This report explores the challenges and insights gained from deep drilling into the Earth. Researchers from Germany, ...

A new lunar cycle begins with 95 planned missions over the next ten years, including contributions from smaller natio...

The ancient Greeks practiced sortition as a cost-effective method to prevent corruption and abuse of power and to est...

A research team led by Israeli biologist Ron Milo has attempted to calculate the total mass of all living things on E...

Climate change could cause sea levels to rise by up to 20 millimeters per year by the end of the century, threatening...

Bodily data, from genes to the microbiome, could indicate diseases early if analyzed precisely. Computers and algorit...

Mucus, a versatile substance in nature, fulfills various functions: It can glide, stick, select, and even serve as a ...

Long considered clean and inexpensive, nuclear energy raises a major problem: ultimate radioactive waste. This waste ...

Life would be fantastic if we were never scared. We could cross deep ravines on tightropes, ski down the steepest mou...

With global warming, the melting of the ice is accelerating. The Arctic is warming two to three times faster than the...

From birth we are surrounded by sounds which, often without our knowledge, influence our view of the world. But are o...

Although we are mostly optimistic about our own lives, we tend to be rather pessimistic when we consider the future o...

What's the recipe for making a song a global hit? Musicologists, brain scientists and professionals in the music indu...

The universe is vast. So vast that it defies the imagination. To the point that we find it strange that we "Earthling...

Tea of coffee? Fish or meat? Every day human beings make around 200 decisions about what to eat. But what drivess the...

Light, as both a wave and a particle, travels at a constant speed. A beam of light originating in the sun's interior ...

Drought and insects threaten forests. What can be done to save them? In northern France, researchers are trying to in...

Nobody likes dust. Attempts to get rid of it are futile; it always comes back. And that's a good thing! Because witho...

To tackle climate change, one option is to artificially cool the Earth or capture CO2. The field of geoengineering is...

The fact that we have a breathable atmosphere on Earth is largely down to algae. Could these aquatic plants be the se...

The sharpest weapon of the pandemic has given us a vaccination technique that almost no one knew about before the cor...

Giving up flying overnight would cause global logistical problems, as many delivery chains would be interrupted. But ...

It is estimated that there are now more than 1.7 million robots with social capabilities in the world. They feed us, ...

Parasites get a bad rap: they can make us sick or even kill us. For centuries, we have been trying to protect ourselv...

We spend a third of our lives sleeping. Is it possible for us to sleep less and enjoy extra waking years for leisure ...

In September 2021, El Salvador became the first country in the world to introduce Bitcoin as legal tender. From now o...

Black holes can tell us a lot about the universe. But could they hold the key to understanding our world? Astrophysic...

Humans spend up to six years dreaming over the course of their lifetime. What if dreams were more than unreal visions...

Researchers are searching for patterns and models to predict migration. Factors such as technological developments, d...

The mystery of animal communication stands in contrast to human language: Elephants use infrasound, cats vocalize, an...

The Flynn effect showed an increase in intelligence scores since the 20th century. However, since the turn of the mil...

Let's not kid ourselves: everyone has biases. Whether it's filling a position, granting credit, or handing down a pri...

Modern, highly efficient agriculture feeds many people, but it is reaching its ecological limits with declining soil ...

Drugs have a bad press. But scientists have long been convinced that the use of psychedelics can sometimes be benefic...

As soon as weightlessness sets in in Earth orbit, everything floats, including bodily fluids. Most astronauts suffer ...

Brain researcher Gerhard Roth describes near-death experiences as frequent encounters with bright light and feelings ...

Humanity has dreamed of a Fountain of Youth since the dawn of time. A dream that may have become reality. Laboratorie...

Both a blessing and a curse, farming feeds us humans but is also harmful to the environment. Agriculture has radicall...

We like to talk about the weather because it affects us every day. But have you ever heard of space weather? Not just...

According to Elon Musk, we could soon be living on Mars. Yet, this idea seems unrealistic: extreme cold, an atmospher...

