The Science Behind “Project Hail Mary”, Ghost Elephants, And Womb Transplants

This month, on Break It Down: The world’s largest coral colony has been discovered at the Great Barrier Reef, we’re all a little bit disappointed that asteroid 2024 YR 4 will whizz past the Moon instead of smacking it in the face, two extinct marsupials join the Lazarus taxa after being presumed extinct for 6,000 years, and we explore the possibilities cryopreserved brains could offer in the future. Intrigued? There's so much more… Watch a clip from Monarch Legacy of Monsters and work out if you’d survive. Learn about Mistral the whale shark’s mighty migration. Discover why scientists reckon our origin story might have started in Bulgaria. Listen to Dr Steve Boyes explain how his search for “ghost elephants” in Angola nearly took a blood-boiling turn. Marvel at Hugo, the first baby to be born in the UK with the help of a womb transplant from a deceased donor. And find out how Project Hail Mary author Andy Weir created an entire alien species. Plus, everything you can find in this month’s issue of CURIOUS, and what some struggling AI-designed robots have to say about the threat of an uprising. So, sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down… Links: World’s largest coral: https://www.iflscience.com/a-football-pitch-sized-coral-colony-is-the-great-barrier-reef-and-probab… Asteroid misses the moon: https://www.iflscience.com/dangerous-asteroid-2024-yr4-wont-smash-into-the-moon-in-2032-after-all-8… Whale shark migration: https://www.iflscience.com/mistral-the-whale-sharks-epic-1200-kilometer-international-swim-is-the-f… Human ancestors: https://www.iflscience.com/the-oldest-human-ancestor-may-have-just-been-found-somewhere-very-unexpe… Rediscovered marsupials: https://www.iflscience.com/two-tiny-marsupials-thought-extinct-for-6000-years-discovered-alive-and-… Ghost elephants:  https://www.iflscience.com/scientist-films-enormous-ghost-elephant-in-angolan-highlands-after-10-ye… Womb transplant baby: https://www.iflscience.com/miracle-baby-hugo-is-first-uk-baby-born-after-womb-transplant-from-decea… Andy Weir interview: https://www.iflscience.com/project-hail-mary-author-andy-weir-on-creating-erid-eridians-and-the-cur… We Have Questions Podcast: https://www.iflscience.com/iflscience-we-have-questions-could-a-human-brain-be-uploaded-after-death… Curious Magazine: https://www.iflscience.com/curious-magazine AI Robots: https://www.iflscience.com/these-robots-evolved-in-an-ai-simulation-then-scientists-built-them-in-t…