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Is time something that flows — or just an illusion? Exploring space-time as either a fixed “block universe” or a dynamic fabric reveals deeper mysteries about existence, change, and the very nature of reality.

Few ideas in modern science have changed how we understand reality as deeply as space-time, the intertwined union of space and time at the core of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity.

Space-time is often described as the “fabric of reality.” In some explanations, this fabric takes the form of a fixed, four dimensional “block universe,” a complete map of all events in the past, present, and future.

In other explanations, it is a dynamic field that bends and curves in response to gravity. This leads to a deeper question: what does it mean to say that space-time exists? What kind of thing is it: structure, substance, or metaphor?

The heart of modern physics

These questions are not purely philosophical. They lie at the foundation of how we interpret physics today and influence ideas ranging from our understanding of relativity to speculations about time travel, multiverses, and the origin of the cosmos.

They also shape theories about how space-time itself emerges, including proposals that treat it as a kind of memory for the universe. Yet the very language used to describe space-time is often vague, metaphorical, and inconsistent.

The Austrian-British philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein once remarked that philosophical problems arise when “language goes on holiday.” Physics, in many respects, illustrates this point.

Over the last hundred years, common words like “time,” “exist,” and “timeless” have been given specialized technical meanings without fully addressing the assumptions carried over from everyday use.

This has led to widespread confusion about what these terms actually mean.

The problem with language

In the philosophy of physics, particularly in a view known as eternalism, the word “timeless” is used literally. Eternalism is the idea that time doesn’t flow or pass — that all events across all time are equally real within a four-dimensional structure known as the “block universe.”

According to this view, the entire history of the universe is already laid out, timelessly, in the structure of space-time. In this context, “timeless” means that the universe itself does not endure or unfold in any real sense. There is no becoming. There is no change. There is only a block, and all of eternity exists atemporally within it.

But this leads to a deeper problem. If everything that ever happens throughout eternity is equally real, and all events are already there, what does it actually mean to say that space-time exists?

An elephant in the room

There’s a structural difference between existence and occurrence. One is a mode of being, the other, of happening.

Imagine there’s an elephant standing beside you. You’d likely say: “This elephant exists.” You might describe it as a three-dimensional object, but importantly, it is a “three-dimensional object that exists.”

In contrast, imagine a purely three-dimensional elephant that flashes into the room for an instant: a cross-sectional moment in the life of an existing elephant, appearing and disappearing like a ghost. That elephant doesn’t really exist in the ordinary sense. It happens. It occurs.

An existing elephant endures over time, and space-time catalogues every moment of its existence as a four-dimensional world line — an object’s path through space and time throughout its existence. The imaginary “occurring elephant” is just one spacelike slice of that tube; one three-dimensional moment.

Now apply this distinction to space-time itself. What does it mean for four-dimensional space-time to exist in the sense that the elephant exists? Does space-time endure in the same sense? Does space-time have its own set of “now” moments? Or is space-time — the manifold of all the events that happen throughout eternity — merely something that occurs? Is space-time simply a descriptive framework for relating those events?

Eternalism muddies this distinction. It treats all of eternity — that is, all of space-time — as an existing structure, and takes the passage of time to be an illusion. But that illusion is impossible if all of space-time occurs in a flash.

To recover the illusion that time passes within this framework, four-dimensional space-time must exist in a manner more like the three-dimensional existing elephant — whose existence is described by four-dimensional space-time.

Every event

Let’s take this thought one step further.

If we imagine that every event throughout the universe’s history does “exist” within the block universe, then we might ask: when does the block itself exist? If it doesn’t unfold or change, does it exist timelessly? If so, then we’re layering another dimension of time onto something that was supposed to be timeless in the literal sense.

To make sense of this, we could construct a five-dimensional framework, using three spatial dimensions and two time dimensions. The second time axis would let us say that four-dimensional space-time exists in exactly the same way we commonly think of an elephant in the room as existing within the three dimensions of space that surround us, the events of which we catalogue as four-dimensional space-time.

At this point, we’re stepping outside established physics that describes space-time through four dimensions only. But it reveals a deep problem: we have no coherent way to talk about what it means for space-time to exist without accidentally smuggling time back in through an added dimension that isn’t part of the physics.

It’s like trying to describe a song that exists all at once, without being performed, heard, or unfolding.

From physics to fiction

This confusion shapes how we imagine time in fiction and pop science.

In the 1984 James Cameron film, The Terminator, all events are treated as fixed. Time travel is possible, but the timeline cannot be changed. Everything already exists in a fixed, timeless state.

In the fourth film in the Avengers franchise, Avengers: Endgame (2019), time travel allows characters to alter past events and reshape the timeline, suggesting a block universe that both exists and changes.

That change can only occur if the four-dimensional timeline exists in the same way our three-dimensional world exists.

But regardless of whether such change is possible, both scenarios assume that the past and future are there and ready to be traveled to. However, neither grapples with what kind of existence that implies, or how space-time differs from a map of events.

Understanding reality

When physicists say that space-time “exists,” they are often working within a framework that has quietly blurred the line between existence and occurrence. The result is a metaphysical model that, at best, lacks clarity, and, at worst obscures the very nature of reality.

None of this endangers the mathematical theory of relativity or the empirical science that confirms it. Einstein’s equations still work. But how we interpret those equations matters, especially when it shapes how we talk about reality and how we approach the deeper problems in physics.

