Contact with aliens could kill us all
And other stories from the stranger side of life

Astronomers have warned that contact with aliens could result in “the end of all life on Earth”. In an op-ed for The Washington Post, physicist Mark Buchanan writes: “Chances are, we should all be grateful that we don’t yet have any evidence of contact with alien civilisations.” He continues that “attempting to communicate with extraterrestrials, if they do exist, could be extremely dangerous for us”. Joe Gertz, another astronomer, adds that alien contact could result in “the reckless endangerment of all mankind”.
Cocaine parcels found in banana delivery
A supermarket chain says employees at one of its Warsaw stores have found parcels of cocaine in a delivery of bananas. Police said the packages contained over 160 kilograms of cocaine worth 30 million zlotys (£5.7m). The grocery firm says the workers “immediately notified the police, who quickly secured the batch of goods and started an investigation that is currently underway”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Prehistoric crocodile discovered
A new species of giant prehistoric crocodile that roamed south-east Queensland’s waterways millions of years ago has been discovered. According to the researchers, the new species, named Gunggamarandu maunala, is “one of the largest crocs to have ever inhabited” the continent”. Researchers wrote: “The results hint at a potential ghost lineage between European and Australian tomistomines going back more than 50 million years.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical