Physicists at CERN's Large Hadron Collider have announced that they have identified a new proton-like particle produced in high-energy collisions, offering fresh insight into the forces that bind matter at its smallest scale. The particle behaves like a proton but differs in its internal structure: instead of the usual combination of two “up” quarks and one “down” quark, it contains heavier “charm” quarks, making it roughly four times more massive than a standard proton. Protons, along with neutrons and electrons, form the building blocks of atoms, while protons and neutrons themselves are made of quarks held together by the strong nuclear force. By observing how this short-lived particle forms and decays, researchers aim to better understand the force that binds subatomic particles.
True Spies
The Impeccable Spy
How do you spy on Nazis from the inside?
In wartime Tokyo, Soviet agent Richard Sorge moved through elite circles posing as a German journalist, a Nazi Party member, and a trusted insider at the German embassy. Behind the scenes, he ran one of the most effective intelligence networks of World War II, feeding Moscow critical information from the heart of the Axis alliance.
Sorge built his access carefully. He befriended German ambassador Eugen Ott, read confidential cables, and cultivated sources inside the Japanese government through his network. By the late 1930s, he sat just one degree away from both Adolf Hitler and Japan’s leadership. His mission was simple but crucial: determine whether Japan would attack the Soviet Union.
At the same time, he began reporting on warnings that Hitler was preparing to invade the USSR. Sorge sent repeated alerts in 1940 and 1941, detailing troop movements and timing. Moscow dismissed them. Stalin, wary of deception and shaped by internal purges, chose not to act. When the invasion came in June 1941, Sorge had seen it coming. Operating in a city filled with suspicion, he continued gathering intelligence while under growing scrutiny, balancing charm, risk, and exposure in one of the most dangerous postings of the war.
Join author Owen Matthews in this week’s podcast selection, 'The Impeccable Spy', to go inside a double life at the center of the Axis alliance.
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Take on immersive games and challenges at SPYGAMES! Test your team's skills and strategy, compete to climb the leaderboards, and recharge with food and drink in your own private space hosted by a dedicated staff member.
A 66-million-year-old Triceratops fossil opened for auction on Tuesday, with bids expected to reach as high as $5.5 million before the March 31 deadline. Nicknamed “Trey,” the skeleton is roughly the size of a minivan and ranks among the most complete Triceratops specimens ever discovered.
Paleontologists unearthed the fossil in 1993 in Wyoming’s Lance Formation, a region known for preserving life from the final days of the Cretaceous period. At the time, the area was a network of floodplains and rivers, conditions that helped bury and protect remains just before the asteroid impact that ended the age of dinosaurs.
Fossils from this period offer a rare snapshot of life on Earth moments before that extinction event. In recent years, they have also drawn intense interest from collectors. A Tyrannosaurus rex known as “Stan” sold for $31.8 million in 2020, while a stegosaurus called “Apex” reached $44.6 million in 2024.
Nature
Underwater Queens
How does a bumblebee survive months in a flooded burrow?
Scientists have found that queen bumblebees can survive underwater while hibernating, enduring submersion for days. The discovery emerged after a researcher studying pesticide exposure noticed that dormant bees remained alive despite being fully submerged.
Queens are the only members of a colony to survive winter, spending up to 9 months in a low-energy state known as diapause. During this time, they shelter in shallow underground burrows, which can become waterlogged. To test their limits, the team submerged queens in cold water for up to 8 days. Even then, the bees continued to produce small amounts of carbon dioxide, a sign of ongoing metabolic activity. The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The exact mechanism remains unclear, but scientists suspect the bees may form a thin layer of trapped air around their bodies, acting like a physical gill that allows limited oxygen exchange. While in diapause, their metabolism drops by about 99%, sharply reducing their energy requirements. The detection of lactate buildup suggests that the bees also rely partly on anaerobic respiration to survive the oxygen-poor conditions.
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Host your birthday at SPYSCAPE or SPYGAMES.
Give your party guests an unforgettable experience designed to engage, entertain, and inspire. Our dedicated staff will be on hand to help, and you'll even get your own private space to celebrate.
French schoolchildren have uncovered a seated skeleton near their playground in Dijon, adding to a series of unusual Gallic burials found in the area. The remains were positioned with the back against a wall, facing west, hands resting on the lap. A posture repeated across several recent discoveries.
Archaeologists have now identified multiple skeletons buried in the same way, each placed at the bottom of shallow pits roughly three feet deep. The consistency has raised questions about whether the position carried symbolic meaning or reflected a specific ritual. Researchers have yet to determine whether the posture signaled respect, punishment, or something else entirely. It also remains unclear whether the individuals were buried after death or while alive. Dijon appears to be a key site for these findings, accounting for more than a quarter of known Gallic seated burials. The Gauls spread across Western Europe around 2,500 years ago. Nearly all of the seated skeletons discovered in Dijon have been adult men.
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