42: The Answer to Almost Everything

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

A new lunar cycle begins with 95 planned missions over the next ten years, including contributions from smaller nations. Scientists want to know how h...

The ancient Greeks practiced sortition as a cost-effective method to prevent corruption and abuse of power and to establish political equality. Althou...

A research team led by Israeli biologist Ron Milo has attempted to calculate the total mass of all living things on Earth by combining data from vario...

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

Bodily data, from genes to the microbiome, could indicate diseases early if analyzed precisely. Computers and algorithms are needed to recognize patte...

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

Long considered clean and inexpensive, nuclear energy raises a major problem: ultimate radioactive waste. This waste must be buried underground for at...

Life would be fantastic if we were never scared. We could cross deep ravines on tightropes, ski down the steepest mountainsides and feel fine. Unfortu...

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

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

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

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

The universe is vast. So vast that it defies the imagination. To the point that we find it strange that we "Earthlings" are the only living beings to...

Tea of coffee? Fish or meat? Every day human beings make around 200 decisions about what to eat. But what drivess these choices? Why do we eat what we...

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

Drought and insects threaten forests. What can be done to save them? In northern France, researchers are trying to introduce plants native to the sout...

Nobody likes dust. Attempts to get rid of it are futile; it always comes back. And that's a good thing! Because without dust and its superpowers, life...

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

The fact that we have a breathable atmosphere on Earth is largely down to algae. Could these aquatic plants be the secret of solving climate change an...

The sharpest weapon of the pandemic has given us a vaccination technique that almost no one knew about before the coronavirus—messenger RNA. It has be...

Giving up flying overnight would cause global logistical problems, as many delivery chains would be interrupted. But planes are climate killers. So wh...

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

Parasites get a bad rap: they can make us sick or even kill us. For centuries, we have been trying to protect ourselves against them, in particular th...

We spend a third of our lives sleeping. Is it possible for us to sleep less and enjoy extra waking years for leisure and work? Can we optimise our sle...

In September 2021, El Salvador became the first country in the world to introduce Bitcoin as legal tender. From now on, all companies accept the crypt...

Black holes can tell us a lot about the universe. But could they hold the key to understanding our world? Astrophysicist Nikodem Poplawski proposes th...

Humans spend up to six years dreaming over the course of their lifetime. What if dreams were more than unreal visions? Could we take the brilliant ide...

Researchers are searching for patterns and models to predict migration. Factors such as technological developments, demographic changes, economic cris...

The mystery of animal communication stands in contrast to human language: Elephants use infrasound, cats vocalize, and whales communicate through flip...

The Flynn effect showed an increase in intelligence scores since the 20th century. However, since the turn of the millennium, some IQ scores have been...

Let's not kid ourselves: everyone has biases. Whether it's filling a position, granting credit, or handing down a prison sentence, how can we be sure...

Modern, highly efficient agriculture feeds many people, but it is reaching its ecological limits with declining soil fertility and biodiversity, as we...

Drugs have a bad press. But scientists have long been convinced that the use of psychedelics can sometimes be beneficial. The use of ecstasy, LSD and...

As soon as weightlessness sets in in Earth orbit, everything floats, including bodily fluids. Most astronauts suffer from space sickness – similar to...

Brain researcher Gerhard Roth describes near-death experiences as frequent encounters with bright light and feelings of bliss. Scientists explain this...

Humanity has dreamed of a Fountain of Youth since the dawn of time. A dream that may have become reality. Laboratories around the world announce they...

Both a blessing and a curse, farming feeds us humans but is also harmful to the environment. Agriculture has radically transformed the land and our wa...

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

According to Elon Musk, we could soon be living on Mars. Yet, this idea seems unrealistic: extreme cold, an atmosphere composed primarily of CO2, and...

Imagine a friend wants to borrow your car, you promise to provide one even though you only have a windscreen wiper. Absurd isn’t it? But this is exact...

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

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

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

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

Swarms are fascinating phenomena without clear leadership. In beehives, anthills, in the sky, or in the sea, they operate successfully and aesthetical...

Formulating the theory of everything, the one that would describe all the laws of the Universe from a single fundamental law, would be the pinnacle ac...

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

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

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

All living beings stop growing at some point. The global economy is different: it just keeps growing. Is a world without economic growth possible and...

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

Usain Bolt ran 100 meters in 9.58 seconds, Petra Felke threw the javelin 80 meters. These are absolute limits that no one has been able to "break" to...

Energy from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas made modern life possible in the first place; however, at the same time, it harms the climate and...

As fascinating as they are frightening, sharks are now threatened. Of the 536 species known today, a third are endangered, mainly due to overfishing a...

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

When we're really in love, all hell breaks loose. The heart races, palms sweat, the mouth goes dry and the brain switches to "happily insane" mode. So...

"Be careful! It's precious!" – we've probably all heard such warnings as children, for example, when we wanted to examine our father's camera or an ol...

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

Dealing deeply with hate is no fun. But as with all unpleasant things, it helps to confront the issue rather than avoid it. In today's society, hate i...

Researchers want to use cloning and gene editing to bring back lost species. If humanity played God by killing them off, some say we should also play...

Andreas Weber, biologist and philosopher, argues for granting animals and plants the right to defend themselves in courts, based on their capacity for...

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

Modern civilization does not mean the end of evolutionary adaptation. Researchers like Frank Rühli observe ongoing changes, such as lactose tolerance....

A man has enough sperm. Or so you might think - up to 600 million per ejaculation. And yet there is cause for concern: several studies have shown a si...

Yes, urban life can make a crucial contribution to saving the planet, according to sustainability researcher Xuemei Bai. Compared to the suburbs, CO2...

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 comet could dramatically change l...

What do we know about fungi? They are neither animals nor plants. Some are poisonous, many are delicious. But that was the main point. Fungi have bare...

Pushing to the front of a line, parking a car quickly on a bicycle lane, occupying seats on a train that do not belong to you - almost everyone is con...

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

From Armageddon to Extinction Rebellion, the end-of-the-world narrative is a socio-cultural phenomenon. The apocalypse has been predicted nearly 200 t...

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

We can't see inside other people's minds, but we sometimes believe we can read their thoughts. When we talk to someone, our brain is working overtime,...

Chemistry makes our sweaters softer, our world more colourful and pleasant, and it can even save lives. The flip side: we have released so many toxic...

Chance, destiny, predestination, God. People have come up with many explanations for events that either seem completely unbelievable or highly improba...

The vast sea - a symbol of boundlessness. But is it really so? Who does the sea actually belong to? In the past, it was simple: as far as the cannons...

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

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

Let's be honest: when we think about rising sea levels, we initially think that the water rises the same way all over the world—like in a bathtub. And...

Most people can tell quite early on whether they are attracted to women or men. But what if our desire isn't as determined as we think? Are we all per...

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

We've all experienced it: a name that slips our mind or a new password. Forgetting is annoying and sometimes embarrassing. But how does the brain deci...

Humans lie, deceive, and wage merciless wars. Sometimes it seems as if evil is typically human. On the other hand, humans can also be good, love, and...

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

Glaciers are wonders of nature and tourist attractions, and they are also the largest reservoirs of drinking water on the planet. In fact, 70% of the...

Since the dawn of time, mankind has aspired to one thing only: to go further and further beyond the limits of what he knows. But how far is it possibl...

From a very early age, we are instilled with the idea that lying is wrong. Yet learning to lie is a normal and necessary stage in our psychological de...

Some people dream of being cryogenically frozen. It's a way to defy death, to come back when things are better, or simply to know what the Earth will...

Whether in mobile phones, glass or even in our underwear, sand is everywhere in our lives. Without it, there would be no houses and no roads. Accordin...

Adults laugh 20 times a day, children up to 500 times. But where does humour begin and end? And why does someone find something funny that makes no on...

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

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. So goes the theory. But researche...

We spend large stretches of our waking hours imagining things or just daydreaming. Why are we so often away in the clouds? What are our imaginations f...

Our genes determine many of our characteristics: our build, our height, the colour of our eyes or even our predisposition to music. Could it be possib...

The biggest movement in our lives is one that we don't even notice: The continents of the earth are on the move, albeit in slow motion. For several de...

Every dog ​​owner knows this well: the relationship between humans and dogs is unique. A powerful and unbreakable bond, perhaps even love. No other an...

Corruption has been part of society since the dawn of time, swallowing up colossal sums of money which could be spent on improving everyone’s lives. I...

Vultures can spot a dead antelope from five kilometres away, while seals can dive into deep water, even under the ice. It is also said that many anima...

The richest man in the world - Frenchman Bernard Arnault - is worth more than 200 billion euros. Around the world, the super rich are getting ever ric...

Words shape our thoughts. And it is most often in our mother tongue that we reflect, that we find the words to understand the world. How does our lang...

The idea that our universe isn't as unique as we think is not only captivating the imaginations of authors and filmmakers, but is also increasingly en...

Wars, pandemics, economic crises...: so many episodes during which we look back and wonder if history isn't repeating itself. But what is the reality?...

In a century, the number of humans on Earth has more than quadrupled, rising from nearly 2 billion to over 8 billion. Some believe this is far too man...

The relationship between stress and humans is anything but a love affair. According to the WHO, 85% of us would prefer to do without this "disease of...

Humanity survived the last Ice Age as well as the plague that decimated half of Europe in the 1300s. But do disasters only bring death and suffering,...

We still work in office buildings, buy our groceries at the supermarket and visit museums in the flesh. But soon, these activities could all shift to...

Stories of unrelated people who look exactly alike are common. While having a doppelganger could pose risks like identity theft, it can also be thrill...

Although our planet has already overcome numerous crises, Homo Sapiens have disrupted the natural world nature so much that scientists are now talking...

Periods of climate change in the past have caused mass extinctions. But they have also led to the emergence of new complex life forms. Understanding t...

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

Clouds carry water particles, which they release onto Earth as rain. However, the way they distribute water across the planet unfortunately leaves muc...

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

In theory, it's simple: the North Pole is in the north, and the South Pole is in the south. And a compass needle always points north—or, more precisel...

Many people don't consider their sense of smell particularly important. However, if we had to give up one of our senses, surveys show that the majorit...

It seems that economic growth is a prerequisite for collective prosperity. But what if this is just a myth or a dangerous illusion? In this episode of...

Do houseplants grow faster when we talk to them? Does a cactus get bored in a pot? Do plants have human senses that are comparable to ours and those o...

Like food, drink or sex, feeling valued is one of our most basic needs: we aspire to be loved, sometimes even adored. But why is that, and why doesn't...

From the sandbox to the office, power dynamics shape our lives. Power can change our personalities and make us take reckless risks, give in to impulse...

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

The fantasy of artificial intelligence developing a life of its own and unleashing an army of robots on humanity has dominated pop culture for decades...

Raccoons, tiger mosquitoes, grey squirrels... these invasive species can destroy crops, transmit fatal diseases and cause environmental damage. And th...

Happiness increases our satisfaction, our cognitive capacity and our motivation, but being happy is not so simple. And even if we work hard to make ou...

All terrestrial species are capable of crying, but human beings are unique in being the only species to cry from joy, sadness or anger. The Bible cons...

The sharp decline in ocean circulation since the 1950s is probably related to human activity. Its complete cessation could trigger a new ice age withi...

Imagine a world where men were at home with the children, while women were heads of state and company directors, earning more than their male counterp...

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

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

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

Why do so many world maps place Europe at the centre? Why not Australia? And why is the north always at the top? 42 explores how maps may not be as ne...

Our universe is made up of two worlds: the one we can see, and the microscopic world of quanta made up of the very smallest particles. In this world p...

There have never been more opportunities to meet new sexual partners in our liberated world of dating apps, sex parties and queer liberation. But how...

What is the link between racism and slavery? How do racist theories to justify the transatlantic slave trade still linger in today’s world?

Everywhere is Europe, it seems, housing is becoming more expensive and more of a burden on households. Why is this? And what solutions are there?

Long-running conflicts and wars in our world feed into the pessimistic idea that reconciliation is impossible. But can we make friends with our enemie...

For millions of years, there has been an intimate pact between plants and their pollinators: with relationships so cleverly adapted that it almost see...

If we wanted to completely avoid risk, we would not be able to leave the house in the morning, and even then, we would still be at risk. There is hard...

Nations invent stories about their glorious pasts and links to ancient peoples on the land. But who really were our ancestors? And what can our DNA te...

Why is violence still so prevalent in our society, when the state is supposed to ensure everyone's safety? Is violence simply part of our nature? Or i...

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

Beyond what human beings can see, exists something that makes up 80% of the universe. Scientists are convinced that dark matter assures the cohesion o...

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

All over the world, people are taking to the streets about injustice, freedom, and calling for more rights. But in this age of demonstrations, which p...

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

With the increase in the world population in recent decades, there have never been as many people living, but also dying, as today: Around 160,000 peo...

Every year, astronomical sums of money are spent worldwide on arms, when it would be a thousand times better to invest in eradicating hunger and pover...

Are eggs good for us? Are eggs bad for us? Official health advice sometimes to contradict itself. What food we consume is important for our health, so...

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

The human body is home to some 30 billion microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, algae). The composition of this microbiome has a direct impact on...

While some people spend millions on holidays in space or splash out on extravagant weddings, others live in shanty towns and earn just a few dollars a...

20% of people will experience depression at some point in their lives. But what do we really know about this condition? Why do so many people get depr...

People have always tried to find the perfect code to protect secrets. But even the very best codes only keep our information safe until they are decod...

Climate disasters, global inequalities, the threat of a third world war... Wouldn't it be reassuring if an international government set about solving...

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

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

Without water there would be no life on Earth. But what is so special about it? Research has shown water is much more than the tasteless liquid we dri...

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

It may seem that the idea of Truth is under siege. Donald Trump, for example, was elected despite countless false statements and lies and conspiracy t...

Once you become addicted to a substance you can live a life of abstinence, but you are never considered cured. Will this remain the case in the future...