These understandings include attempts to reconcile general relativity with quantum theory — a challenge explored both in philosophy and popular science discussions.

Defining space-time is more than a technical debate — it’s about what kind of world we think we’re living in.

Adapted from an article originally published in The Conversation.

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How Physical Stress Pushes Cancer Cells Into Dangerous New States

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September 14, 2025

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Target Cancer Cells — New research shows that the physical pressure of surrounding tissues can trigger hidden epigenetic changes in cancer cells, making them less focused on growth but more invasive and resistant. Credit: Stock

Pressure from surrounding tissues activates invasive programs in cancer cells. This mechanical stress rewires epigenetic regulation.

Cancer cells are notoriously adaptable, capable of shifting their characteristics as they spread throughout the body. Many of these shifts stem from epigenetic changes, which influence how DNA is organized and expressed rather than altering the genetic code itself. Because such changes are reversible and can switch on and off, they are particularly challenging to target in cancer therapies.

Traditionally, epigenetic alterations were believed to result mainly from processes inside the cell, such as the chemical tagging of DNA and its associated histone proteins, including mechanisms like histone methylation or DNA acetylation. However, a new study led by Richard White of Ludwig Oxford and Miranda Hunter of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, published in Nature, reveals that the physical conditions surrounding cancer cells are also powerful triggers of epigenetic change.

Mechanical stress and HMGB2

Working with a zebrafish model of melanoma, White, Hunter, and their collaborators found that tumor cells under tight physical confinement undergo dramatic structural and functional shifts. Instead of multiplying rapidly, these cells switch to a program of “neuronal invasion,” which equips them to migrate and infiltrate surrounding tissue.

Central to this transformation is HMGB2, a protein that bends DNA. The study shows that HMGB2 responds to confinement-induced mechanical stress by binding to chromatin, reshaping how genetic material is packaged. This reorganization exposes genome regions linked to invasive behavior, making them available for expression. As a result, cells with elevated HMGB2 lose some of their proliferative capacity but become more invasive and resistant to therapy.

Remodeling under pressure

The team also found that melanoma cells adapt to this external pressure by remodeling their internal skeleton, forming a cage-like structure around the nucleus. This protective shield involves the LINC complex, a molecular bridge that connects the cell’s skeleton to the nuclear envelope, helping to protect the nucleus from rupture and DNA damage caused by confinement-induced stress.

“Cancer cells can rapidly switch between different states, depending on cues within their environment,” White explained. “Our study has shown that this switch can be triggered by mechanical forces within the tumor microenvironment. This flexibility poses a major challenge for treatment, as therapies targeting rapidly dividing cells may miss those that have transitioned to an invasive, drug-resistant phenotype. By identifying the factors that are involved in this switch, we hope to be able to develop therapies that prevent or even reverse the invasive transformation.”

The findings highlight the role of the tumor microenvironment in shaping cancer cell behavior, showing how physical cues can drive cells to reorganize their cytoskeleton, nucleus, and the architecture of their genomic packaging to shift between states of growth and invasion.

Most notably, however, the study also demonstrates how physical stress can act as a potent—and underappreciated— driver of epigenetic change.

Reference: “Mechanical confinement governs phenotypic plasticity in melanoma” by Miranda V. Hunter, Eshita Joshi, Sydney Bowker, Emily Montal, Yilun Ma, Young Hun Kim, Zhifan Yang, Laura Tuffery, Zhuoning Li, Eric Rosiek, Alexander Browning, Reuben Moncada, Itai Yanai, Helen Byrne, Mara Monetti, Elisa de Stanchina, Pierre-Jacques Hamard, Richard P. Koche and Richard M. White, 27 August 2025, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09445-6

This study was supported by the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, the Cancer Research Society, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Melanoma Research Alliance, The Debra and Leon Black Family Foundation, the Pershing Square Sohn Foundation, The Mark Foundation, The Alan and Sandra Gerry Metastasis Research Initiative at MSKCC, The Harry J. Lloyd Foundation, Consano, the Starr Cancer Consortium and the American Cancer Society.

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Rare Avar-era saber found in Hungary – The History Blog

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September 14, 2025

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Archaeologists have unearthed a rare Avar-era saber near Székesfehérvár, central Hungary. It was discovered in the grave of an adult male and is the first one of its kind found in the region in 46 years.

The grave was discovered as part of the “Cemeteries from Space” program that uses satellite imagery to detect previously unknown graves by scrutinizing crop marks. Areas where the ground was previously churned up, as it is when a grave is dug, grow grain that is brighter green and more dense because the looser soil retains and then drains water more effectively. The roots grow deeper as well. This technology is most effective with graves dug more than a meter (3.2 feet) deep, and Migration Era tombs are particularly recognizable because they were dug more than six feet deep.

Archaeologists led by the Hungarian National Museum and the King Stephen Museum excavated the sites pinpointed in the satellite photography. One site, a privately-owned field on the border of Székesfehérvár, showed indicators of a large cemetery with at least 400 graves, plus a smaller cemetery nearby. Two graves in the large cemetery have now been unearthed. They both date to the Avar period (7th-8th century A.D.).

One of them contained the saber, an extremely rare find in Avar graves exclusive to individuals of the highest rank. When Avar graves contain weapons they are typically spears and bows. Confirming his high social rank are gilded bronze hair ornaments and a pressed bronze belt fitting found in his grave.

