Spy agencies brief people in power. We brief you. Each week we bring you one story that matters, and a few that don’t!
Your Brief for March 27, 2025: Searching for oxygen, The Reluctant Narco, magnetic moves, The Melsonby Hoard and more!
News
Searching For Oxygen
A recent study detected oxygen in the most distant galaxy ever observed (JADES-GS-z14-0), offering new insights into how galaxies may have formed in the early universe—scientists had previously believed heavier elements formed at a later stage. Two teams of experts, one from Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands and the other from the Scuola Normale Superiore University in Pisa, Italy, made the discovery using data from an interferometer telescope array in Chile's Atacama Desert. The galaxy is so far that its light traveled 13.4 billion years to reach us, providing a glimpse into the cosmic dawn, about 300 million years after the Big Bang.
When banker and convicted fraudster Keith Bulfin went to prison, he entered a waking nightmare. When he got out, things only got worse: Now he was tasked with infiltrating the brutal world of the Cartels. If successful, he'd be allowed to return to his old life. If not, living wouldn't be an issue.
A group of well-connected businessmen just wrapped up a meeting. The venue? An air-conditioned hotel room in Mexico City. Let's take a headcount. One Mexican banker slumped over in his chair, a gunshot wound to the face. One DEA agent, similarly indisposed. Two Colombians—one barely alive. And then, pressed against the wall and quaking with fear, there's Keith. But how did he end up here?
In the '90s, Keith was running an investment bank in Melbourne when a new client arrived: "Gomez" (a pseudonym), a coffee importer with plantations in Central and South America. Gomez wanted to settle in Australia and needed someone sharp to help manage his wealth. Keith agreed. The catch? Gomez was also running a fishing co-op in the Gulf of Mexico—one that shipped cocaine straight to Florida! By the time the DEA came knocking, Gomez was on the run. And Keith? He was their best shot at bringing him down.
Did the DEA catch their target? Join Keith Bulfin in this week's podcast selection, 'The Reluctant Narco', to find out.
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History
The Melsonby Hoard
What does this buried treasure reveal about ancient Britain?
Archaeologists in Yorkshire, UK, unearthed a remarkable Iron Age treasure—The Melsonby Hoard—containing around 800 artifacts dating back roughly 2,000 years. The find, initially made in 2021 by metal detectorist Peter Heads, includes chariot and wagon parts, wine-mixing bowls, cauldrons, spears, and other decorative items, all burnt or broken before burial—a practice believed to be a dramatic display of wealth.
Early analysis of the artifacts, released Tuesday, indicates that northern Britain's elite may have been wealthier and more closely connected to European trade than previously thought. To protect against theft, the exact location of the treasure remains undisclosed!
Image Credit: Durham University
Games
Take On Wordfall
Want to stretch your brain?
In Wordfall, players begin with a seven-letter word and must quickly create smaller words. The game removes a letter each time you complete a line, adapting the puzzle as you progress. However, not just any answer will do: only the game's desired answer for a particular row will be accepted! A word will turn orange if it is incorrect for that row. Check it out here.
Up for another word challenge? Puzzle maker Martin Long has prepared the crossword 'Disguise Set' for you to solve!
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Ferrofluid, a liquid that becomes strongly magnetized near a magnetic field, can move and react to music through an electromagnet, translating sound into mesmerizing visual displays. Its distinctive, often spiky appearance emerges from its natural tendency to minimize energy, a phenomenon called normal-field instability.
Initially developed in the 1970s to cool loudspeakers and seal mechanical parts, ferrofluids now appear in car suspensions, high-speed printers, petroleum refining, and cancer diagnostics! Artists have also used ferrofluids in captivating mediums, blending science, sound, and visual art. Watch it in action here.
Poland secured its fourth consecutive Tree Of The Year title with this 300-year-old beech tree. Located in the picturesque Dalkowskie Hills, the tree is famous for its distinctive deep-red leaves and attracts visitors who toss peanuts into a hole in its trunk in hopes their wishes come true! The beloved Polish beech faced tough competition this year: a majestic 19th-century Moreton Bay fig tree secured second place, while third went to a remarkable 400-year-old stone pine from Abengibre, Spain. Check out the competition here.
Image Credit: Marcin Kopij/Tree Of The Year
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