to‚ the rewards can be rich and varied.Anyone for ammonite eggs?Image credit: Rachael Funnell“[We’ve found] world-first ammonite eggs‚ flying reptile remains‚ ichthyosaurs‚ plesiosaurs‚ pliosaurs‚ fish! I mean‚ we’ve got a vast range of fish‚” said Etches. “I’m mostly interested in vertebrates‚ but my prime aim is to collect the whole diverse assemblies of what was living at the time of the Kimmeridgian.”Starting with a visit to the Etches Collection demonstrates the rich diversity of ancient life to be found here‚ and with the team’s workshop on site‚ you might just catch a glimpse of some fossil preparation taking place firsthand. It doesn’t take a fossil expert‚ however‚ and the Jurassic Coast has and will give up its treasures to anyone with a keen eye.“People can come all the way along the Jurassic Coast and pick up a fossil pretty much anywhere along the length of it‚” added Moore. “You know‚ whether it's a crushed ammonite‚ a piece of fossil squid‚ oyster‚ there’s fossils all the way along.”Happy hunting! And on the topic of fossils‚ did you know it's been 200 years since a dinosaur was named for the first time? 

Take a look out your window wherever you work and it most likely looks like a trash-filled alley behind a fast food restaurant in comparison to the view astronauts get aboard the International Space Station (ISS).Retired NASA Astronaut Terry Virts is well aware of this‚ and used a lot of his time on board the space station taking incredible shots of the Earth down below‚ or up above depending on his orientation.           IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.In fact‚ as Virts' second trip to the ISS came to a close‚ a month later than had been scheduled‚ he still wanted to remain in space for that view.“I was ready to stay up there because there were still pictures I wanted to take‚ there were still videos I wanted to do‚” Virts told Time in 2015. “If you’re an astronaut flying in space‚ you gotta look at that as your last flight. And so you gotta enjoy it. And I’ve got the rest of my life to be on Earth.”The extra time away from family‚ friends‚ and gravity (well‚ not quite) may have been worth it for one shot currently being shared around the internet. On his last day on the ISS‚ and the last day in space before he retired as an astronaut‚ Virts got a final spectacular shot of the pyramids from above. IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.The only better view is inside.[H/T: Ladbible]

Your tax dollars at work -- to laud violent Marxism and a cop killer for Black History Month. PBS News Weekend on Sunday devoted its semi-weekly “Hidden Histories” segment to praise the militant Marxist-black power group the Black Panther Party‚ founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland. Anchor John Yang: In the 1960s-civil rights movement‚ some concluded that non-violence and the focus on integration had failed. Rather than integrating society‚ they wanted to fundamentally change it‚ and they didn’t renounce violence and self-defense. Their cry was Black Power‚ rather than we shall overcome. One of the most prominent of these groups was the Black Panther Party. It was also perhaps one of the most misunderstood and most vilified by the white establishment. For Black History Month‚ that’s the topic of tonight's Hidden Histories. How is this "Hidden Histories"? PBS (and the rest of the media) have lionized the Black Panthers for decades.  Via voice-over‚ Yang proved an encapsulated history of the Black Panther Party‚ admitting “Their 10-point program leaned heavily on Marxism. They saw black American struggles as part of a global liberation movement.” Fact check: Marxism is not about "liberation." It's about dictatorship. Yang soft-pedaled the Panther’s radicalism‚ gushing over “free food‚ especially breakfast for schoolchildren‚ free health care‚ and voter registration drives” and clashes with J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. The group disbanded in 1982‚ but according to Yang‚ “many see parts of its legacy living on today in groups like Black Lives Matter.” That lead into his interview with Rutgers University history professor Donna Murch‚ author of a book on the rise of the Black Panthers in Oakland. Murch soon got into Marxism and one dubious BLM heroine in particular. Murch: ….The Panthers are formed in Northern California‚ and they were adamant in opposition to the Vietnam War and American imperialism. They identified with the Vietnamese and with Ho Chi Minh‚ and they actually looked a lot to Vietnam‚ to China‚ and to a vision of anti- colonialism and a socialist state that would serve the people.  