Earth’s core has stopped and may be reversing direction

Earth’s inner core has recently stopped spinning, and may now be reversing the direction of its rotation, according to a surprising new study that probed the deepest reaches of our planet with seismic waves from earthquakes. The results suggest that Earth’s center pauses and reverses direction on a periodic cycle lasting about 60 to 70 years, a discovery that might solve longstanding mysteries about climate and geological phenomena that occur on a similar timeframe, and that affect life on our planet. But while it sounds like the plot of a disaster movie, most scientists think this periodic spin switch is a normal part of its behavior that does not pose risks for life on our planet.

The Wright Brothers' flight wasn’t the first

We're used to thinking that the Wright brothers flew the first powered flight, but Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft – the definitive source for airplane-related facts – says a 1901 flight by Connecticut aviation pioneer Gustave Whitehead was the first successful powered flight in history, beating the Wright brothers’ first flight by more than two years. Jane’s has traditionally backed the Wright Brothers as first in flight, but now they say the evidence for Whitehead’s flight is strong enough for the publication to reverse course and recognize it as the first successful powered flight. Jane’s Editor Paul Jackson describes what happened in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on August 14, 1901.

The day the clowns rioted in Toronto

Adam Bunch describes the scene in 1855: "These weren’t the kind of clowns you want to mess with. They were, by all accounts, a pretty rough crew. They were in town for just a couple of days, part of a touring show from the U.S. called S.B. Howes’ Star Troupe Menagerie & Circus. The circus was done for the day and the clowns had the rest of the night off, so they decided to take advantage of the local nightlife. They picked a brothel near the corner of King & Jarvis to have some fun. But the rest of the night wouldn’t go as planned. It seems the clowns picked the wrong brothel. This one was a hangout for some of the men in a local volunteer fire brigade: The Hook & Ladder Firefighting Company."

Butterflies remember a mountain that hasn't existed for millennia

Monarch butterflies are some of the toughest insects in the world. Their migration takes them from southern Canada to central Mexico. The amazing part of the journey is the sudden eastward turn that monarchs take over Lake Superior. Monarchs fly south, and at one point of the lake turn east, fly for a while, and then turn back toward the south. Why? Biologists believe that something was blocking the monarchs' path. They believe that that part of Lake Superior might have once been one of the highest mountains ever to loom over North America, so the monarchs veered east around it and then headed southward again. They've kept doing that, some say, even after the mountain is long gone.

How to be 18 years old again for only $2 million a year

Bryan Johnson is an ultrawealthy software entrepreneur who has more than 30 doctors and health experts monitoring his every bodily function. The team has committed to help reverse the aging process in every one of Johnson’s organs. Johnson and his doctors obsessively read the scientific literature on aging and longevity and use Johnson as a guinea pig for the most promising treatments, tracking the results every way they know how. Getting the program up and running required an investment of several million dollars, including the costs of a medical suite at Johnson’s home. This year, he’s on track to spend at least $2 million on his body. He wants to have the brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, tendons, teeth, skin, hair, bladder, penis and rectum of an 18-year-old.

If you want to buy a life-sized dinosaur, this is the guy to know

Mark burst into the cultural zeitgeist when his listing for “Jack” – a 19 metre long, 4 metre high, life-size replica Titanosaurus, on sale for $58,000 – went viral on Facebook Marketplace. Turns out Mark has been flipping dinosaurs for 5 years. What started as a hobby has become a business, with a website dedicated to moving the beasts. But Mark also collects them for himself. Dinosaurs were strewn everywhere across the property, as well as tigers, gorillas, cows and even a horse. All stoic replicas, of course. “The good thing about this is I’ve got heaps of land where I can really take advantage and try to theme it out. And get all the different characters in the right kind of spots,” he told me, as we pulled up to a gravel path marked “Railway”. Standing guard was a watching Pterodactyl, strung above us in the trees.

The King Mackerel can jump almost 20 feet out of the water