The saber was thickly encrusted with corrosion materials. The agricultural work done in the field involved chemical treatments to the crops and soil, which added to the corroded condition and posed an ongoing threat to the artifacts and remains. The team engaged a carpenter to create a custom wood frame to remove the saber and the soil around it so it can be micro-excavated in laboratory conditions, conserved and stabilized. In addition to the fragile corroded saber, there is at least one more significant preserved element in need of consolidation: a piece of leather still attached to the belt buckle.

Modern-day Székesfehérvár was founded in 972 by Prince Geza, father of the future Stephen I, first king of Hungary, but the area was inhabited going back to the Neolithic. There were a Celtic settlement there in the Iron Age, and the nearby city of Gorsium rose to great importance as a military, administrative and commercial center. The Huns invaded the Roman province of Pannonia in the 4th century and Roman rule collapsed. It became part of the Avar Empire in the 6th century.

The discovery of the large cemetery with Avar burials in Székesfehérvár indicates this area and wider Fejér County had a significant Avar population 1,400 years ago.

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Famous Deaths on September 14

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September 14, 2025

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1605 Jan Tarnowski, Archbishop of Kraków (b. 1550)
1637 Pierre Vernier, French mathematician and inventor of the vernier caliper used for taking accurate measurements, dies at 57
1638 John Harvard, English clergyman and benefactor of Harvard College, dies at 30
1645 Heinrich Steuccius, German composer, dies at 65
1646 Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, English Parliamentarian and Chief Commander of the Parliamentarian army during the English Civil War, dies of a stroke at 55
1693 Aert Jansse van Nes, Dutch naval commander, dies at 67
1712 Giovanni Domenico Cassini, Italian French mathmetician and astronomer (discovered four moons of Saturn), dies at 87
1715 Dom Pérignon, French-Benedictine monk who helped improve the quality of champagne, dies at 76 or 77
1743 Johann Michael Müller, German organist and composer, dies at 59
1743 Nicolas Lancret, French Rococo painter, dies at 53
1749 Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham, English soldier and politician, dies at 73
1759 Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, French military commander who led French forces in North America during the Seven Years’ War, dies fighting Battle of the Plains of Abraham at 47 [1]
1763 Johann Philipp Sack, German composer, dies at 40
1782 Nicholas Cooke, American mariner, slave trader, and politician (1st Governor of Rhode Island, 1776-78), dies at 65
1788 John Penn, American attorney (signed US Declaration of Independence), dies at 47
1788 Theodore-Jean Tarade, French composer, dies at 56

1807 George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, British soldier and field marshal who served at Culloden, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, dies at 83
1819 Erik Acharius, Swedish botanist (lichens), dies at 61

3rd US Vice President (D-R: 1801-05) who killed Alexander Hamilton in a pistol duel, dies at 80

1836 Vincenzo Lavigna, Italian composer, dies at 60
1844 Oliver Holden, American composer, dies at 78

1st major American novelist (The Last of the Mohicans), dies of dropsy at 61

1852 Augustus Pugin, English architect known for his Gothic Revival style (interior of the Palace of Westminster), dies at 40
1860 Miloš Obrenović, Serbian Prince and revolutionary leader of the Second Serbian Uprising, dies at 80
1861 Fortunato Santini, Italian priest and composer, dies at 83
1862 Jesse Lee Reno, Union general-major (Reno Nevada), dies at 39
1862 Samuel Garland Jr, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies in battle at 31
1876 Robert B. Rhett, American Confederate politician, a “Fire-Eater” who pushed for sucession, dies at 75 [1]
1879 Bernhard von Cotta, German geologist, dies at 70
1886 Hubert Reis, German composer, dies at 84
1887 Friedrich Theodor Vischer, German philosopher and writer (Auch einer), dies at 80
1895 Alfred Verwee, Flemish painter, dies at 57
1898 Paulus Adrianus Daum, Dutch writer, founder and editor (Batavian Newspaper), dies at 48
1898 William Seward Burroughs, American inventor of the first workable adding machine and the electric alarm clock, dies at 43
1899 Henry Bliss, American real estate agent, dies when struck by a taxicab in NYC at 69

25th US President (Republican: 1897-1901), dies in Buffalo at 58, after being shot 8 days earlier by anarchist Leon Czolgosz

1902 Reinhold Finsterbusch, German singer, organist, composer, and choral director (Jesu Tod und Begräbnis), dies at 76

Italian-French explorer of the Congo (Brazzaville named after him), dies at 53

1909 Charles Follen McKim, American Beaux-Arts architect (Boston Public Library, Morgan Library), dies at 62 [1]
1916 Josiah Royce, American philosopher (Conception of Immortality), dies at 60
1916 Pierre Duhem, French naturalist, philosopher and historian, dies at 55
1926 Johan Louis Emil Dreyer, Danish-British astronomer (New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars), dies at 74
1927 Hugo Ball, German playwright and social critic (co-founder Flametti, Dada), dies of cancer at 41

American free form/interpretative dancer, dies at 50 due to her scarf becoming entangled in her car’s wheel

1932 Jean Cras, French pianist, career naval officer, and composer (Polyphème; Harp Quintet), dies of cancer at 53
1936 Irving Thalberg, American film producer (MGM), dies of pneumonia at 37
1936 Ossip Gabrilovich Russian-American pianist, conductor (Detroit Symphony, 1918-36), and composer, dies of stomach cancer at 58