Murch pivoted to valorize a left-wing heroine and cop killer‚ Assata Shakur‚ an inspiration for Black Lives Matter‚ now exiled in Communist Cuba. Murch wrote a book about Shakur‚ Assata Taught Me. Murch:  ….my second book is about the last 10 years‚ and it's about the Black Lives Matter movement and why they chose Assata Shakur‚ who was a rank-and-file Panther member from New York City. So she’s not from Oakland‚ where the Panthers were formed. She's from New York‚ and she wasn’t part of the traditional male leadership‚ and especially over the last 10 years in the fight against state violence and murder and mass incarceration‚ Assata has become the best known of the Panthers. And it’s from a poem that she wrote in Cuba in the 1980s that so many of these movement organizations opened their meetings. It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and protect one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains. Marxist Shakur (real name Joanne Chesimard)‚ a member of the 1970s radical group Black Liberation Army‚ was convicted of the murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster during a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973. She escaped prison in 1979 and fled to Communist Cuba to spout against American tyranny from an actual dictatorship. Murch skipped all that‚ and journalist Yang said nothing‚ merely concluding‚ “Donna Murch of Rutgers University. Thank you very much.” This offensively evasive segment on a cop killer was brought to you in part by Consumer Cellular. A transcript is available‚ click “Expand.” PBS News Weekend 2/18/24 7:16:04 p.m. (ET) JOHN YANG: In the 1960s‚ civil rights movement‚ some concluded that non-violence and the focus on integration had failed. Rather than integrating society‚ they wanted to fundamentally change it‚ and they didn`t renounce violence and self-defense. Their cry was Black Power‚ rather than we shall overcome. One of the most prominent of these groups was the Black Panther Party. It was also perhaps one of the most misunderstood and most vilified by the white establishment for Black History Month. That`s the topic of tonight`s Hidden Histories. JOHN YANG (voice-over): The Black Panther Party was revolutionary and both its goals and its tactics. It began in 1966. In response to both the assassination of Malcolm X‚ a leading advocate of black separatism‚ and the killing of an unarmed black 16-year-old named Matthew Johnson during a San Francisco police stop. Founders Bobby Seale and Huey Newton were college students at the time. HUEY P. NEWTON‚ Co-Founder‚ Black Panther Party: We have a Black Panther Party. As long as the evil Tetra and corrupt officials‚ as long as the oppressor makes the laws the people are not bound to respect them‚ we are bound to transform society and erect a system where people will receive justice. JOHN YANG (voice-over): Their 10 Point program leaned heavily on Marxism. They saw black American struggles as part of a global liberation movement. HUEY NEWTON: In America‚ Black people are treated very much as the Vietnamese people are any other colonized people because where you were brutalized‚ the police in our community occupy our area our community as a foreign troop occupies territory. JOHN YANG (voice-over): They provided community services called Survival Programs to promote self-determination‚ free food‚ especially breakfast for schoolchildren‚ free health care and voter registration drives. They established schools in nine cities. MAN: I cannot stand you these oppressor foreign troops in our community. JOHN YANG (voice-over): Women made up roughly half of the Panther membership of about 2‚000‚ and they often held leadership roles. From 1974 until 1977‚ Elaine Brown was the head of the National Party‚ but it was the group`s paramilitary displays that drew the white establishments‚ attention and alarm. Members patrolled neighborhoods and black jackets and black berets‚ openly and legally carrying weapons. For many white Americans‚ a photo of stern looking Newton holding a rifle and a spear became their image of Black Panthers. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover called the party the greatest threat to internal security in ordered surveillance to expose‚ disrupt‚ misdirect‚ discredit‚ or otherwise neutralize the Black Panthers. Tensions with local police led to deadly clashes. In Chicago a police raid killed rising party star Fred Hampton and party member Mark Clark. In 1982‚ the federal government paid $1.8 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the FBI had a role in the Chicago raid. Plagued by internal disputes and power struggles the party was essentially defunct by the late 1970s. It was formally disbanded in 1982. But many see parts of its legacy living on today in groups like Black Lives Matter. JOHN YANG: Party members are among the first to openly challenged police violence often converging on the scene when officers stopped young black men on the streets. Donna Murch is an associate professor of history at Rutgers University and the author of "Living For The City‚ Migration‚ Education and the Rise of the Black Panther Party in Oakland‚ California." Donna‚ from your perspective‚ what is the greatest legacy of the Black Panther Party?   