Mummified Cheetahs, Skin Cells Turn Into Eggs, And Almost Life On Enceladus
From IFLScience - Break It Down by iflsciencebreakitdown
October 3, 2025 · 39 min · Episode 78
About this episode
This episode discusses the discovery of mummified cheetahs, advancements in genetics turning skin cells into eggs, and the search for life on Enceladus, among other topics.
This week on Break It Down: the second oldest use of the color blue ever has been discovered in Europe dating back 13,000 years, “chemical fossils” suggest the oldest life on Earth may have been sponges 541 million years ago, skin cells have been turned into fertilizable egg cells thanks to some pretty nifty genetics research, the world’s first naturally mummified big cats have been found in a cave in Saudi Arabia, complex chemistry coming from Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus could be a big clue to eventually finding life in the Solar System, and we remember the pioneering scientist Jane Goodall and her incredible life. So, sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down… Links: Blue pigmentOldest animalsSkin cellsBabies born with genes from three peopleMitochondrial diseaseMummified cheetahsEnceladusGoodbye Jane GoodallCURIOUSSpooky Season at the Vault
People in this episode
Host: iflsciencebreakitdown
Topics covered
- mummified cheetahs
- genetics research
- ancient history
- life on Enceladus
- Jane Goodall
- chemical fossils
Keywords
- mummified cheetahs
- skin cells
- fertilizable egg cells
- chemical fossils
- Jane Goodall
- Enceladus
- ancient blue pigment
- oldest life on Earth
- Saturn's moon
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Break It Down
Places: Saudi Arabia, Europe, Solar System
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