Czech philosopher and 1st President of Czechoslovakia (1918-35), dies at 87

1940 Emile Argand, Swiss geologist (Dekbladen Theory), dies at 61
1942 Ezra Seymour Gosney, American philanthropist and eugenicist, dies at 86
1951 Fritz Busch, German conductor, dies at 61
1952 Alexander Xaver Gwerder, Swiss writer, commits suicide at 29
1955 Franz Carl Weiskopf, German Czech writer, dies at 55
1959 Wayne Morris, American actor and decorated WWII pilot (Paths of Glory, The Bushwackers), dies from a heart attack at 45
1960 M. Karagatsis, Greek author (b. 1908)
1962 Marcel Delannoy, French composer, dies at 64
1964 Mary Howe, American composer and pianist (Sand), dies at 82
1965 J. W. Hearne, English cricket all-rounder (24 Tests, 30 wickets, 1 x 100; Middlesex), dies at 74
1965 Lydia Mei, Estonian artist who specialized in watercolors and still lifes, dies at 69
1966 Gertrude Berg, American actress (Molly Goldberg-Goldbergs), dies at 66
1966 Hiram Wesley Evans, American member of the Ku Klux Klan, dies at 84
1966 Nikolai Cherkasov, Russian actor (Ivan the Terrible), dies at 63
1967 Mohammed Abdul Hakim Amer, Egyptian vice-PM, commits suicide at 47
1969 James Anderson, American actor (To Kill a Mockingbird), dies of a heart attack at 48
1970 Rudolph Carnap, German philosopher and mathematician, dies at 79
1971 Bill Copson, cricketer (England pace bowler before & after WW2), dies
1974 Pieter Jakob Albert Adriani, Dutch tax law expert and first director of the International Tax Documentation Bureau, dies at 95 [1]
1974 Vera Vague [Barbara Jo Allen], American actress (Sleeping Beauty, Follow the Leader), dies at 66
1974 Warren Hull, American actor (Strike it Rich, Who in the World), dies from heart failure at 71
1975 Walter Herbert [Seligmann], German-American conductor, impresario (Houston Grand Opera, 1955- 72; San Diego Opera, 1965-77), and world champion bridge player, dies at 77
1979 Raymond Loucheur, French composer, dies at 80
1981 (Walter) “Furry” Lewis, American country blues guitarist and songwriter, dies of a heart attack at 88 (or 82) [year of birth disputed]
1981 Yasuji Kiyose, Japanese composer, dies at 81
1982 Bechir Gemayel, President-elect of Lebanon (8/23-9/14, 1982), assassinated by a bomb at 34
1982 Christian Ferras, French violinist and conductor, dies at 49

American actress (Rear Window) and Princess of Monaco, dies in a car crash at 52

1982 John Gardner, American writer (Life & Times of Chaucer High), dies in a motorcycle accident at 49
1982 Pablo Garrido, Chilean composer and ethnomusicologist, dies at 77

American actress (Sunrise), dies from a traffic accident at 77

1988 Louis Quinn, actor (Unholy Rollers), dies at 73 of cancer
1988 Melle Weersma, Dutch jazz arranger and composer (“Penny Serenade”), dies at 80
1989 Eddie McLeod, New Zealand cricketer (one Test for NZ), dies at 88
1989 [Dámaso] Pérez Prado, Cuban bandleader and musician, dies of a stroke at 71
1990 Wime de Craene, Flemish singer and composer, dies at 40
1991 Julie Bovasso, American actress (Willie & Phil, Just Me & You), dies of cancer at 61
1991 Russell Lynes, American art historian, photographer, author and managing editor of Harper’s Magazine, dies at 80
1992 David Jones, actor, commits suicide (had terminal cancer) at 76
1992 Paul Joseph James Martin, Canadian politician, often called the ‘Father of Medicare’ as Minister of National Health and Welfare, dies at 89
1992 S A Banerjee, cricketer (1 Test for India 1948, no runs, 5 wkts), dies
1992 Theodore S. Weiss, American politician (Rep-D-NY, 1977-92), dies at 64
1993 Peter Tranchell, British composer (The Mayor of Casterbridge; The Mating Season), and educator (Cambridge University, 1950-89), dies at 71
1994 David van Cup, sculptor/painter, dies at 57
1995 Eiji Okada, Japanese actor (Hiroshima mon amour, The Ugly American), dies of heart failure at 75
1995 Maurice K. Goddard, American state government official (b. 1912)
1996 Clive Beadon, British RAF Wing Commander and pilot (WWII), dies at 77
1996 Joe Elsby Martin, boxing coach, dies at 80
1996 Juliet Prowse, English-South African stage and screen actress and dancer (Mona McCluskey), dies of pancreatic cancer. at 59
1998 (Laten) Johnny Adams, American blues, jazz and gospel singer (Reconsider Me), dies of prostate cancer at 66
1999 André Kostolany, Hungarian stock market expert and speculator, dies at 93 [1] [2]
1999 Attila Bozay, Hungarian composer, dies at 60
1999 Charles Crichton, English film director (A Fish Called Wanda), dies at 89
1999 Hans Melchior Brugk, German composer, dies at 89
2000 Beah Richards, American actress, poet, playwright and author (Roots, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner), dies at 80
2000 Frederick Erroll, 1st Baron Erroll of Hale, British Conservative politician, dies at 86
2000 Jerzy Giedroyc, Polish writer and political activist, dies at 94
2001 Barbara Mary Ansell, UK founder of paediatric rheumatology, dies at 78
2001 Stelios Kazantzidis, Greek singer, dies at 70
2002 Jim Barnes, American basketball center (Olympic gold 1964; #1 NBA draft pick 1964; NBA C’ship 1969 Boston Celtics), dies of a stroke at 61
2002 LaWanda Page [Alberta Peal], American actress (Sanford & Son – “Aunt Esther”), dies of complications from diabetes at 81
2002 Roberto Cavanagh, Argentine polo player (Olympic gold 1936), dies at 87
2003 John Serry, Sr., American classical, jazz, and bolero accordionist, arranger, composer, organist, and educator, dies at 88
2003 Yetunde Price, half-sister of Venus and Serena Williams (b. 1972)
2004 Mamoru Takuma, Japanese mass murderer (Ikeda school massacre) and rapist, executed at 40
2005 Mike Elliott, American jazz and session guitarist, and audio engineer, dies at 65
2005 Robert Wise, American Academy Award-winning film director (The Day the Earth Stood Still; West Side Story; The Sound Of Music), dies of heat failure at 91
2005 Vladimir Volkoff, French writer (b. 1932)
2005 William Berenberg, American physician (b. 1915)
2006 Esme Melville, Australian actress (b. 1918)
2006 Miklós “Mickey” Hargitay, Hungarian-American actor, bodybuilder and the 1955 Mr. Universe, dies from multiple myeloma at 80
2007 Jacques Martin, French TV host (Le Petit Rapporteur), dies at 74
2008 Domagoj Kapeć, Croatian hockeyplayer (b. 1989)
2008 Ştefan Iordache, Romanian actor (b. 1941)
2009 Darren Sutherland, Irish boxer (b. 1982)
2009 Henry Gibson, American actor and comedian (Nashville, Laugh-In’s poet), dies at 73
2009 Jody Powell, American press secretary to Jimmy Carter, dies of a heart attack at 65
2009 Keith Floyd, English celebrity cook and restaurateur (Floyd on Fish), dies of a heart attack at 65