Imagine a friend wants to borrow your car, you promise to provide one even though you only have a windscreen wiper. A...

With over 13,000 nuclear weapons in the world, there is a risk of massive destruction. The program "42 – The Answer t...

Getting into space has never been easier and the resources of our solar system are highly coveted. But with the legal...

It has been known since antiquity that thoughts have an influence on health. Research, such as imaging techniques tha...

We cannot escape our fate and we cannot escape ourselves. But we also have our limits: confused thinking, misleading ...

Swarms are fascinating phenomena without clear leadership. In beehives, anthills, in the sky, or in the sea, they ope...

Formulating the theory of everything, the one that would describe all the laws of the Universe from a single fundamen...

Humanity has been hoping for a sensational discovery. Ever since we succeeded in converting wind and sun into energy,...

Psychopaths like Ted Bundy are not isolated cases; approximately 1-2% of the population are considered psychopathic. ...

Every seven days, a large ship goes missing. This is due, among other things, to monstrous waves that appear out of n...

All living beings stop growing at some point. The global economy is different: it just keeps growing. Is a world with...

Humans don't just play for fun, but also for evolutionary reasons. Playing helped hunter-gatherers develop important ...

Usain Bolt ran 100 meters in 9.58 seconds, Petra Felke threw the javelin 80 meters. These are absolute limits that no...

Energy from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas made modern life possible in the first place; however, at the sam...

As fascinating as they are frightening, sharks are now threatened. Of the 536 species known today, a third are endang...

For a long time, humanity was relatively unanimous: animals are little more than biological machines. This view has g...

When we're really in love, all hell breaks loose. The heart races, palms sweat, the mouth goes dry and the brain swit...

"Be careful! It's precious!" – we've probably all heard such warnings as children, for example, when we wanted to exa...

The search for artificial blood that could solve several problems, such as anemia, the risk of disease transmission, ...

Dealing deeply with hate is no fun. But as with all unpleasant things, it helps to confront the issue rather than avo...

Researchers want to use cloning and gene editing to bring back lost species. If humanity played God by killing them o...

Andreas Weber, biologist and philosopher, argues for granting animals and plants the right to defend themselves in co...

We already see in everyday life how much colors control us: we're often warmer in a red down jacket than in the same ...

Modern civilization does not mean the end of evolutionary adaptation. Researchers like Frank Rühli observe ongoing ch...

A man has enough sperm. Or so you might think - up to 600 million per ejaculation. And yet there is cause for concern...

Yes, urban life can make a crucial contribution to saving the planet, according to sustainability researcher Xuemei B...

The fear that the sky could one day fall on our heads dates back to the dawn of time. The impact of an asteroid or a ...

What do we know about fungi? They are neither animals nor plants. Some are poisonous, many are delicious. But that wa...

Pushing to the front of a line, parking a car quickly on a bicycle lane, occupying seats on a train that do not belon...

The universe could be heading towards different scenarios, including the "Big Freeze" as it expands, cools, and disin...

From Armageddon to Extinction Rebellion, the end-of-the-world narrative is a socio-cultural phenomenon. The apocalyps...

Is time travel just science fiction? Not quite: scientists from the fields of quantum physics, string theory, and ast...

We can't see inside other people's minds, but we sometimes believe we can read their thoughts. When we talk to someon...

Chemistry makes our sweaters softer, our world more colourful and pleasant, and it can even save lives. The flip side...

Chance, destiny, predestination, God. People have come up with many explanations for events that either seem complete...

The vast sea - a symbol of boundlessness. But is it really so? Who does the sea actually belong to? In the past, it w...

The beauty of the peacock troubled Darwin for a long time. It didn't quite fit into his theory of evolution and the i...

Many researchers believe that we won't experience more and more wind in the world, but rather less and less. Indeed, ...

Let's be honest: when we think about rising sea levels, we initially think that the water rises the same way all over...

Most people can tell quite early on whether they are attracted to women or men. But what if our desire isn't as deter...

The dominance of our species has consequences: we have created conditions that fuel rapid evolution. Global warming, ...

