That kind of thing seems far from our lives on our little island. But I hate to break it to you, if by some chance the Yellowstone supervolcano erupted right now, the entire world would face terrifying consequences.

Yes, we would also be dealt a blow if it went off big time over in the US.

The Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field spans parts of Wyoming and Montana and developed through three volcanic cycles that span two-million years.

Before you start panicking at learning this supervolcano eruption is even a thing, its worth knowing the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has not detected any signs of activity that suggest an imminent eruption.

Instead, the most likely explosive event to happen at Yellowstone is a hydrothermal explosion or lava flow, happening every few years.

But it’s always worth knowing the worst-case scenario, you know? If anything, it’s pretty interesting. Primarily of course, parts of the surrounding states of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming closest to it would be affected by pyroclastic flows.

This is a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter, which would instantly kill any human that comes into contact with it.

Now, while the rest of the world won’t be seeing flow from the volcano rushing by, it’s likely we could see the ash from it.

Within a few days of the eruption, a fine dusting of ash could fall across us in Europe.

But more of the US and those closer to Yellowstone would see a heavier falling of it as the BBC previously explained how ‘inhaled ash forms a cement-like mixture in human lungs’.

The biggest danger is said to be within 1,000km of the blast as the ash falls and spreads but the rest of the world would be likely to experience the consequences.

While the worst of it wouldn’t be suffered by us, ash can cause reduced sunlight, kill crops and vegetation and contaminate water supplies.

As it would inject sulphur gas into the upper atmosphere, it’s believed this would cause climatic cooling.

With red skies in Europe in the days after, sunlight would be scattered for a period.

And experts predict global annual average temperatures would drop by 10 degrees, with colder temperatures potentially lasting six to 10 years.

But again, while it would have a global effect, the likelihood of a super-eruption at Yellowstone in the near-future is very low.

Many people try all sorts of weird and wonderful techniques and concoctions to fend off the passing of time, but it seems it could be simpler than that.

While some people try to ‘biohack’ themselves to resist getting older, others try botox and filler, while some swear by a super green smoothie or the latest supplement.

However, it could be as simple as not missing out this bit the xext time you go to the gym.

Dr Sood on TikTok shared a video about the importance of leg strength as we age. In it, an expert is seen saying: “The stronger your thighs are, the stronger your quads are, the longer you live.”

He reacted to the claims, saying: “The secret to long life might be in your thighs, recent studies show that skeletal muscle strength, particularly in your quadriceps, is a strong predictor of overall health and longevity.”

The doctor continued: “In patients with coronary artery disease or CAD, stronger quadriceps are linked to significantly lower risk of all cause and cardiovascular related mortality.

“But it’s not just CAD patients, research shows that greater upper and lower body strength can reduce the risk of death across the general population, regardless of age.”

He added: “So remember, leg day is not just about fitness, strengthening your legs with exercises like squats, lunges and resistance training can actually help you add years to your life.”

The medical expert went on to caption the video: “Correlation doesn’t equal causation, but it makes sense if someone has strong leg muscles it’s more likely than not they are also living an overall healthy lifestyle.

“The point is to make sure this is part of your routine,” he added.

“Although muscle strength in general is great for overall health, your leg strength might be more important than you think. Don’t skip leg day!”

Commenters who hate leg day were found in the comment section, with one joking: “Can’t believe sumo squats are saving me even though I get knee pain from it.”

“Thicc thighs save lives!” added another, while one person was pleased: “So my thunder thighs will make me live longer?”

Not everyone agreed though, with one saying: “You can get around better with stronger legs but my mother-in-law had weak everything and she lived to 100 and was never sick.”

Another agreed: “My great grandma lived to 105 and she never lifted heavy in her life!”

According to the NHS, strength exercises can improve your health and mobility.

History books feature the Djoser Step pyramid in Egypt as the world’s oldest pyramid, dating back to 2,630 BC, but now a new paper claims there’s one which is even older which wasn’t built by humans.

A report published back in October 2023 claims that a layer of the Gunung Padang pyramid in Indonesia is even older.

That’s not the only bombshell moment, either.

Many people have been wondering for hundreds and thousands of years how these works of history were constructed.

The paper claims the older layer of the Gunung Padang pyramid was constructed all the way back in 25,000 BC, with doubts being shared that the pyramid was actually manmade.

Danny Hilman Natawidjaja of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences led the new research, which was shared in a journal called Archaeological Prospection.