2011 Rudolf Mössbauer, German physicist (1961 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovery of ‘recoilless nuclear resonance fluorescence’), dies at 82
2012 Louis Simpson, Jamaican-American poet (Good News of Death), dies from Alzheimer’s disease at 89
2013 Rock Casares, American football player, dies at 82
2013 Stefan Wewerka, German architect and sculptor, dies at 84
2015 Fred DeLuca, American co-founder of the Subway chain, dies of cancer at 65
2017 Basi, world’s oldest giant panda in captivity, dies in Fuzhou, China, at 37
2019 John Ralston, American College Football Hall of Fame linebacker, coach and executive (Cal, Stanford, Denver Broncos), dies at 92
2020 André Guesdon, French soccer defender (Monaco, Nice) and manager (Viry-Châtillon, Angers, Brest), dies at 71
2021 Norm MacDonald, Canadian stand-up comedian, writer, and actor (Saturday Night Live, 1993-98; Dirty Work; The Norm Show), dies of cancer at 61
2021 Yuriy Sedykh, Russian athlete (Olympic gold hammer throw 1976, 80 Soviet Union; WR 86.74m), dies at 66
2022 Bill Pearl, American bodybuilder (5 x Mr. Universe), dies from Parkinson’s disease at 91
2022 Géza Csapó, Hungarian sprint canoeist (6 x World C’ship gold; Olympic silver K-1 1000m 1976, bronze 1972), dies at 71
2022 Henry Silva, American character actor (Ocean’s 11; The Manchurian Candidate; Sharky’s Machine), dies at 95
2022 Irene Papas (neé Lelekou), Greek actress (Zorba the Greek; Attila The Hun; The Guns of Navarone), dies at 96
2023 Bjarni Felixson, Icelandic soccer defender (6 caps; Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur) and broadcaster (RÚV), dies at 86
2023 Michael McGrath, American Tony Award-winning stage actor and singer (Spamalot; Nice Work If You Can Get It), dies at 65
2023 Roy Roper, New Zealand rugby union three-quarter (5 Tests; Taranaki RU), dies at 100
2024 Otis Davis, American athlete (Olympic gold 400m WR 44.9, 4x400m relay WR 3:02.2 1960), dies at 92

September 14 Highlights

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Famous Birthdays on September 14

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September 14, 2025

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1747 José Joaquim dos Santos, Portuguese organist and composer, born in Obidos, Portugal (d. 1801)
1748 Johann Paul Schulthesius, German composer, born in Neustadt bei Coburg, Duchy of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1816)
1760 Luigi Cherubini, Italian musical prodigy, composer (Médée; Requiem in D minor), and educator (Conservatoire de Paris, 1822-42), baptized in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (d. 1842) [birth was likely on the 8th]
1761 Pavel Lambert Mašek, Czech organist amd composer, born in Zvíkovec, Kingdom of Bohemia (d. 1826)
1768 Georg Johann Schinn, German violist and composer, born in Sinzig, Electorate of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1833)

