By Germain Lussier Published March 21, 2025 | Comments (1) | It's time to finish Cold Harbor on the season finale of Severance. Apple TV+ The season two finale of Severance was more than just an episode of television. It was an epic mini-movie that felt bigger and more impactful than everything weve seen this entire season combined. After episode upon episode of teases and questions, the episode, appropriately called Cold Harbor, finally sat us down and said, Heres what this means, heres what that means, and how do you like it? We got answers to big questions, endings to major stories, and, of course, so many additional mysteries we barely know where to start. But start we must. Full spoilers below. Things start where last weeks episode left off, with innie Mark confused about his whereabouts and staring down his old boss, Harmony Cobel. She jumps right into the Gemma stuff and when she mentions the exports hall, Mark brings up Irvings drawings. This throws HarmonyIrving was drawing the exports hall? How did he know about it?but that quickly gets glossed over for more pressing things. Even so, we imagine that could be an important piece of info later on, especially since Irvings story is at a crossroads. After another brief scene with Helly and Jame back at MDR, where Jame confesses he doesnt love his daughter Helena but sees Kier in her innie (a very startled Helly), things really get cooking. Cobel and Devon explain to innie Mark their plan to hopefully extract Gemma from Lumon. The thought is that if they break her out, it proves Lumon kidnapped her, faked her death, and it would be the end of the company. Which is a great plan for Devon and Cobel but not necessarily Marks innie. He sees that as sacrificing his life for someone he doesnt know but before he can think too much more about it, they tell him someone else wants to chime in. Its outie Mark, who has recorded a message for innie Mark. This is something weve wanted from basically day one, for both versions of Mark to talk to and understand each other. And while things start relatively innocent and even heartfelt, things slowly take a turn. Innie Mark questions how this plan benefits him and the other innies. Outie Mark tells him about reintegration and that they can be one, to which the innie asks for an explanation. Mark doesnt have one. Eventually, outie Mark brings up his innies relationship with Helly, but he mistakenly calls her Helenyand thats the moment Marks innie flips on his outie and begins to defy and challenge him. We realize that while these are two different versions of Mark, its still just Mark. Each one wants what he wants and is unwilling to compromise for it. What a Severance viewer is left to wonder is, is one more right than the other? And which do we side with?The conversation has gone to shit so Cobel steps in and gives us maybe the most direct and clear exposition dump in Severance history. She explains that the numbers he deals with at work each day represent the mind and tempers of Gemma. And, for each file Mark has completed, hes allowed Lumon to create a new innie for her. Once the 25th and final one, Cold Harbor, is done, the project will be complete and theyll have no more need for Mark, Gemma, or the rest of the MDR employees. She says its over for them. Innie Mark isnt sure if he can believe her so he storms out and tells Devon to tell his outie that the next thing he sees better be the severed floor or else hes not going to help. Which is, of course, where things immediately go. But before continuing on with the rest of the episode, I almost want to rise up in front of my Apple TV+ app and give Adam Scott a standing ovation for those scenes. The way you can clearly see differentiations between both his outie and innie, and also how they each go on a full journey from excited, appreciated wonder, to pure venom and confusion, was remarkable. A tour de force if ever there was one.Quite a scene in the cabin Apple TV+ Back at Lumon, its the day all the creeps have been waiting for. Mark S. is going to finish Cold Harbor and, to mark Marks achievement, he and Helly are greeted with a brand new painting outside the elevator (The Exalted Victory of Cold Harbor, its called. Its amazing and I need it) as well as an eerie wax statue of Kier in the middle of MDR. The statue holds a note from Mr. Milchick letting Mark know that Kier wanted to watch the work and that when he finishes, goodly splendors will await. And, as you probably already know, those goodly splendors did not disappoint. The start of the day also held another surprise, the return of Dylan. When last we left him, Dylans innie had quit Lumon but, it turns out, his outie didnt agree to it. We, as well as Mr. Milchick, assume the worst of this but in a truly touching moment, innie Dylan is handed a letter from his outie that doesnt go how anyone expected. The outie basically thanks his innie for being so badass and explains that hes not particularly confident, so his innies existence gives him hope for himself. Outie Dylan writes that if he wants to quit, he can, but that he hopes he doesnt because hes so happy to know hes out there. Seriously, the execution and performances in this scene were both so good, I cried. And that