In it, the researchers state: “The pyramid’s core consists of meticulously sculpted massive andesite lava.”

They continue to elaborate about the ‘oldest construction’ part of the pyramid, revealing that mother nature might have been responsible instead of mankind.

Academics believe the oldest layer of the pyramid ‘likely originated as a natural lava hill before being sculpted and then architecturally enveloped.’

They said: “This study sheds light on advanced masonry skills dating back to the last glacial period.

“This finding challenges the conventional belief that human civilisation and the development of advanced construction techniques emerged only … with the advent of agriculture approximately 11,000 years ago,” they added.

The academics looked at evidence from other sites as well as the Gunung Padang pyramid, including the Gobekli Tepe in Turkey.

They went on to say that if the pyramids were built by humans, then the builders ‘must have possessed remarkable masonry capabilities.’

Not everyone is convinced though about the wild claims.

Flint Dibble, an archaeologist from the UK has dismissed the report, saying he was ‘surprised it was published as is.’

He told a rival journal, called Nature that there is no evidence to back up their claims.

“Material rolling down a hill is going to, on average, orient itself,” he said.

Elsewhere though, Bill Farley, an archaeologist at Southern Connecticut State University, says ‘the 27,000-year-old soil samples from Gunung Padang, although accurately dated, do not carry hallmarks of human activity, such as charcoal or bone fragments.’

The academics behind the original paper have responded to criticism, insisting: “We are really open to researchers around the world who would like to come to Indonesia and do some research programme on Gunung Padang.”

The co-editor of the journal, which published the initial report, has said that the an investigation has been launched into the paper.

The biological and chemical warfare research unit was funded by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, operating in Harbin, Manchukuo (occupied China) from 1937 to 1945.

General Shiro Ishii, a Japanese microbiologist and army medical officer, was in charge of the biological warfare program, with his team primarily consisting of some of Japan’s best medical practitioners, according to the Warfare History Network.

The unit conducted inhumane experiments on thousands of prisoners, which included vivisections without anaesthesia, frostbite tests, plague and cholera injections, and weapon effectiveness trials.

Reports suggest that between 3,000 and 10,000 people, consisting of men, women and children, died in Unit 731’s experiments.

Backed by the Imperial Japanese Army, the goal of the unit was to develop biological and chemical weapons for the nation.

“None of the people around here had any idea what the real purpose of the facility was,” researcher Han Xiao said (via The Daily Mail).

“It was the secret of all secrets – trains could only pass with their curtains drawn; the Air Force would shoot down any plane that came too close.”

Historian Sheldon H Harris noted in his book ‘Factories of Death’: “If Ishii or one of his co-workers wished to do research on the human brain, then they would order the guards to find them a useful sample.

“A prisoner would be taken from his cell. Guards would hold him while another guard would smash the victim’s head open with an ax. His brain would be extracted and rushed immediately to the laboratory.

“The body would then be whisked off to the pathologist, and then to the crematorium for the usual disposal.”

A former medical assistant at Unit 731 told the New York Times in 1995 what happened when he cut open a live man for the first time.

“The fellow knew that it was over for him, and so he didn’t struggle when they led him into the room and tied him down,” he said.

“But when I picked up the scalpel, that’s when he began screaming. I cut him open from the chest to the stomach, and he screamed terribly, and his face was all twisted in agony. He made this unimaginable sound, he was screaming so horribly. But then finally he stopped.

“This was all in a day’s work for the surgeons, but it really left an impression on me because it was my first time.”

After Japan’s surrender in 1945, the whole operation stopped.

However, the experiments weren’t acknowledged by the Japanese government until 2002 when 180 plaintiffs, primarily from China, sought damages of around £55,000 for the suffering caused, The Guardian reported.

In 2018, 3,607 names of Unit 173 members were disclosed in a list, with Professor Katsuyo Nishiyama telling the Mainichi Shimbun Newspaper: “The list is important evidence that supports testimony by those involved. Its discovery will be a major step toward unveiling concealed facts.”

Kansas City’s Schlitterbahn water park attraction Verrückt – translating to ‘Crazy’ or ‘Insane’ in German – was the scene of the tragedy nine years ago, where young Caleb Schwab lost his life via decapitation.

Designed by Jeff Henry and John Schooley, the towering coaster stood at just under 170 feet in height and sent its riders cascading at a speed of 70 miles per hour.

