Ocean acidification a danger to sharks' teeth
1st September - "Harder"
A new study has revealed that the acidification of the world's oceans is causing sharks' teeth to decay.
Energy levels of songs affect memories
28th August - "Easier"
A new study has found that the energy levels of music affect what we remember.
El Salvador cracks down on discipline in schools
25th August - "Harder"
El Salvador is cracking down on discipline in schools.
Africa calls for map to show continent's true size
21st August - "Easier"
The African Union has called for an end to a widely used map that shrinks the African continent.
Data centres putting strain on water supplies
18th August - "Harder"
An environmental organization in the UK has warned that data centres are putting a strain on the country's water supplies.
Nepal makes 97 mountains free to climb
14th August - "Easier"
Nepal is making 97 of its mountains free to climb for the next two years.
Zoo asks for unwanted pets to feed to big cats
11th August - "Harder"
A zoo has asked people to donate unwanted pets to be used as food for its big cats.
'Japanese walking' could help you live longer
7th August - "Easier"
"Japanese walking" (walking quickly and then slowly) could help you live longer.
Jeans video sparks race and genetics debate
4th August - "Harder"
A video from a fashion retailer has created controversy over its use of the words "jeans" and "genes".
AI model appears in top fashion magazine
31st July - "Easier"
An AI model has appeared in a top fashion magazine for the first time.
Matcha in short supply worldwide
28th July - "Harder"
Supplies of the matcha green tea powder are in short supply worldwide.
Airline pays staff bonus for spotting oversized bags
24th July - "Easier"
The Irish airline Ryanair will increase a bonus it pays to staff for spotting bags that are too big.
U.K. to lower voting age from 18 to 16
21st July - "Harder"
The British government has announced a lowering of the voting age to 16.
Library battles beetles to save 100,000 old books
17th July - "Easier"
Tens of thousands of antique books are in danger of being eaten by beetles in a 1,000-year old library.
De-extinction company plans to recreate giant moa bird
14th July - "Harder"
A biotechnology company claims it has plans to bring back the extinct, giant bird - the moa.
People from 74 nations can now enter China visa free
10th July - "Easier"
Citizens of 74 countries now have visa-free access to enter China for up to 30 days.
Scientists say cheese could give us nightmares
7th July - "Harder"
New research suggests that dairy products, cheese in particular, could give people nightmares.
France bans smoking for tobacco-free generation
3rd July - "Easier"
France has banned smoking in public places to create a tobacco-free generation by 2032.
Tourist damages priceless painting because of selfie
26th June - "Easier"
A tourist in Italy damaged a valuable painting after he asked his girlfriend to take a photo of him.
Grow a Garden game breaks record for concurrent users
23rd June - "Harder"
The Grow a Garden game has broken the record for the most users being online at the same time.
Doctors angry over secret filming by patients
19th June - "Easier"
Many doctors in the UK are angry because of people filming them on their smartphones.
Iran and Israel continue to exchange airstrikes
16th June - "Harder"
The conflict between Israel and Iran is escalating as the two nations exchange waves of ballistic missile attacks.
U.N. issues report on global birth rate crisis
12th June - "Easier"
The United Nations has said the world is experiencing a birth rate crisis.
Nintendo launches Switch 2 console worldwide
9th June - "Harder"
Nintendo's much-anticipated Switch 2 console was released worldwide last Thursday.
Disney cuts hundreds of jobs
6th June - "Easier"
The Walt Disney Company is cutting hundreds of jobs.
Greener trees may be sign a volcano will erupt
2nd June - "Harder"
Scientists say they are a step closer to providing more accurate forecasts of when a volcano might erupt.
Sherpa climbs Mount Everest for record 31st time
29th May - "Easier"
A Sherpa from Nepal has broken the record for the most climbs to the top of Mount Everest.
Denmark to have world's highest retirement age
26th May - "Harder"
Denmark just announced it will raise the retirement age for its citizens from 67 to 70.
Sesame Street to stream on Netflix
22nd May - "Easier"
The children's TV show Sesame Street is moving to the streaming service Netflix.
Scientists find why most ginger cats are male
19th May - "Harder"
Geneticists in Japan have discovered why eight out of ten ginger cats are male.
Carlo Ancelotti leaves Real Madrid to coach Brazil
15th May - "Easier"
Carlo Ancelotti has decided to leave Spanish giants Real Madrid to become manager of Brazil.
Pakistan and India agree to ceasefire
12th May - "Harder"
Pakistan and India have announced a ceasefire, amid claims by both sides of violations.
Donald Trump may reopen Alcatraz as a prison
8th May - "Easier"
US President Donald Trump says he wants to reopen the famous prison Alcatraz.
Happiness varies greatly from person to person
5th May - "Harder"
A study on happiness shows that our contentment depends on a wide variety of factors.
Animal puppets walk 20,000 km for climate action
1st May - "Easier"
A 20,000-km walk from central Africa to the Arctic Circle to raise awareness of the climate crisis has started.
Pope Francis laid to rest at Vatican funeral
28th April - "Harder"
Pope Francis has been laid to rest after a solemn ceremony in Rome.
U.K. Army tests anti-drone radio-wave weapon
24th April - "Easier"
The British Army has successfully tested a new weapon to destroy drones.
Scientists find possible alien life in outer space
21st April - "Harder"
Scientists are a step closer to providing an affirmative answer to the question "Are we alone?"
Osaka Expo 2025 opens in Japan
17th April - "Easier"
The Osaka Expo 2025 opened on Sunday in Japan. The organizers hope more than 28 million people will visit the Expo.
Scientists discover new water purification microbes
14th April - "Harder"
Scientists have unearthed a previously unknown species of microbes in the earth beneath us.
Asian markets in 'bloodbath' after trade tariffs
10th April - "Easier"
The value of stock markets in Asia has fallen by their biggest amount in decades.
Tourist arrested for visiting forbidden Indian island
7th April - "Harder"
Indian police have arrested an American tourist for allegedly travelling to a remote island.
Generation Z is facing a 'career apocalypse'
3rd April - "Easier"
It is becoming more and more difficult for Generation Z (or Gen Zers) to find a job.
Babies make memories but cannot remember them
31st March - "Harder"
Research suggests we may not be able to remember being a baby.
Researchers find way to target sound to individuals
27th March - "Harder"
In the near future, we will be able to listen to music in public without headphones.
World's largest digital camera installed in Chile
24th March - "Harder"
The world's largest ever digital camera has become operational in an observatory in Chile.
Woman gets kidney stones following carnivore diet
20th March - "Easier"
A 23-year-old woman ended up in hospital after the carnivore diet gave her kidney stones.
Earth's core may hold ancient pre-Big Bang gas
17th March - "Harder"
Scientists say a rare, primordial form of the gas helium may be trapped inside Earth's core.
Korean Air wins best airline of the year award
13th March - "Easier"
The website AirlineRatings.com has announced that Korean Air is its the airline of the year for 2025.
Scientists find new part of our immune system
10th March - "Harder"
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown part of our immune system.
Global warming will delay next ice age, say scientists
6th March - "Easier"
Researchers say human activity will delay the next ice age.
Bricklayer shortage worsens UK housebuilding crisis
3rd March - "Harder"
A housing crisis in the UK is being exacerbated by a shortage of bricklayers.
See the links below for earlier lessons.
Lessons were produced every day between Nov 2004 and Dec 2005.
Lessons were produced at "easier" and "harder" levels between Apr 2005 and Aug 2006.
Podcasts started in Apr 2005.
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