DONNA MURCH‚ Author‚ "Living For The City": I think the greatest legacy was a youth movement‚ a young organization composed mainly of people in their late teens and early 20s working class youth that had migrated from the south‚ who found themselves having unprecedented access to high school and college in California. And out of that‚ they helped form a study group and create a new type of organization and youth movement that was focused on serving the community. It started with confronting police violence‚ because that`s what the community saw as its single biggest problem. This is the era of the urban rebellions‚ you know‚ the party is formed a year after Watts‚ and they were willing to perform a form of activism in order to empower others. But very quickly‚ after the police patrols‚ the Panthers shifted into something called Survival Pending Revolution‚ which meant founding free breakfast programs‚ Freedom Schools‚ and the longest running institution of the Black Panther Party was a school in Oakland that ran for almost a decade. JOHN YANG: Can you put the Black Panther Party in sort of the context of the civil rights movement of where they stood‚ what role the organization filled what their contributions were? DONNA MURCH: I think one of the best ways to understand the Panther Party is to think about the Black Freedom Movement‚ as having a large geography and time period. So the party is formed year after the passage of the Voting Rights Act. But you know‚ the dismantling of legal segregation in the South did not dismantle the problems of economics‚ and access in the north and in the West. And one of the central issues about this was both police violence‚ and people not having equal access to the social welfare state. So‚ I would describe the Panthers as emerging in this moment‚ post-civil rights after the accomplishments of the civil rights movement of the successful passage of the Civil Rights Act‚ and also the Voting Rights Act. But I would be remiss to not talk about the global link to the Panthers. They`re formed in 1966. And this is after over a decade of decolonization of African countries winning their independence. And also very importantly‚ they look to Asia. The Panthers are formed in Northern California‚ and they were adamant in their opposition to the Vietnam War and American imperialism. They identified with the Vietnamese‚ the Viet Men and with Ho Chi Minh‚ and they actually looked a lot to Vietnam‚ to China‚ and to a vision of anti- colonialism and a socialist state that would serve the people. So‚ I think that`s one of the most important contexts. The other thing I really want to stress because the popular representations of the Panthers is wrong. So many people find out about the Panthers through Forrest Gump‚ they`re represented as anti-white black militants. But the truth is‚ is that the party of all the 60s organizations‚ they had the strongest ties to creating a multiracial coalition‚ what was called in this period‚ the rainbow coalition that Jesse Jackson later picks up on. So they united with white radical youth who they called Mother Country Radicals to oppose the Vietnam War. And this was incredibly threatening to the government of the time‚ you know‚ to J. Edgar Hoover in particular‚ because you basically saw multiracial coalition uniting to stop anti-communism and violence in the global south. So I think that would also be the Panthers legacy‚ a model of multiracial coalition building. JOHN YANG: You mentioned the free breakfast program that they ran in communities‚ which is not that far‚ apart from the federal free breakfast program that`s being run now. But there was also a political vision. And that wasn`t there. DONNA MURCH: Yes‚ that`s such an important point. They were arguing that the social welfare state as it existed was not serving the people and that they as teenagers could provide free breakfast. And when they started their freedom schools‚ so many of the low income children who went to Panther schools had not had breakfast‚ and they couldn`t learn. And so they were shaming the state. And although we don`t have the direct documentary evidence‚ it is thought by many scholars‚ that that shaming of the state prompted the issuing of free school lunch. JOHN YANG: Are there groups today that you see as direct descendants of the Black Panther Party that can draw a direct line from them to today? DONNA MURCH: Yeah‚ I would say‚ you know‚ my first book was about the party`s Genesis in Oakland. It`s called Living For The City. But my second book is about the last 10 years‚ and it`s about the Black Lives Matter movement and why they chose Assata Shakur‚ who was a rank and file Panther member from New York City. So she`s not from Oakland‚ where the Panthers were formed. She`s from New York‚ and she wasn`t part of the traditional male leadership‚ and especially over the last 10 years in the fight against state violence and murder and mass incarceration‚ Assata has become the best known of the Panthers. And it`s from a poem that she wrote in Cuba in the 1980s that so many of these movement organizations opened their meetings. It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and protect one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains. JOHN YANG: Donna Murch of Rutgers University. Thank you very much. DONNA MURCH: Thank you. It`s truly my pleasure.