The Verrückt, which opened to the public in the summer of 2014 and cost $3.6 million (£2.8m) to construct, nabbed the aforementioned world record from Aldeia das Águas Park Resort’s Kilimanjaro slide in Brazil.

On 7 August 2016, Caleb, whose dad Scott Schwab is currently serving as Kansas’ Secretary of State, was joined by two women in his Verrückt raft, but an uneven weight distribution caused their vessel to go airborne and strike a metal pole supporting the safety net.

His fellow passengers survived, although one’s jaw was broken and the other’s face suffered a fracture.

The resulting documentary (titled The Water Slide), which was made by Nathan Truesdell for The Atlantic and released online in 2019, puts the horrendous ordeal under the microscope through news coverage and promotional footage.

“My first thought was that it must have been a freak accident—what a horrible, horrible story,” Nathan told the publication.

“But once I took a closer look, I started to realise how complicated this story really was, and how this could have happened to anyone who went down that slide.”

The filmmaker went on to elaborate: “There wasn’t a lot of science or ride engineering involved in the testing and design.

“They were sending sandbags down and basically hoping that they didn’t fly off of the slide. The netting that ultimately ended up killing the child was added to prevent the rafts from flying off of the slide completely.”

In the immediate aftermath of the child’s decapitation, Henry and Schooley’s creation was officially marked for demolishment pending a criminal investigation.

The mourning Schwabs received £15.8m ($20m) from numerous parties, including Schlitterbahn, while the injured pair of riders made undisclosed court settlements too.

It took two months for Verrückt to be fully dismantled – starting in November 2018 after delays – and the now-closed water park’s reputation was irreparably damaged.

As for Henry and Schooley, a March 2018 grand jury indictment accused them of lacking ‘technical expertise to design a properly functioning water slide’ and failed to adhere to standard engineering procedures.

Despite being arrested on a charge of second-degree murder and 17 further crimes, in February 2019, they were both given the all-clear due to inadmissible evidence.

This was down to state attorneys presenting a Schlitterbahn-favourable episode of Xtreme Waterparks as fact to the jurors, instead of the ‘dramatised version of events created for entertainment purposes’ that it was.

If a needle for whatever reason was in space heading on a crash course for Earth, you’d imagine it wouldn’t do much damage.

It’s a needle, right? But if that needle was traveling at 670,616,629mph then, of course, it’s a different story – which one YouTuber has explained through a terrifying simulation.

But first, to put that speed into comparison, the road with the highest speed limit in the US can be found on the Texas State Highway 130, and it is a toll road aimed for long-distance commuters bypassing Austin, with the limit posted at 85mph.

The speed of light is 7,889,607 times faster than the highest legal limit motorists in America can drive… so, that needle’s coming in fast.

Now, explaining what would happen if Earth was hit by a needle traveling that fast, Australian YouTuber AstroKobi said: “You may have seen this viral video showing exactly what would happen if a needle hit the Earth at the speed of light, and I want to see just how realistic this is, so I did the math.”

The content creator was referencing fellow YouTuber Ridddle’s 10-minute long video titled ‘What If a Needle Hits the Earth at the Speed of Light?’ where he demonstrates what might happen.

“That is the equivalent of three Tsar bombs, the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated.

“It would definitely create an impact crater, significantly smaller than if it were an asteroid, because the needle is just much smaller, but definitely big enough to cause some damage, it would form a huge fireball, probably a bit smaller than this, but still much bigger than even the biggest nukes.”

Before adding: “Now, of course, this is highly theoretical, and nothing could travel at the speed of light, so you don’t have to worry.”

But what actually could happen?

According to Ridddle, the most likely option is a pretty devastating one.

Even a sewing needle measuring just 35mm could cause significant damage if moving at an absurdly high speed, resulting in damage similar to that caused by the so-called ‘Fat Man’ bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945.

The impact would cause total and utter destruction to wherever it lands and the surrounding area. However, that isn’t even the most disastrous possibility.

One other potential outcome is that the needle would not explode on impact, but would instead seep into the Earth’s crust and create a hole that allows plasma to engulf the Earth in insurmountable heat.

As a result, every living thing on our planet would die before the planet itself gets torn apart and eviscerated.

While the third and final potential outcome of a needle hitting the Earth at the speed of light is that, due to its shape and speed, the needle could theoretically fly straight through one side of the Earth and out the other with minimal effects on the world at large.