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