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'Zombie Fires' burning at an alarming rate in Canada
Even in the dead of Canada's winter, the embers of last year's record-setting wildfire season remain. So-called "zombie fires" are burning under thick layers of snow at an unprecedented rate, raising fears about what the coming summer may bring.
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What we know about reports of Alexei Navalny's death in Arctic Circle prison
According to Russian accounts, Alexei Navalny took a short walk at his Siberian penal colony, said he felt unwell, then collapsed and never regained consciousness. He was 47 years old.
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Moon Race 2.0: Why so many nations and private companies are aiming for lunar landings
Five decades on from the last of the Apollo missions, the Moon is once again a target for space exploration. But Nasa no longer has lunar exploration to itself. The number of astronauts who walked on the Moon hasn't changed in over 50 years.
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Russian opposition leader Navalny has died, prison service says
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Kazakhstan: Methane mega-leak went on for months
One of the worst methane leaks ever recorded took place last year at a remote well in Kazakhstan, new analysis shared with BBC Verify has shown. It is estimated that 127,000 tonnes of the gas escaped when a blowout started a fire that raged for over six months.
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Why Scientists Think We Might Live Inside a Black Hole
Why Scientists Think we Might Live Inside a Black Hole Join world-renowned physicists Brian Greene and Brian Cox as they delve into one of the most intriguing questions of our universe: Could we be living inside a black hole? This groundbreaking video explores the cutting-edge theories and astoun
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UV light kills viruses. Why isn't it everywhere?
The promise and pitfalls of using light to stop germs. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO When you think of disinfecting a space, what comes to mind? Wipes? Gels? Sprays? Maybe air purifiers or effective HVAC systems? All of these are great defenses against viruses and bacteria, but on
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Why confirmation bias kills your brain | Barbara Oakley
Humans tend to hunker down in our own minds and trust what we already believe to be true. This emotion-based way of thought isn't often the best way to think about anything, and often leads to gridlock. ❍ Subscribe to The Well on YouTube: https://bit.ly/welcometothewell ❍ Up next: 95% of your
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Paul McCartney reunited with guitar stolen 51 years ago
Paul McCartney has been reunited with the bass guitar he used on Beatles hits including Love Me Do and She Loves You, 51 years after it was stolen from the back of a van in London. The Hofner bass was found in the attic of a man in Sussex thanks to a search by a project called the Lost Bass.
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Brazil's heart-breaking site of two million enslaved Africans
Rio de Janeiro was once the world's largest slave city – and a walking tour through its "Little Africa" region is the best way to explore the history that shaped Brazil's national identity.
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Why insects are drawn to artificial light at night
New research finds that artificial lights confuse rather than attract insects. High up in the mountains of Monteverde, Costa Rica, a team of researchers lug heavy equipment including two high-speed cameras deep into a dream-like cloud forest.
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The childhood WW2 trauma that inspired Yoko Ono
As a major retrospective of the conceptual artist's work opens, her son Sean Ono Lennon talks about her art – and her collaborations with his father, John Lennon.
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Coming face to face with inmates in El Salvador's mega-jail
Hundreds of eyes are upon us. With shaven heads, dressed in pristine white, and heavily tattooed, the prisoners know they are being watched and return the gaze from the other side of the bars.
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Julian Assange: Australian politicians call for release of WikiLeaks founder
Australia's parliament has passed a motion calling on the US and UK to release Julian Assange, ahead of a crucial legal hearing. Mr Assange will appear in front of the UK's High Court next week for his final appeal against US extradition.
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Swatting call an 'assassination attempt', says politician
On Christmas Day last year, Republican Congressman Brandon Williams was enjoying exchanging gifts with his family when a call came in on his cell phone. At first, he didn't recognise the number, so ignored it.
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Scientists grow 'meaty' rice hybrid food for protein kick
Scientists have created a new type of hybrid food - a "meaty" rice that they say could offer an affordable and eco-friendly source of protein. The porous grains are packed with beef muscle and fat cells, grown in the lab.
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Mappa Mundi: The greatest medieval map in the world
From a small island in the Venetian lagoon, a 15th-Century monk somehow designed an astonishingly accurate planisphere of the world.
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Valentine's Day: The interspecies relationships that evolved in nature
From bats and carnivorous plants to crocodiles and birds, nature is full of remarkable pairings that depend on each other to survive. A green-brown spongy sludge congregates en masse across the surface of the Everglades' shallow marshes in southern Florida.
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Bali: Foreign tourists to pay $10 entry tax from Valentine's Day
Foreign tourists must now pay a 150,000 rupiah (£7.60; $9.60) levy to enter Bali, one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. Indonesian authorities say this is aimed at protecting the island's environment and culture.
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Canterbury disco: 'Parties can get more people to visit church'
When you think of a church or cathedral, the thing that might come to mind is it being a place and time for self-reflection. But lately there have been a series of silent discos taking place in cathedrals and historic buildings around the UK and Europe.
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Swiss antisemitism shock at Davos shop sign saying no skis for Jews
Swiss police have opened an investigation into a ski hire shop's announcement it would no longer rent skis and sledges to Jewish customers. The shop, in the famous resort of Davos, has now reversed its decision.
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Has the sexual revolution backfired? | Louise Perry
Sexual attitudes are more man-like than ever. Author Louise Perry explains what that means for women. Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The science of sex, love, attraction, and obsession ► https://youtu.be/1
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Is monogamy good for society? | Louise Perry
Is polygamy good for society? Author Louise Perry explains. Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The science of sex, love, attraction, and obsession ► https://youtu.be/1XmoMrbcV0E What is the future of romantic
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Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum: Marathon world record holder dies in road accident
The men's marathon world record holder, Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum, 24, has died in a road accident in his home country, a Kenyan athletics official has confirmed to the BBC. He was travelling in a vehicle on a road near the town of Eldoret, close to where he had been training.
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The lost art of the death mask
The Western world was once obsessed with these macabre memorials. On 7 May 1821, two doctors were engrossed in a frantic search. There was a decomposing body at stake – and if they didn't find some plaster soon, its features would be lost forever.
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