We've all experienced it: a name that slips our mind or a new password. Forgetting is annoying and sometimes embarras...

Humans lie, deceive, and wage merciless wars. Sometimes it seems as if evil is typically human. On the other hand, hu...

Humanity is dependent on electricity. Power outages have been rare for us so far, but our electricity system is being...

Glaciers are wonders of nature and tourist attractions, and they are also the largest reservoirs of drinking water on...

Since the dawn of time, mankind has aspired to one thing only: to go further and further beyond the limits of what he...

From a very early age, we are instilled with the idea that lying is wrong. Yet learning to lie is a normal and necess...

Some people dream of being cryogenically frozen. It's a way to defy death, to come back when things are better, or si...

Whether in mobile phones, glass or even in our underwear, sand is everywhere in our lives. Without it, there would be...

Adults laugh 20 times a day, children up to 500 times. But where does humour begin and end? And why does someone find...

While scientists agree on the date (4 billion years ago), their opinions diverge on the place and conditions that saw...

When we harm someone, we may be punished, the point of which is to be made aware of the harm we have done to others. ...

We spend large stretches of our waking hours imagining things or just daydreaming. Why are we so often away in the cl...

Our genes determine many of our characteristics: our build, our height, the colour of our eyes or even our predisposi...

The biggest movement in our lives is one that we don't even notice: The continents of the earth are on the move, albe...

Every dog ​​owner knows this well: the relationship between humans and dogs is unique. A powerful and unbreakable bon...

Corruption has been part of society since the dawn of time, swallowing up colossal sums of money which could be spent...

Vultures can spot a dead antelope from five kilometres away, while seals can dive into deep water, even under the ice...

The richest man in the world - Frenchman Bernard Arnault - is worth more than 200 billion euros. Around the world, th...

Words shape our thoughts. And it is most often in our mother tongue that we reflect, that we find the words to unders...

The idea that our universe isn't as unique as we think is not only captivating the imaginations of authors and filmma...

Wars, pandemics, economic crises...: so many episodes during which we look back and wonder if history isn't repeating...

In a century, the number of humans on Earth has more than quadrupled, rising from nearly 2 billion to over 8 billion....

The relationship between stress and humans is anything but a love affair. According to the WHO, 85% of us would prefe...

Humanity survived the last Ice Age as well as the plague that decimated half of Europe in the 1300s. But do disasters...

We still work in office buildings, buy our groceries at the supermarket and visit museums in the flesh. But soon, the...

Stories of unrelated people who look exactly alike are common. While having a doppelganger could pose risks like iden...

Although our planet has already overcome numerous crises, Homo Sapiens have disrupted the natural world nature so muc...

Periods of climate change in the past have caused mass extinctions. But they have also led to the emergence of new co...

Depictions of the future in popular science fiction novels or films are often bleak, while positive utopias and tales...

Clouds carry water particles, which they release onto Earth as rain. However, the way they distribute water across th...

Our view of sugar has changed drastically. Once seen as a healthy appetite suppressant in the 1960s, it's now linked ...

In theory, it's simple: the North Pole is in the north, and the South Pole is in the south. And a compass needle alwa...

Many people don't consider their sense of smell particularly important. However, if we had to give up one of our sens...

It seems that economic growth is a prerequisite for collective prosperity. But what if this is just a myth or a dange...

Do houseplants grow faster when we talk to them? Does a cactus get bored in a pot? Do plants have human senses that a...

Like food, drink or sex, feeling valued is one of our most basic needs: we aspire to be loved, sometimes even adored....

From the sandbox to the office, power dynamics shape our lives. Power can change our personalities and make us take r...

Is being big and strong necessarily the key to success? Not really: it's the small creatures that seem to have more a...

The fantasy of artificial intelligence developing a life of its own and unleashing an army of robots on humanity has ...

Raccoons, tiger mosquitoes, grey squirrels... these invasive species can destroy crops, transmit fatal diseases and c...

Happiness increases our satisfaction, our cognitive capacity and our motivation, but being happy is not so simple. An...

