News

A flood of medical advances has extended the lives of people in most wealthy countries. However, a new paper argues that talk of living forever, or even to 150, is highly improbable, and not consistent with the trends we have seen. Moreover, even if our lives are extended, we cannot assume the past extension of […]

A treasure hunt that began over 30 years ago has now ended, with the buried 10-kilogram (22-pound) diamond-encrusted “Golden Owl” finally being located. Advertisement In 1993, Régis Hauser and Michel Becker created the treasure hunt, burying the owl, estimated to be worth around €150,000 (~164,000 USD) somewhere in France. There are published clues to the […]

Ever wondered what it takes to join the ranks of the rich lists? We don’t need to tell you that it’s a lot of money, nor that Elon Musk definitely qualifies. But, in the case of the list of America’s richest people, it turns out that there’s actually a minimum figure – and it’s gone up […]

Deep in the Arctic Ocean, a portion of seafloor covered in craters larger than football fields is challenging assumptions about the workings of the icy waters of the planet’s far north.  Advertisement In the Canadian Beaufort Sea, scientists have previously discovered the presence of gaping craters on the seabed that are covered in mounds of […]

An incredibly rare ocelot has been caught on camera slinking about a mountain range in southern Arizona. The wild cat was spotted on July 24 by a trail camera belonging to the Center for Biological Diversity located in a Sky Island mountain range – somewhere the species has not recently been found. Advertisement “I shouted […]

A collection of gigantic artworks carved into the Atacama Desert centuries ago has been destroyed by thunderous parades of 4x4s, quadbikes, and all-terrain motorcycles.  Advertisement Located in the Tarapacá region of present-day northern Chile, the geoglyphs of Alto Barranco were made by the region’s Indigenous people along the migration route between the Oasis of Pica […]

Requests for allergy medication in North Carolina have shot up in the wake of Hurricane Helene, after the devastating rains and flooding seen in the state also disturbed the nests of yellowjackets. Advertisement Seeing a few yellowjackets buzzing about in the early fall isn’t necessarily unusual – as their usual sources of food start to […]

The winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine are Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNAs, tiny molecules that help regulate the expression of genes. The prize is worth 11 million Swedish kronor (around $1,060,000 USD at the time of publishing), which will be shared equally between the winners.  […]

Deep beneath the surface of the Earth, there is a massive reservoir of water. It is estimated to contain three times the amount of water of all the oceans on our surface. Advertisement In 2014, a team from the US used 2,000 seismometers to study seismic waves from over 500 earthquakes. By examining the speed of […]

A tool that predicts biological age using epigenetic information from cheek swab samples is also an effective predictor of mortality risk, even when using data from other tissues.  Advertisement CheekAge is an “epigenetic clock” – a tool that monitors minute changes to DNA called methylation markers to predict age. These tags accumulate in our genome […]

Rechargeable batteries power much of our electronic age. But while they are reusable, they have a finite lifespan. A new study has identified why.  Advertisement Our laptops, tablets, and cell phones are reliant on recharging batteries. Inside a lithium-ion battery, two electrodes store lithium ions; a positively charged anode and negatively charged cathode. An electrolyte […]

Head to the Pinnacles desert in Western Australia, and you might just think you’ve stumbled onto a Star Wars set, with a vast field of towering spikes of rock sticking out from the dark yellow sands. But while they definitely aren’t the remnants of moviemaking, exactly how and when these strange structures formed has long […]

Neanderthals have had a tough time of it. Early humans played a role in their extinction, but the story didn’t end there. Later humans doubled down by using their name as the dictionary definition of dumb.  Advertisement Were Neanderthals really unintelligent, club-slinging bozos, outcompeted by far more attractive, intelligent, and dashing Homo sapiens? Or could this […]

As the nights get longer and the leaves turn brown, lawn owners everywhere reach for their rakes. This year, experts say that the fall ritual of raking leaves might make you miss an opportunity to give your lawn a health boost. Advertisement Instead, letting a thin layer of leaves sit and then decompose on your […]

Picture this: you’re checking in on your parents’ house while they’re on holiday. The perfect time to raid their freezer for delicious goods, of course, but when you open the door in search of ice cream, you find something unusual – a frozen cup of water with a coin on top. Why on Earth is […]

Starting college is supposed to be one of the most exciting times of your life, full of new friends, parties, and the freedom to eat pasta for all three meals a day. And for a while, it can certainly feel like that – then, one day, you wake up with a slightly sore throat. The […]

Washington’s Mount Adams has seen some pretty unusual activity as of late, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has announced. Rather than the usual one earthquake every two to three years, six occurred in the area in September alone. Advertisement According to a statement from the USGS, “this represents the most earthquakes located at Mount Adams […]

Regions of Antarctica are being rapidly “greened” by growing vegetation as our planet warms, suggests a new study. In the last 40 years, the area of the northern Antarctic Peninsula covered by greenery – mostly mosses – has increased by more than 1000%.  Advertisement Global warming affects our whole planet, but polar regions are heating […]

This week, the first “Google Maps” of an entire brain is here and you can zoom inside, mysterious “skyquakes” have been heard around the world but we’re not sure what’s causing them, and a retrofitted Cold War spy plane has shown that most tropical storms are radioactive. Finally, as it’s spooky season, we question if […]

This week on Break It Down: resurrecting Cold War spy planes to explore radioactive storms, the most detailed brain wiring diagram we’ve ever seen, mystery “skyquake” sounds have the world perplexed, plus grinning dolphins, glow-in-the-dark gemstones, and can you really feel when you’re being watched? Available on all your favorite podcast apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Amazon Music, and […]