1771 Nikolay Raevsky, Russian general and statesman, born in St. Petersburg, Russia (d. 1829)
1774 Lord William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, British soldier and statesman (Governor-General of India, 1828-1835), born in Buckinghamshire, England (d. 1839)
1792 Gino Capponi, Italian marquis, literary and Premier of Toscane, born in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (now Italy) (d. 1876)
1804 John Gould, British ornithologist and bird artist, born in Lyme Regis, Dorset (d. 1881)
1804 Louis Désiré Maigret, French Catholic prelate, born in Saint-Pierre-de-Maillé, France (d. 1882)
1817 Theodor Storm, German judge and author (Immensee, Der Schimmelreiter), born in Husum, Germany (d. 1888)
1819 Henry Jackson Hunt, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1889)
1835 Joseph Hayes, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in York County, Maine (d. 1912)
1836 Abraham Pieter Cornelis van Karnebeek, Dutch Foreign Minister (Liberal, 1918-27), born in Amsterdam (d. 1925)
1837 Nikolai Bugaev, Russian mathematician, born in Georgia, Russian Empire (d. 1903)
1838 John Pelham, U.S. Confederate artillery major, born in Alexandria, Alabama (d. 1863)
1840 George Elbridge Whiting, American composer, born in Holliston, Massachusetts (d. 1923)
1847 William Edward Ayrton, English Physicist and Inventor, born in London, England (d. 1908)
1860 Hamlin Garland, American writer (Middle Border), born in West Salem, Wisconsin (d. 1940)
1864 Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, British lawyer and politician who helps form League of Nations (Nobel 1937), born in Cavendish Square, London (d. 1958)
1867 Charles Dana Gibson, American illustrator (Gibson Girl), born in Roxbury, Massachusetts (d. 1944)
1869 Kid Nichols, American Baseball HOF pitcher (3 × NL wins leader; All-Time Saves Leader 1899–1906; Boston Beaneaters, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies) and manager (St. Louis Cardinals 1904–05), born in Madison, Wisconsin (d. 1953)

American nurse, birth control proponent and feminist, born in Corning, New York

1880 Archie Hahn, American athlete (Olympic gold 60m, 100m, 200m 1904), born in Dodgeville, Wisconsin (d. 1955)
1880 Benjamin (Fedchenkov), Bishop of the Russian Church and Orthodox missionary, born in Russian Empire (d. 1961)
1880 Paul Fechter, German writer (Der Zauberer Gottes), born in Elbing, West Prussia (d. 1958)
1882 Harald Fryklöf, Swedish composer, born in Uppsala, Sweden (d. 1919)
1883 Martin Dibelius, German theologist (Die Lade Jahwes), born in Dresden, German Empire (d. 1947)
1884 Dave Smith, Australian cricket batsman (2 Tests, HS 24no; Victoria), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 1963)
1885 María Grever, Mexican-American composer (“What A Difference A Day Makes” / “Cuando vuelva a tu lado”), born in Guanajuato, Mexico (d. 1951)
1885 Vittorio Gui, Italian conductor and composer (Batture d’aspetto), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1975)
1886 Jan Masaryk, Czech statesman and Minister to London (1918-35), born in Prague, Austria-Hungary (d. 1948)
1887 Karl Taylor Compton, American physicist and 9th President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, born in Wooster, Ohio (d. 1954)
1887 Stanley Ketchel [The Michigan Assassin], Polish-American heavyweight boxing champion (1908-10), born in Grand Rapids, Michigan (d. 1910)
1891 Ivan Vinogradov, Russian mathematician (analytic number theory), born in Velikoluksky District, Russian Empire (d. 1983)
1898 Ernest Nash, German-American photographer and archaeologist, born in Nowawes, Germany (d. 1974)
1900 Andrey Vlasov, Russian-Soviet army general and Nazi collaborator, born in in Lomakino, Nizhny Novgorod Governorate, Russian Empire (d. 1946)
1900 Sidney Marion, American actor (Outlaws is Coming, Quicksand), born in Massachusetts (d. 1965)
1902 Giorgos Papasideris, Greek country singer, composer and lyricist, born in Salamis Island, Greece (d. 1977)
1904 Anton Zischka, Austrian writer (Lebendiges Europa), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1997)
1904 Gaston Vandermeulen, Flemish actor (Heilig Experiment, The Arrival of Joachim Stiller), born in Mechelen, Belgium (d. 1984)
1904 Karel Šrom, Czech composer, musicologist, critic, and broadcaster, born in Pilsen, Kingdom of Bohemia (d. 1981)
1904 Kunihiko Hashimoto, Japanese composer, violinist, conductor, and musical educator, born in the Hongo district of Tokyo, Japan (d. 1949)
1904 Richard Mohaupt, German composer (Bucolica), born in Wrocław, Poland (d. 1957)
1905 Herby Wade, South African cricket batsman and captain (10 Tests, 327 runs; Natal), born in Durban, South Africa (d. 1980)
1907 A. Cecil Snyder, American lawyer and Chief Justice of Puerto Rico, born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1959)
1907 Cecil Brown, American CBS war correspondent who worked closely with Edward R. Murrow during World War II, born in New Brighton, Pennsylvania (d. 1987)
1908 Bernie Green, American orchestra leader (Arthur Godfrey Show, Garry Moore Show), born in New York City (d. 1975)
1909 Peter Scott, British naturalist and explorer, born in London (d. 1989)
1910 Gaston Defferre, French Socialist politician, born in Marsillargues, France (d. 1986)
1910 Jack Hawkins, British actor (Lawrence of Arabia, Ben-Hur Just Men, Zulu, Malta Story), born in London, England (d. 1973)
1910 Lehman Engel, American conductor and composer (A Streetcar Named Desire), born in Jackson, Mississippi (d. 1982)
1910 Yi Sang, Korean author and poet (Dying Words, Wings, Child’s Bone), born in Jongro, Seoul (d. 1937)
1910 Yiannis Latsis, Greek shipping tycoon, born in Katakolo, Greece (d. 2003)