All terrestrial species are capable of crying, but human beings are unique in being the only species to cry from joy,...

The sharp decline in ocean circulation since the 1950s is probably related to human activity. Its complete cessation ...

Imagine a world where men were at home with the children, while women were heads of state and company directors, earn...

For many scientists, the emergence of living organisms elsewhere in the universe is only a matter of time. But most e...

Pain has a bad reputation, and we go to great lengths to avoid it: from painkillers to general self-care. It has even...

Societies built by humans, rarely seem to stand the test of time, whereas ants have been living in colonies since the...

Why do so many world maps place Europe at the centre? Why not Australia? And why is the north always at the top? 42 e...

Our universe is made up of two worlds: the one we can see, and the microscopic world of quanta made up of the very sm...

There have never been more opportunities to meet new sexual partners in our liberated world of dating apps, sex parti...

What is the link between racism and slavery? How do racist theories to justify the transatlantic slave trade still li...

Everywhere is Europe, it seems, housing is becoming more expensive and more of a burden on households. Why is this? A...

Long-running conflicts and wars in our world feed into the pessimistic idea that reconciliation is impossible. But ca...

For millions of years, there has been an intimate pact between plants and their pollinators: with relationships so cl...

If we wanted to completely avoid risk, we would not be able to leave the house in the morning, and even then, we woul...

Nations invent stories about their glorious pasts and links to ancient peoples on the land. But who really were our a...

Why is violence still so prevalent in our society, when the state is supposed to ensure everyone's safety? Is violenc...

Memory is our identity: our representation of the world, ourselves and others is based on what we remember. But is it...

Beyond what human beings can see, exists something that makes up 80% of the universe. Scientists are convinced that d...

Religious faith is in decline in Europe, and yet 70% of human beings in the world believe in the existence of one or ...

All over the world, people are taking to the streets about injustice, freedom, and calling for more rights. But in th...

You might think that children are small, unfinished people who don't yet understand the world. Perhaps this is where ...

With the increase in the world population in recent decades, there have never been as many people living, but also dy...

Every year, astronomical sums of money are spent worldwide on arms, when it would be a thousand times better to inves...

Are eggs good for us? Are eggs bad for us? Official health advice sometimes to contradict itself. What food we consum...

Although no proof of the existence of extraterrestrial life has yet been found, the discovery of habitable planets in...

The human body is home to some 30 billion microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, algae). The composition of this m...

While some people spend millions on holidays in space or splash out on extravagant weddings, others live in shanty to...

20% of people will experience depression at some point in their lives. But what do we really know about this conditio...

People have always tried to find the perfect code to protect secrets. But even the very best codes only keep our info...

Climate disasters, global inequalities, the threat of a third world war... Wouldn't it be reassuring if an internatio...

Every month around 100 million litres of menstrual blood is thrown away or flushed down the toilet. But what if this ...

Time is one of the great mysteries of our lives. It passes the same way for everyone and yet everyone experiences it ...

Without water there would be no life on Earth. But what is so special about it? Research has shown water is much more...

We humans think that we are the best creation on this earth. But with sickness, aging, brittle bones and weak muscles...

It may seem that the idea of Truth is under siege. Donald Trump, for example, was elected despite countless false sta...

Once you become addicted to a substance you can live a life of abstinence, but you are never considered cured. Will t...

Curiosity is at the very root of humanity's development, but it is often vilified and mistrusted. Is curiosity a good...

No film has influenced our perception of dinosaurs more than Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. But more than three de...

Viruses are geniuses of evolution. They can constantly mutate, penetrate cells, mingle with our genome an, worst of a...

How can we define what is normal and what is mad? Although every human being functions differently, madness is associ...

Boredom has a bad reputation. All the more so as ennui is often accompanied by a feeling of emptiness and frustration...

In the AI era, highly convincing fake videos and pictures can be produced that can easily deceive. What impact does t...

Was the fall of the Roman Empire due to its decadent morals? Did the people of Easter Island exhaust its natural reso...