Mr. Milchick was so busy he had to literally sprint out of the room was just the hilarious cherry on top. Mark is ready to start working on Cold Harbor, but hes not sure if he should. Helly tells him about Jame Eagan showing up, and Mark tells her everything he learned from Cobel. Basically, if he finishes the file, theres a good chance theyll cease to exist. Helly knows that her outie would be fine with that so she pushes Mark to take the leap and rescue Gemma. Whether Cobel is lying or not, Helly says at least theres a chance Mark can continue on. Mark says he doesnt want to continue without her and the episode once again hints at what will ultimately be its biggest question. Is it humanly possible for both parts of Mark to share happiness?Work on Cold Harbor begins, with both Dr. Mauer and Mr. Drummond watching on from the testing floor. As he works on it Mark and Helly talk about places they know of, places they dont, and joke about what they think the Equator is. Episode director Ben Stiller shoots all of this in extreme close-ups that give the conversation an added element of emotion and intimacy. Its all a nice distraction because, eventually, Mark lands on the last few numbers. They hold hands, get close, and finish the file. Press the button. Apple TV+ After two long sections filled with tension and emotion, the finale needed a release valve. And a release we got, first from a stirring lights-and-music fueled introduction (akin to the Chicago Bulls in the Michael Jordan days), second from some awkward comedic banter between Mr. Milchick and the animatronic Kier statue (during which both have their feelings hurt and Kier hints Cold Harbor is just the beginning of a larger plan). Finally, we hear Milchick call for the Choreography and Merriment department. Yes, the severed floor at Lumon has an entire department dedicated to dancing and music in the form of a full-on marching band. The reveal, coupled with Mr. Milchick finally getting to do some of the dancing that made him so memorable in season one, is quite possibly the most awkward, absurd, and flat-out hilarious moment in Severance history. A total 180 from everything else weve seen up until here.And yet, its wasting time. Mark knows he is on a ticking clock to get to the testing floor before Gemma is killed. See you at the equator, he and Helly romantically say, before she steals Milchicks walkie-talkie, creating the diversion Mark needs to make a run for it. Helly manages to trap Milchick in the MDR bathroom and is able to keep him there until Dylan appears and shoves the vending machine in front of the door for support. After following the sheet of directions through Lumons maze of hallways that Irving left behind, Mark finally finds the entrance to the exports hall. Hes unaware of whats happening in the secret room adjacent to it, where Mr. Drummond has summoned Lorne from the Mammalians Nurturable department (Gwendoline Christie, making her return), along with a goat. This particular goat, Drummond is assured, has verve and wiles. Its here we finally find out what the goats on Severance are for. Theyre bred to be sacrificed and put into coffins with dead bodies to guide their spirits to Kiers door. This particular goat is being killed for a cherished woman who is never namedbut from everything we know, we can safely assume he means Gemma. Drummond produces a bolt gun and instructs Lorne to kill the goat, but theyre interrupted by a sound outside the door. Its Mark trying to get into the exports hall. A massive fight ensues between Drummond and Mark, though its not really a contest; Marks about to be strangled to death with Lorne emerges and saves him. Drummond then fights Lorne, except this time hes met his match. Mark takes Drummond hostage and Lorne thanks him for saving Emile (the goats name is Emile).Severance isnt known for action for violence so seeing a scene like this, with the stakes as high as they are for all involved, was dramatically brash but perfectly warranted. An unexpected, yet welcome, change of pace. One that took an almost Coen brothers twist when, in the elevator down to the testing floor, Marks outtie reemerges and mistakenly fires the bolt gun into Drummonds throat, killing him as blood shoots everywhere. RIP Mr. Drummond, you piece of crap. RIP asshole Apple TV+ While much of the above was happening, we saw Gemma put on her outfit for the dayshe immediately realizes its her own clothing, from the night she left her home with Mark and never returnedand get led to the one room shed never visited before: Cold Harbor. Inside, the ominous voice of Dr. Mauer tells Gemma to take apart a baby crib, which she does without a word or otherwise reacting in any way. The implication here is that Cold Harbor allows Lumon to make severed individuals without emotion. Without thought. Complete and utter blank slates that will do anything if merely asked. The possibilities of it are staggering and while its certainly not the answer most people may have thought of to What the hell is happening here on Severance? its at least an answer. Mauer and, most importantly, Jame Eagan watch on with frothy delight. That is, of course, until they realize that plan is about to go to shit. Outie Mark arrives on the testing