Curiosity is at the very root of humanity's development, but it is often vilified and mistrusted. Is curiosity a good thing? Or are we humans too curi...

No film has influenced our perception of dinosaurs more than Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. But more than three decades have passed since the class...

Viruses are geniuses of evolution. They can constantly mutate, penetrate cells, mingle with our genome an, worst of all, make us ill. But can we outwi...

How can we define what is normal and what is mad? Although every human being functions differently, madness is associated with behaviour that deviates...

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

In the AI era, highly convincing fake videos and pictures can be produced that can easily deceive. What impact does targeted disinformation have on so...

Was the fall of the Roman Empire due to its decadent morals? Did the people of Easter Island exhaust its natural resources? And is it possible to iden...

Fiery debates online, explosions of anger on the streets, tense conversations with our loved-ones: Arguing can be exhausting and deeply unpleasant, an...

Plant growth is determined by the golden ratio symbolised by the Greek letter Phi, pine cones grow in a logarithmic spiral and flower petals are often...

News and social media can often give us the idea that the world is a terrible place and its only getting worse. But what if, behind the headlines and...

Animals raised for human consumption such as chickens, pigs, goats or cows, are rarely acknowledged as being intelligent beings. But if they are as in...

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

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

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

Music has immense power: it can lift or lower our mood and make us forget the world. But why is music so important to human beings? And how does it mo...

On social media everyone seems to be optimising themselves into healthy, perfect humans. But is our search for perfection making us crazy? And is our...

Our use and overuse of antibiotics means that bacteria – those little masters of evolution – are becoming increasingly capable of defending themselves...

Hibernation in humans – so far, it's pure science fiction. However, some researchers suspect that humans might possess the genetic predisposition for...

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

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

The planets, the galaxies, the universe: Has it always been there – or was there a beginning? The Big Bang, from which all the wonderful phenomena we...

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

For centuries, female sexuality was neglected and considered uninteresting by men. The apogee came in the 19th century, when doctors and pioneering ps...

Everything that goes up must come down. But what about space debris? Will rockets and unused satellites eventually come crashing down to Earth? And is...

In a world full of push notifications, quickfire TikTok videos and constant distraction, deep concentration seems to be lost. But how bad is the situa...

Why do we like to be terrified by scary movies? When watching horror, people experience an intense rollercoaster of emotions and initial studies sugge...

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted to demote Pluto to a "dwarf planet," reducing the official number of planets in the solar system t...

From the deserts of Australia to the steppes of Siberia, no other mammal has colonised more habitats than humans. More than eight billion people affec...

Wasps are much more than just an inconvenience for al fresco diners. As one of the very first social species on our planet, they could help solve an e...

Songs are considered part of humanity's cultural heritage, and all over the world, their social functions are similar: to celebrate, to mourn a loved...

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

The term "gold rush" speaks volumes about our special relationship with the shiny precious metal. For thousands of years, gold has influenced people’s...

The stock market is the temple of rationality, figures, data and models. But what happens when emotions drive prices? When panic takes over from analy...

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

Dominant, strong, a “real man.” Women want him, men want to be like him. This is the image of the “alpha male” portrayed by many masculinity influence...

We know black holes as destroyers: they tear apart stars, devour light and bend space-time. At the same time, they are among the largest sources of en...

Is it possible to ‘reboot’ a human brain like we can for a computer? A dream for some and a nightmare for most people, this episode of 42 looks at the...

From childhood onwards, we compare ourselves to others and try to be better than our neighbour. But where does this competitive streak come from? And...

Why do some brothers and sisters become rivals while others become lifelong allies? How does birth order - being the oldest, youngest, or somewhere in...

With wars, financial crises, and energy crises, global trade seems to be suffering. But is globalisation on the way out? Or can it reinvent itself?

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

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 away from it all, nor why and ho...

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

"There is no Planet B!" This slogan is a constant at all pro-climate demonstrations. But what would become of humanity if, one day, Earth became uninh...

Our feelings are something very intimate, something that belongs only to us—or at least we wish it did. But now, artificial intelligence (AI) can read...

When the subject of trauma arises, most people immediately think of extreme events: war, violence, severe accidents, or natural disasters. And indeed,...

Are UFOs being unfairly dismissed? For a long time, mysterious flying objects were associated mainly with science fiction and speculation. But scienti...

In reality, no state ever repays its debts. And yet, insolvency doesn't necessarily lead to bankruptcy. Public debt isn't just numbers; it also depend...

A hotly debated topic: the impact of social media on young people. While Australia has already banned its use for those under 16, it's clear that like...

We spend more than seven years of our lives working — a significant portion of our time on Earth. But as artificial intelligence increasingly takes ov...

More and more women struggle to conceive or cannot have children at all, while birth rates decline and fertility clinics are booming. Are conditions l...