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Antarctica, a continent isolated by vast oceans and brutal weather, has weathered the impacts of human activities better than most places. It's clearly not immune, of course — it's melting — but the South Pole has been spared most other human-caused degradations. Unfortunately, we can add another to the list. An invasive insect species is spreading across Signy Island in Antarctica, endangering the local ecosystem. It's a species of flightless midge, Eretmoptera murphyi, and a lack of nat

In the mid-'80s, scientists discovered a giant fungus growing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Now, researchers have found the organism is at least 2,500 years old. And the secret to the mushroom’s longevity might be a genome that’s highly resistant to mutation, the team reports today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The discovery could help researchers figure out why cancer genomes are so unstable. Forest Recycler In 1983, Johann Bruhn planted red pines in the forest. Wi

Cosmic rays are energetic particles moving at high speeds. Because it takes significant energy to create them, they often serve as cosmic messengers, revealing clues about the extreme environments that produce them — such as supermassive black holes. On Earth, scientists use accelerators to generate and study particles moving at high speeds, but nature needs no such apparatus. Now, researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have found a possible mechanism

Hellooo, ladies! This male broad-tailed hummingbird was captured on the upswing of a dramatic dive meant to impress a potential mate. Many male birds put on a flashy show to woo females, and the broad-tailed hummingbird is no exception. Princeton University researchers Benedict Hogan and Mary Caswell Stoddard have been studying the courtship routines of this tiny Don Juan, published today in the journal Nature Communications. A male looking to catch a lady hummingbird’s eye will clim

Buying presents can be… stressful. It’s often hard to know what to buy for that film buff friend, or for the brother-in-law who’s really into cooking these days. Fortunately, The Upgrade is here to help—just think of this episode as our gift to you. Here, seven Lifehacker staffers each share three perfect gift ideas,…

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Every week on Lifehacker, we interview a successful person about their career and their work habits, in a column called How I Work. And every week we ask them, “What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?” Here are the best answers our guests gave us in 2018.

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If a trip to Disney is in your plans for 2019, it pays to plan ahead. Disney updated its ticketing system for 2019 so that multi-day park tickets are now on a sliding scale, with your ticket price determined by what day you plan on first visiting the park. If you plan things right, there are a number of ways you can…

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Christmas morning is a busy time, particularly if you have children, but it’s also a time for a special, indulgent breakfast, that can be consumed in a leisurely fashion while opening many gifts and sipping on mimosas. A big plate (or bowl) of biscuits and gravy is exactly that.

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Last week, Virgin Galactic made history when they launched their SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle to space (by one definition) and back with two test pilots on board. This was the first vehicle to launch humans to space from U.S. soil since NASA’s Shuttle program ended in 2011. This was also the first time a commercial craft built to carry paying passengers reached space. But what’s next for the spaceflight company? Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson says he plans to be the first pass

Holiday entertaining is all about wringing maximum impact from minimal effort. It’s pretty hard to beat a towering pile of caramel-drizzled profiteroles for drama alone, but the mighty croquembouche isn’t a low-effort joint—unless you use your microwave.

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