Any moment now, we might experience an explosion that emits the power of 1,000 atomic bombs every second. An explosion so fierce that it would reduce the world’s most powerful country to an ash-covered wasteland – and, if it was feeling particularly gnarly, could lead to the extinction of the entire human race.

This week we take a look at just how royally f***ed we’d be if the world’s largest above-ground supervolcano blew its top. How likely is it? When could it happen? And is there anything we can do?

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For years, women were vanishing from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside…

But the police refused to admit it.

In the first of a two-parter on the grisly crimes of Robert ‘Willie’ Pickton, we uncover the investigation into the missing women, the community whose cries for help went unheard, and the systemic failures that kept the authorities from discovering what was really going on at the pig farm from hell…

This is the disturbing story of Canada’s most notorious serial killer: the so-called ‘Butcher of Vancouver’.

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People who seem to have suddenly burst into flames – leaving just a pile of ash, a foot or skull, and a puddle of strange grease – have left biologists and police stumped for hundreds of years. And as recently as 2010, a medical examiner in the UK was forced to write ‘spontaneous combustion’ on a real death certificate.

But there are some very strong scientific theories, and they are… unpleasant. Join us to find out why we think people go WHOOMP – and the very disturbing ‘human wick effect’.

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The gold-lined, intact tomb of Tutankhamun is without a doubt the most important archaeological discovery in Egypt's history. But what if Tutankhamun, the teenage God King, took something in return?

After the young Pharaoh was found, several people connected to his discovery died in “mysterious circumstances”, including the man who had financed the whole operation. Was this King Tut’s price for gold and riches beyond anyone's wildest dreams? We dig a little deeper…

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Tom Cressman’s brutal murder – beaten with a cricket bat by the ex-royal dresser to Sarah Ferguson, the ex-Dutchess of York – was a truly British tragedy.

Jane Andrews’s act of violence dominated the headlines in the UK, and for good reason. The obsessive social climber had spent a lifetime getting herself into rooms with some of the richest and most influential people in the country. All she had left to do was marry one of them, and she’d be set for life. But just when she was rubbing shoulders with the family of the soon-to-be-disgraced Prince Andrew, it all came tumbling down.

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Reliably living to 100 years old – a once unthinkable goal – is slowly creeping closer to becoming a reality. But there’s a catch: we’re still not entirely sure how it works…

On the one hand, a healthy, stress-free, and activity-rich lifestyle (with a bit of actually-rich thrown in for good measure) does seem to have a legitimate effect on your mortality. However, some people seem to be able to rip ciggies, drink wine, and still live to a ripe old age. So what gives?

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You’re free falling towards the ground at 120mph, and below you all you can see is an expanse of open wilderness. What are you going to do? Had you not listened to this ShortHand, you’d most likely panic and die. Luckily for you though, we’ve decided to give you a comprehensive (without assuming any legal responsibility) guide to what to do if you find yourself in a spot of bother.

From the best way to hit the ground to finding your way back to civilization, this is the ShortHand.

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They say money can’t buy happiness…

And that certainly proved true in 1972, when Tony Baekeland – heir to the Bakelite plastic dynasty – plunged a knife into his mother Barbara’s heart in their London penthouse.

But behind the lurid headlines lay a trail of dysfunctional family secrets, taboo mother-son incest and twisted DIY conversion therapy: all washed down by a toxic cocktail of wealth and excess.

And after being released from Broadmoor Hospital, Tony would strike again...

Was this poor little rich boy mad, bad, or a victim of something much darker?

Inspiring the 2008 film Savage Grace starring Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne, this is the most shocking true story you’ve probably never heard of.

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