Fiery debates online, explosions of anger on the streets, tense conversations with our loved-ones: Arguing can be exh...

Plant growth is determined by the golden ratio symbolised by the Greek letter Phi, pine cones grow in a logarithmic s...

News and social media can often give us the idea that the world is a terrible place and its only getting worse. But w...

Animals raised for human consumption such as chickens, pigs, goats or cows, are rarely acknowledged as being intellig...

Setbacks and bad decision often leave a bitter taste in the mouth, but they can help you bounce back. Research shows ...

We sometimes think of our ancestors in the stone age as primitive beings, unable to cope with complex tasks or the de...

Humans are the only species that can produce fire. For a long time, we lived intimately with fire, which helped our d...

Music has immense power: it can lift or lower our mood and make us forget the world. But why is music so important to...

On social media everyone seems to be optimising themselves into healthy, perfect humans. But is our search for perfec...

Our use and overuse of antibiotics means that bacteria – those little masters of evolution – are becoming increasingl...

Hibernation in humans – so far, it's pure science fiction. However, some researchers suspect that humans might posses...

Success, failure, birthdays, funerals… any occasion can be an excuse to drink. However, the line between pleasure and...

In a democratic society, decisions are taken on the basis of free will. But is this really always the case? Since we ...

The planets, the galaxies, the universe: Has it always been there – or was there a beginning? The Big Bang, from whic...

Would Donald Trump have won the US election if not for the now-iconic photo of him with a bloody ear? Would the US ha...

For centuries, female sexuality was neglected and considered uninteresting by men. The apogee came in the 19th centur...

Everything that goes up must come down. But what about space debris? Will rockets and unused satellites eventually co...

In a world full of push notifications, quickfire TikTok videos and constant distraction, deep concentration seems to ...

Why do we like to be terrified by scary movies? When watching horror, people experience an intense rollercoaster of e...

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted to demote Pluto to a "dwarf planet," reducing the official number...

From the deserts of Australia to the steppes of Siberia, no other mammal has colonised more habitats than humans. Mor...

Wasps are much more than just an inconvenience for al fresco diners. As one of the very first social species on our p...

Songs are considered part of humanity's cultural heritage, and all over the world, their social functions are similar...

Monogamy – a lifelong promise of love or an outdated ideal? Despite high divorce rates and the increasing acceptance ...

The term "gold rush" speaks volumes about our special relationship with the shiny precious metal. For thousands of ye...

The stock market is the temple of rationality, figures, data and models. But what happens when emotions drive prices?...

Imagine for a moment that everything was reversed. It may sound mind-boggling, but it is not entirely absurd. Many of...

Dominant, strong, a “real man.” Women want him, men want to be like him. This is the image of the “alpha male” portra...

We know black holes as destroyers: they tear apart stars, devour light and bend space-time. At the same time, they ar...

Is it possible to ‘reboot’ a human brain like we can for a computer? A dream for some and a nightmare for most people...

From childhood onwards, we compare ourselves to others and try to be better than our neighbour. But where does this c...

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With wars, financial crises, and energy crises, global trade seems to be suffering. But is globalisation on the way o...

To be remembered, to leave a legacy – that's what everyone wants. But what if, in 100,000 years, aliens visit the ext...

Need a vacation? It's a sign that it's time to rest and relax. Yet, scientists can't explain what happens when we get...

Is our personality fixed from birth – or can we consciously change it? Can composure be learned, conscientiousness tr...

"There is no Planet B!" This slogan is a constant at all pro-climate demonstrations. But what would become of humanit...

Our feelings are something very intimate, something that belongs only to us—or at least we wish it did. But now, arti...

When the subject of trauma arises, most people immediately think of extreme events: war, violence, severe accidents, ...

No episode overview available.

In reality, no state ever repays its debts. And yet, insolvency doesn't necessarily lead to bankruptcy. Public debt i...

A hotly debated topic: the impact of social media on young people. While Australia has already banned its use for tho...

No episode overview available.

More and more women struggle to conceive or cannot have children at all, while birth rates decline and fertility clin...