floor and, after a brief encounter with the nurse, is able to enter Cold Harbor using Mr. Drummonds blood. Gemma is still taking apart the crib when he enters and as he calmly asks her to leave, the success of Cold Harbor is what aids him. Gemma ignores the cries of Dr. Mauer and she cautiously, but obediently leaves with Mark. Mauer and Jame scream in horror because they know this is very, very bad. Once Gemma leaves the Cold Harbor room, she snaps back to herself and its the reunion weve been waiting for. Mark and Gemma, the wife he thought to be dead, together once more. But will he be able to break her out? Upstairs, the Choreography and Merriment department has been playing this entire time (which really added to the overall tension anytime things cut back to loud, boisterous band music). Theyre about to leave at Milchicks request when Helly gets up and makes her Emmy-moment speech. She talks about how this floor is going to close and that everyone has already lost friends. She pleads that severed people are only given half a life and Lumon thinks they wont fight for it. The speech works and by the time Milchick exits the bathroom, the entire marching band has turned to stare him down. Fuck you, Mr. Milchick Dylan defiantly says.Youll kill them all, Dr. Mauer ominously screams as Gemma and Mark make it to the elevator. There, as expected, they snap back to their innies, Ms. Casey and Mark S. Mark was prepared for that though and they make a break for it. There isnt much in the way of opposition since it seems everyone from Lumon is either trapped or dead, so they quickly reach the exit stairs. Ms. Casey opens the door and flips back to Gemma, who starts screaming for Mark, the husband shes finally been reunited with, to follow her. Only, its not her Mark. Its innie Mark. And heres when that incredible opening to this episode comes back. Marks choice Apple TV+ Innie Mark has completed his mission for outie Mark. They worked together to get Gemma out. But, we know, he also wants to exist. To be complete. And so, with his outies wife on one side and his innies love, Helly, on the other, Mark makes his choice. He decides to leave Gemma behind and be with Helly. This is their equator.As The Windmills of Your Mind by Noel Harrison plays, the two make a run for it, certainly aware, but not caring, that they cant leave this place. They only exist in this place. And if they stay there, changes cant be made to fix it. But they dont care, theyre in love. And no one knows whats next. The season closes on a freeze frame of the two of them running scared, with their luscious locks billowing in the air. Season two of Severance starts with Mark running to find Gemma and it ends with him and Helly running to stay together because its all they can do. After an edge-of-your-seat 76 minutes of tension, its an ending thats probably not quite as maddening as season ones but is even more tantalizing. Then, you had a clear idea of what had to happen. Here, we have no idea. Marks decision to stay with Helly asks so many impossible questions with even more devastating implications. Then theres the potential fallout from Gemmas escape and it means for the future of Lumon. But, hopefully, we wont have to wait three years for answers to any of it.As we come to the end of the season, I wanted to thank each and every one who sat down and read these each week. Recapping a show this epic is not an easy task and I hope my blood, sweat, and tears helped bring you some enjoyment and or insight. Lets do it again in season three. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Cheryl Eddy Published March 21, 2025 By Germain Lussier Published March 20, 2025 By Cheryl Eddy Published March 19, 2025 By Justin Carter Published March 19, 2025 James Whitbrook and Gordon Jackson Published March 19, 2025 By Cheryl Eddy Published March 18, 2025

House in Valderya / Svingen ArkitektkontorSave this picture!Courtesy of Svingen Arkitektkontor AS/Wu XianHousesValderya, outside lesund, NorwayArchitects: Svingen ArkitektkontorYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2023 ManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Miele, Axor Design, FLOS, IFO Elektrik, Purus Lead Architects: Aleksander Svingen/Wu Xian More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. We were approached by a client about modernizing their inherited 1973 house on Valdery, Norway. While the house lacked historical significance, we advised against demolition, emphasizing the importance of utilizing existing structures for climate goals. Rehabilitation also preserves local history and building practices and is often more economical.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The solution proposed involved an extension and redesigned floor plan to enhance the family's connection to nature and the sea view. Given the exposed west-facing location, we prioritized creating a sense of peace and stability. Three poured concrete elements shield the house, creating a safe and cozy environment. This allowed for large windows, including a main window facing Alnes lighthouse and Gody, without feeling overly exposed.Save this picture!Save this picture!The interior features high-quality, long-lasting materials: aspen paneling, pine windows, and solid oak floors. Combined with the concrete, this creates a timeless, calming aesthetic that complements the client's personal style. The project aimed to add lasting value, ensuring the house's preservation for future generations.