President of Guatemala (1951-54); overthrown by CIA, born in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

1914 Clayton Moore, American actor (The Lone Ranger), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1999)
1914 Lída Baarová [Ludmila Babková], Czech actress (Die Fledermaus, Virginity), born in Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (d. 2000)
1914 Mae Boren Axton, American songwriter known as the ‘Queen Mother of Nashville’ (“Heartbreak Hotel”), born in Bardwell, Texas (d. 1997)
1914 Michał Spisak, Polish composer (Hymne Olympique), born in Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland (d. 1965)
1914 Pietro Germi, Italian actor, writer and director (Divorce Italian Style, The Facts of Murder), born in Genoa, Italy (d. 1974)
1914 Robert McCloskey, American children’s book writer and illustrator (Make Way For Ducklings), born in Hamilton, Ohio (d. 2003)
1914 Robert S. Dietz, American geophysicist who proposed a theory of seafloor spreading in 1961, born in Westfield, New Jersey (d. 1995)
1915 Douglas Kennedy, American actor (Dark Passage, The Lone Ranger & the Lost City of Gold), born in New York City (d. 1973)
1916 Eric Bentley, British-American critic and writer (In Search of Theater), born in Bolton, Lancashire, England (d. 2020)
1916 Jerry Doggett, American sportscaster (Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, 1956-87), born in Moberly, Missouri (d. 1997)
1918 Cachao [Israel López], Cuban double-bassist, and composer (co-inventor of ‘mambo’ with his brother, Orestes López), born in Havana, Cuba (d. 2008)
1918 Georges Berger, Belgian racing driver, born in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Brussels, Belgium (d. 1967)
1918 Jack Somack, American actor (Ball Four, The Frisco Kid, Stockard Channing Show), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1983)
1919 Deryck Cooke, British composer and musicologist, born in Leicester, England (d. 1976)
1919 Kay Medford [Margaret Kathleen Regan], American actress (Dean Martin Show; To Rome With Love), born in New York City (d. 1980)
1920 Alberto Calderón, Argentine mathematician, born in Mendoza, Argentina (d. 1998)
1920 Bud Palmer, American basketball player (NY Knicks) and sportscaster, born in Hollywood, California (d. 2013)
1920 Lawrence Klein, American economist who created computer models to forecast economic trends (1980 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences), born in Omaha, Nebraska (d. 2013)
1920 Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan journalist, novelist and poet, born in Paso de los Toros, Uruguay (d. 2009)
1921 Hughes Rudd, American news anchor (CBS Morning News), born in Waco, Texas (d. 1992)
1922 Michel Auclair [Vladimir Vujović], German actor (Funny Face; The Day of the Jackal), born in Koblenz, Weimar Republic (d. 1988)
1924 Davidson Nicol, Sierra Leonean diplomat and author, born in Freetown, Sierra Leone (d. 1994)
1924 Jerry Coleman, American MLB 2nd baseman, born in San Jose, California (d. 2014)
1924 Jitka Snížková, Czech composer, music educator and musicologist, born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (d. 1989)
1924 John Michael Grimes, British set designer (Philby, Burgess and MacLean), born in the UK (d. 1994)
1925 (Mauritus) “Mauk” de Braauw, Dutch politician (Chairman of DS’70, 1973-75; Minister of Higher Education and Science Policy, 1971-72), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1984)
1925 Ruth Mompati, South African politician and Secretary of Nelson Mandela, born in Vryburg, North-West Province, South Africa (d. 2015)
1926 Michel Butor, French novelist and essayist, born in Mons-en-Baroeul (d. 2016)
1926 Richard Elsasser, American composer and organist, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1972)
1927 Martin Caidin, American aviation writer, born in New York City (d. 1997)
1928 Albert Shanker, American labor leader (Amer Fed of Teachers), born in New York City (d. 1997)
1928 Sir Angus Ogilvy, British businessman and husband of Princess Alexandra of Kent, born in London, England (d. 2004)