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officePublished on March 21, 2025Cite: "House in Valderya / Svingen Arkitektkontor" 21 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1027882/house-in-valderoya-svingen-arkitektkontor&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Winter Stations Unveils Six Winning Installations at Toronto's Woodbine Beach in 2025Save this picture!Ascolto by Ines Dessaint, Tonin Letondu, France. Image Joel Gale ImagingThe Winter Stations annual design competition celebrates its 11th edition in 2025. The competition challenges international artists and designers to reimagine lifeguard stations as captivating, interactive art installations. Designed to harmonize with the environment at Woodbine Beach in Toronto, Canada, these installations encourage immersive engagement with art in a public space, offering a transformative experience. Following its 10th anniversary in 2024, Winter Stations introduced an additional challenge, inviting participants to consider the future of the stations and their evolving relationship with the public and the environment. The theme for the 2025 edition, Dawn, calls on designers to explore how the stations can adapt, grow, and transform in the coming years.This edition features four winning designs selected from hundreds of submissions worldwide, along with two student designs from Toronto Metropolitan University and the University of Waterloo's Department of Architecture. The selected installations were announced on February 17 and will be on display until March 30, 2025. Additional exhibitions are planned, with details to be announced later in the year. The winning designs include a small cast of follies, a solar-aligned structure capturing the equinox, an acoustic shelter, a blinking box designed to enhance the experience of dawn light, an interactive land art installation, and a sculptural installation that amplifies sunlight and air effects.Discover below the six winning designs for the 2025 Winter Stations, along with descriptions provided by their creators. Related Article Discover the Winning Projects of the Upcoming 2025 Edition of Concntrico Festival in Logroo WATCH by Trae Horne, United StatesSave this picture!As the morning sun crests above Lake Ontario's horizon, a new day dawns on a crisp morning, and a wood canvas basks in the light. WATCH reflects on the specific point in time that it and visitors are within. The large, canted faade acts as a leaning respite for watchers of the sunrise and lake. Facing due east, WATCH is a solar-aligned structure anticipating the equinox. Just as ancient civilizations marked the earth in ways to signify the time of the year and an important place, so too does WATCH. Three metal lines embedded in the sand follow the shadows throughout the three days: the day Winter Stations open, the equinox, and the day the Winter Stations close. The a-framed structure captures the equinox in Toronto as the architecture becomes perfectly aligned with the sunrise when light spills in a straight line through the open threshold.Parade by Jesse Beus, United StatesSave this picture!Parade is a celebration of those who live in the warm dawn of self-acceptance. It is comprised of six characters each with their own unique colour, shape, purpose, and identity. Together this eclectic cast of follies proudly march together in an unstoppable procession and invite all to join them! Users join the parade through an archway and move from character to character discovering each's personality and interactivity, including sliding, sitting, and shading. Despite anything that might try to get in their way, these six friends will march on until love has dawned on all hearts.Ascolto by Ines Dessaint, Tonin Letondu, FranceSave this picture!In Ascolto, the sound experience is commemorated. This acoustic shelter welcomes the user in a contemplation space, not only visually but also audibly. Supported adjacent to the lifeguard tower on one side and buried in the sand on the other, the object creates a sound capsule. The simple and minimalist shape is explicit and refers clearly to a sound-amplifier object (horn, wind instruments, gramophone, etc.). Built in wood, the inner space is big enough for 2 or 3 people for a more intimate experience. Visitors to the station bring the project to life by choosing their desired purpose and through this process adapting to it: hearing nature and its surroundings; appreciating the music chosen on their phones; or creating a musical performance. Usable as a horn on one hand, the project can also be utilized as an Ear Trumpet: the two sides are both the sender's side and the receiver's side.Slice of Sun by Cludia Franco, Mariam Daudali, Thomas Byrom, PortugalSave this picture!For a moment, we recall our summer memories. When you live in a city, dawn is mainly brought to you by glimpses of orange light scattered from your neighbour's windows switching from one to the other. One wonders how many dreams can fit into the blinking box of orange curtains. We invite you to enter our slice of sun and feel embraced by dawn light at any time of the day.Peak by Anita Hu, Catherine Zheng, Isaac Walsh, Jason Cai, Nadine Hijazi, Ricardo Espinoza, with faculty supervisor Fiona Lim Tung, University of WaterlooSave this picture!Emerging from the soft and organic beachscape are angular peaks that frame perspectives and form pathways. Consisting of repeating structures of select shapes and sizes, Peak is an interactive installation that visually contrasts the existing site and offers refuge from the cold winter environment. The design of the structure appears to shift and settle with the ground as the sand moves and collects within the alcoves and sloped surfaces from the wind. Peak welcomes contemplation and new beginnings, it offers opportunities for individuals to freely explore and admire the surrounding natural landscape and intends to give agency to the ever-changing and unpredictable conditions of the site.Solair by Arjun Jain (Lead), Jade Wong (Lead), Finn Ferrall, Marko Sikic, Nick Kisil, with faculty supervisor Vincent Hui, Toronto Metropolitan UniversitySave this picture!Solair is a sculptural installation that captures the ephemeral beauty of dawn through the interplay of light, wind, and reflection. Inspired by the delicate transition from night to day, Solair amplifies the forces of nature sunlight and air transforming them into a dynamic, ever-changing visual and sensory experience. Standing as both a literal and metaphorical beacon, Solair is designed to reflect and refract sunlight while channeling the waterfront breeze to cultivate a distinct auditory expression. The installation's dynamic surfaces respond to the movement of wind, creating rippling shadows and flickering patterns of light, echoing the energy of the first rays of morning and lasting glimpse of sunset. As visitors move around and through the installation, they become active participants in this amplified natural performance, immersed in the harmony of air and light.Previous editions of the festival have focused on creating original designs to reactivate seasonally inactive spaces, such as lifeguard stations. These temporary installations serve as a means of revitalizing public spaces, calling for dialogue through art. Similar objectives are pursued this year by other events and festivals in the fields of architecture and design. This month, Desert X unveiled 11 installations in California's Coachella Valley, and this week, the winning projects for the upcoming edition of Festival Concntrico in Logroo were announced. On the occasion of Ramadan and the Ramadan Festival 2025, Zarah Hussain and Fatima Mejbil designed a pavilion in Bradford, while MVRDV created an installation made from recycled plastic for Bangkok Design Week 2025.Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorCite: Antonia Pieiro. "Winter Stations Unveils Six Winning Installations at Toronto's Woodbine Beach in 2025" 21 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1028192/winter-stations-unveils-six-winning-installations-at-torontos-woodbine-beach-in-2025&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Weve all been through it. Telling a friend something they may not want to hear. Maybe a friend is dating someone who treats them poorly, or they did something that upset you. Or maybe its something smaller, like an outfit that just doesnt fit. Should you be honest all the time, or are there times when brutal honesty is mean-spirited? Its not always so easy to tell.Brutal honesty prioritizes truth over the feelings and sensitivity of the person who may be on the receiving end of it, according to Sabrina Romanoff, a clinical psychologist in New York.It means being more rooted in sharing how you genuinely perceive a situation than being a caretaker to the person who may feel hurt by your message, she says. Its honesty without tact, consideration, or discretion as no editing or filters to soften the message are attached to it.Some of us dislike being brutally honest more than others because we just dont know how the friend on the other end will receive the thoughts or advice that were providing. However, there are some benefits in doing so.Brutal Honesty Is Good for FriendshipAccording to Mark Vernon, a psychotherapist, and author of The Meaning of Friendship, when deciding whether or not brutal honesty is beneficial for a friendship, you need to know whether youre being honest with yourself at the same time as youre being honest with your friend.Brutal honesty doesnt work when you dont like something in a friend, but really its your problem rather than their problem, says Vernon.For example, if your friend is dating someone whos married, and youre upset about it because you have some concern about a problem in your own marriage and youre not honest about the fact that your own problem is whats bothering you, then brutal honesty isnt beneficial, says Vernon.But if youre truly concerned with your friends well-being and clear about your own motivation, then brutal honesty can be helpful to your friendship.The hope is that theyll see that youre concerned with them and that you dont have mixed motives, Vernon adds.The Downside of Brutal HonestyThe bottom line, says Vernon, is that brutal honesty helps a friendship when your innermost motivation is concern for the person to whom the honesty is directed. If this isnt the case, you need to take a closer look at why youre being honest in the first place, says Vernon.On the other hand, Romanoff contends that sometimes brutal honesty can be misinterpreted, and the person providing it risks being rejected for their opinions. The person being brutally honest should be prepared to be chastised for their thoughts.Brutally honest people tend to be judged as insensitive, arrogant, and in turn, may be avoided, leading to isolation and loneliness, says Romanoff. Many radically authentic and brutally honest people are misunderstood and are not universally liked.Its the people who are the most skilled at concealing their opinions that tend to be the most well-liked by those around them. When youre skilled at sugarcoating the truth, youre more likely to keep people happy.This way of operating also hurts friendships because without a delicate balance between honesty and tact relationships lack depth and closeness, says Romanoff.If youre brutally honest with a friend and they know youve provided that honesty because you genuinely care about their wellbeing, thats when a friendship can thrive. This is when your friend knows that you were willing to go through what can be an uncomfortable situation because you care about them.Friendships are different than almost any other type of relationship because theres nothing else keeping you together beyond the bond that youve built. In a romantic relationship, you might maintain the relationship because of your shared home or your children and with family because of your shared familial ties. But friendships are entirely chosen, and thats why nurturing them and choosing the right course when it comes to honesty is so important.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Current Opinion in Psychology. When the truth helps and when it hurts: How honesty shapes well-beingSara Novak is a science journalist based in South Carolina. In addition to writing for Discover, her work appears in Scientific American, Popular Science, New Scientist, Sierra Magazine, Astronomy Magazine, and many more. She graduated with a bachelors degree in Journalism from the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia. She's also a candidate for a masters degree in science writing from Johns Hopkins University, (expected graduation 2023).

The sun never sets on the British empire. Variations on the phrase have been used for more than 200 years to describe the scope and power of the nation and its occupied territories. But from a logistical standpoint, Britain gave up the centuries-long imperial distinction last October, when it reached an agreement to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. It was a long time coming for the Chagossians, many of whom have worked for decades to regain control of the island. A joint statement issued between both countries in October vowed the deal helped to address wrongs of the past and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to support the welfare of Chagossians.Technically speaking, however, sunlight continued to shine on at least one portion of British-occupied land for about another six months. The primary holdout? A section of the British Antarctic Territory, including the Pitcairn Islands that experiences perpetual sunlight six months out of the year.But thanks to cosmic geometry, a major chapter in world history has just now come to a close. As first highlighted last year on Reddit, the spring equinox on March 20 marked the suns passage over the celestial equator, kicking off half a year of darkness around the South Pole. And given last years deal with Mauritius, this means Thursday night at 10:50 PM EST (2:50 AM on March 21 in London), the sun finally, literally set on the British empire.The spring equinox on March 20 prededed the British empires literal sunset. Credit: Reddit / TuTiempo.net It didnt stay dark for Britain too long, however. About an hour after dusky conditions on the Pitcairn Islands, light began to peek over the horizon roughly 10,000 miles away in Akrotiri and Dhekelia, two non-contiguous British territories located on the island of Cyprus. Meanwhile, Britain is still maintaining a presence at a military base on the Chagos Archipelagos Diego Garcia island as part of the 2024 agreement.Britain isnt the first or last culture with enough global territory to qualify for the sun never sets moniker. Similar, solar-based expansionist sentiments date as far back as the Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Persian, and Roman empires. The phrase the empire on which the sun never sets was first used in reference to the Spanish empire under the 16th century Hapsburg reign of King Charles I, also known as Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire. Beginning in the 20th century, similar titles were frequently used to describe the United States. If nothing else, empires may rise and fall, but the sun will outlast them allat least for about another 5 billion years.The post The sun has literally set on the British Empire appeared first on Popular Science.

We're always moving.Image: Erlon Silva TRI Digital/Getty Images Our bodies are always moving, even when we dont realize it. We churn through a solar system on a wobbly planet, stand upon shifting tectonic plates, and rise and fall and toss and turn all day and night in a symphony of autonomic and somatic functions. Dizzying though this may seem, life is always in motion, right down to its fundamental building blocks molecules.Molecules can be thought of as atoms that share electrons. They form electronic bonds that can be visualized like springs, and they jiggle around at a rate that corresponds with the heat energy to which theyre exposed. Although molecules are neither alive nor dead, they never cease moving, even when scientists try their damndest to sap them of energy. To unpack why molecules never stop moving, and before we get lost in the fundamental weirdness of quantum mechanics, we must first clarify something a bit more straightforward: What is temperature?In daily life, blustery weather might chill you to the bone, and a cup of tea could warm your lips. When we talk about temperature, we often do so in reference to our own comfort level, body thermoregulation, or climate change. But on a submicroscopic level, temperature measures the average kinetic energy of the molecules or particles in an object or substance. The hotter they get, the more they move; therefore, to stop them, wed just need to take away all their heat energy to achieve absolute zero, or 0 Kelvin right?Only, you can never really completely isolate a molecule from its environment, said Justin Caram, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a call with Popular Science. Whether its knocking into other molecules in the air or atoms or whatever or its absorbing light and reemitting light, its always interacting with its environment. Caram added, You can temporarily cool things down so that they move very, very, very little and thats how we define a very low temperature, right? But by the principles of quantum mechanics, you can never completely eliminate all of the motion in the system.Credit: Science Photo Library / Getty Images But why?Lets start with a classically familiar factor in play here: the observer effect. In this case, simply attempting to measure the temperature of something can affect its temperature, because the molecule can interact with other things, including the measurement apparatus, explained A. F. J. Levi, an engineering, physics, and astronomy professor at the University of Southern California, in an email to Popular Science. But things get a lot weirder in quantum mechanics, where the uncertainty principle enters the picture, per Levi who, by the way, called our broader question about molecular movement deceptively simple.When we talk about how molecules move, this motion can be separated into the center of mass and relative motion between atoms, Levi explained. Because the molecule consists of atoms bound together, at least one lowest-energy bound state is assumed to exist (the idea that a lowest energy ground state exists is a very important assumption justified by experiment).Levi went on: The mathematics of quantum mechanics can be thought of as the linear algebra of non-commuting operators, and this leads directly to the uncertainty principle, which does not allow the lowest-energy bound state of a molecule to simultaneously have zero momentum and a definite, precisely measured position. Physically, it is impossible to precisely measure a molecules position without giving it momentum.Levis response initially made my brain fuzzy, so I got Caram on the phone a second time to discuss the matter some more. Thats when he offered a Chemistry 101-level explanation of Heisenbergs uncertainty principle.The uncertainty principle just says that position and momentum dont okay, theres a mathematical term. They say they dont commute. But what that really means is that you cant measure them simultaneously. A more accurate way to put that, per Caram, has less to do with measurement. Fundamentally, he explained, an object cannot possess both properties at the same time.This is because quantum theory tells us everything is a wave, including particles, when you look closely enough.As I start to go existential about waveparticle duality on the phone, Caram offers some words of comfort: This is just one of those fundamental, really upsetting weirdnesses about quantum mechanics, Caram said. [We] have to describe matter as waves. Like, thats a weird thing; it doesnt have much meaning to you or me just thinking about it, but the mathematics and the observations work out.I ask Caram if he ever thinks about the constant motion going on within our bodies, at molecular and macro levels, and he tells me he tries not to think about it. Its a little unsettling to think of all the things that our bodies are doing. Yeah, I dont know. I dont know how to answer that, other than to say: I like to not think about it that much, because sometimes I do worry, What if itll just stop?Okay! Enough! Beyond the philosophical, molecular motion also connects to the sometimes-buzzy realm of quantum computing.At UCLA, Caram said that one of the research areas we work in is related to developing molecules that move as little as possible. He went on: Obviously, like I said, there are limits to that fundamental limits but the more youve slowed down those molecules and controlled their states, the more you can sort of do quantum algorithms and make the quantum computers work better.While humans cant stop molecules from moving altogether, were getting good at slowing them down a whole lot. In fact, we have achieved colder places on Earth than we have than anywhere in deep space, according to Caram, because deep space is always permeated with something called microwave background radiation, and so it has a temperature. (That temperature is about 2.7 Kelvin.)Compare that to the coldest temperature recorded in a lab to date, which is 38 trillionths of a Kelvin or around -273.15 degrees Celsius. German scientists achieved this feat in 2021 for only a couple of seconds, when they trapped rubidium atoms in a vacuum and mimicked zero gravity at a drop tower at the University of Bremen. As humans go to great lengths to push the limits of cold, the universe itself is cooling. It was born with a given amount of energy in all sorts of forms, kinetic, chemical, nuclear, whatever, said Caram, citing the Big Bang theory and the process by which things exchange heat with their environment, known as thermalization. Indulging me, Caram said his very philosophical view is that in the endless, infinite timescale, you know, as the universe expands well just all sort of slowly move towards some time where things move less and less. Thats the heat death of the universe, explained Caram, who cautioned me not to worry about it because there really are more pressing things to ponder today. Still, the concept that everything has been spreading out since the initial kick of the Big Bang suggests that our lives on Earth are profoundly and uniquely active. (Unless the universe, uh starts contracting somehow.)What were really doing is a sort of an extreme fluctuation, where things happen to be moving a little bit more to give rise to complexity before everything just falls apart, said Caram. But it will never stop moving entirely, because, like I said, you can never really stop moving.This story is part of Popular SciencesAsk Us Anything series, where we answer your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the ordinary to the off-the-wall. Have something youve always wanted to know?Ask us.

ReviewsNeuroscienceHuman memory is flawed. But a new book says thats OKIn Memory Lane, two psychologists lay out the vagaries of how we remember A new book proposes that human memory is like a Lego tower, built from the ground up, broken down, put away and rebuilt each time its called to mind.LeventKonuk/iStock Editorial/Getty Images PlusBy Laura Sanders44 seconds agoMemory LaneCiara Greene and Gillian MurphyPrinceton Univ., $29.95There are countless metaphors for memory. Its a leaky bucket, a steel trap, a file cabinet, words written in sand.But one of the most evocative and neuroscientifically descriptive invokes Lego bricks. A memory is like a Lego tower. Its built from the ground up, then broken down, put away in bins and rebuilt in a slightly different form each time its taken out. This metaphor is beautifully articulated by psychologists Ciara Greene and Gillian Murphy in their new book, Memory Lane.

NewsHealth & MedicineAn mRNA cancer vaccine may offer long-term protectionA small clinical trial suggests the treatment could help keep pancreatic cancer from returning With the help of an mRNA vaccine, the immune system can learn to spot pancreatic cancer cells (shown in a false-color scanning electron micrograph) in the body.Science Photo Library - STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/Getty Images PlusBy Meghan Rosen1 hour agoA new mRNA vaccine could prevent pancreatic cancer from returning potentially for the long haul.In a small clinical trial, some patients who received the vaccine remained cancer-free for more than three years, researchers reported February 19 in Nature.That is pretty remarkable, says Aaron Sasson, who directs the Pancreatic Cancer Center at Stony Brook Medicine in New York and was not involved with the work. Despite facing a notoriously lethal cancer, these patients lived a lot longer than we would have otherwise expected, he says.

Nature, Published online: 21 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08905-3Author Correction: AI models collapse when trained on recursively generated data

Nature, Published online: 21 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08904-4Author Correction: Heritable polygenic editing: the next frontier in genomic medicine?