1929 Larry Collins, American writer, born in West Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2005)
1929 Maurice Vachon, Canadian professional wrestler, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2013)
1929 Mel Hancock, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri), born in Cape Fair, Missouri (d. 2011)
1930 Allan Bloom, American philosopher and author (Closing of the American Mind), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1992)
1932 Harry Sinden, Canadian NHL player and coach (Team Canada), born in Weston, Ontario, Canada
1932 John Tembo, Malawian politician (President of the Malawi Congress Party), born in Dedza District, Malawi (d. 2023)
1932 Joshua Culbreath, American 400m hurdler (Olympic bronze, 1956; US Champion, 1953-55), collegiate coach and athletic director, born in Norristown, Pennsylvania (d. 2021)
1933 Harve Presnell, American actor (Unsinkable Molly Brown), born in Modesto, California (d. 2009)
1933 Zoe Caldwell, Australian Tony Award-winning stage and screen actress (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Purple Rose of Cairo; Master Class), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2020)
1934 Dicky Maegle [born Moegle], American College Football HOF halfback (Rice Uni; Pro Bowl 1955, SF 49ers) and broadcaster (color announcer Houston Oilers), born in Taylor, Texas (d. 2021) [1]
1934 Hans Faverey, Dutch poet, born in Paramaribo, Suriname (d. 1990)
1934 Kate Millett, American feminist and author (Sexual Politics), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota (d. 2017)
1934 Sarah Kofman, French philosopher, born in Paris (d. 1994)
1935 Fujio Akatsuka, Japanese cartoonist, born in Luanping, Rehe, Manchuria (d. 2008)
1935 Pompeiu Hărăşteanu, Romanian basso profondo singer (Opera Bonn, 1968-72; Romanian National Opera, 1972-2012), born in Gheorgheni, Romania (d. 2016)
1936 Ferid Murad, American physician and pharmacologist (Nobel Prize for Medicine – 1998), born in Whiting, Indiana (d. 2023) [1]
1936 Harry Danielsen, Norwegian educator and politician, born in Rødøy, Norway (d. 2011)
1936 Nicol Williamson, Scottish actor (Excalibur, Spawn), born in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland (d. 2011)
1936 Stan Williams, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1960²; World Series 1959, 1990 [coach: Cincinnati Reds]; NY Yankees, LA Dodgers), born in Enfield, New Hampshire (d. 2021)
1936 Terence Donovan, English fashion photographer, film and video director, born in Stepney, London (d. 1996)
1936 Walter Koenig, American actor (Checkov-Star Trek), born in Chicago, Illinois
1937 Renzo Piano, Italian architect (Whitney Museum of American Art, The Shard), born in Genoa, Italy
1939 Cornelius “Nini” Harp, American doo-wop singer (The Marcels – “Blue Moon”), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2013)
1939 Guy Webster, American celebrity portrait photographer, album cover artist (The Byrds; The Mamas & the Papas; Taj Mahal; Rolling Stones), and educator, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2019)
1939 Piet Stoffelen, Dutch ambassador and MP (PvdA), born in Oldenzaal, Netherlands (d. 2011)
1940 Larry Brown, American College-Basketball HOF coach (NBA C’ship 2004 Detroit Pistons; NBA Coach of the Year 2001 Philadelphia 76ers), born in Brooklyn, New York
1940 Leo Ferrier, Surinamese writer (Atman), born in Paramaribo, Suriname
1941 Alberto Naranjo, Venezuelan jazz drummer, composer and arranger, born in Caracas, Venezuela (d. 2020)
1942 Bernard MacLaverty, Northern Irish writer (Grace Notes), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
1942 Kuldar Sink, Estonian flautist, and composer (The Songs of Birth and Death), born in Tallin, Wstonian SSR, USSR (d. 1995)
1942 Michael Lydon, American music journalist and a founding editor of Rolling Stone, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2025) [1]
1942 Oliver Lake, American jazz saxophonist, composer, painter, and poet, born in Marianna, Arkansas
1944 Joey Heatherton, American dancer and actress (Bluebeard), born in Rockville Center, New York
1945 Martin Tyler, British sports broadcaster, born in Chester, England
1946 Jim Angle, American journalist and television reporter, born in Fort Worth, Texas
1946 Pete Agnew, Scottich rock bassist (Nazareth – “Love Hurts”), born in Dunfermline, Scotland
1947 Bowzer [Jon Bauman], American rock singer (Sha Na Na, 1970-83), born in Queens, New York City
1947 Joan Thirkettle, British journalist, born in Kent, England (d. 1996)

1947 New Zealand actor (Jurassic Park, Dead Calm, The Piano), born in Omagh, Northern Ireland

1947 Wolfgang Schwartz, Austrian figure skater (Olympic gold 1968), born in Vienna, Austria
1948 Fred “Sonic” Smith, American guitarist (MC5 – “Kick Out the Jams”), born in West Virginia (d. 1994)
1949 Ed King, American psychedelic rock guitarist, bass player, and songwriter (Strawberry Alarm Clock, 1967-71 – “Incense and Peppermints”; Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1972-75 & 1987-96 – “Sweet Home Alabama”; “Saturday Night Special”), born in Glendale, California (d. 2018)
1949 Eikichi Yazawa, Japanese rock singer and songwriter, born in Hiroshima, Japan
1949 Steve Gaines, American rock vocalist and guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1976-77 – “You Got That Right”), born in Miami, Oklahoma (d. 1977)
1949 Tommy Seebach, Danish rock keyboardist, singer (Sir Henry and His Butlers), and songwriter (Eurovision), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2003)
1950 Doug Rauch, American rock and jazz-fusion bassist (Santana, 1972-74), born in New York City (d. 1979)
1950 Masami Kuwashima, Japanese race car driver, born in Kumagaya, Saitama, Japan
1950 Michael Nifong, American attorney, born in Wilmington, North Carolina
1950 Orest Kindrachuk, Canadian-American NHL hockey center, 1972-82 (Stanley Cup, 1974- 1975 – Philadelphia Flyers, and 2 other teams), born in Nanton, Alberta
1950 Paul Kossoff, English rock guitarist (Free – “All Right Now”), born in London (d. 1976)
1951 Doina Rotaru, Romanian contemporary classical composer, born in Bucharest, Romania
1951 Eugene H. Trinh, Vietnamese-American astronaut (STS 50), born in Saigon, Vietnam
1952 Margit Schumann, German luger (Olympic gold 1976), born in Waltershausen, Bezirk Erfurt, East Germany
1953 Judy Playfair, Australian swimmer, born in Sydney, Australia
1953 Tom Cora, American cellist and composer, born in Yancey Mills, Virginia (d. 1998)
1954 Barry Cowsill, American rock bassist (The Cowsills – “We Can Fly”), born in Newport, Rhode Island (d. 2005)

1955 American Catholic Pope (2025-) and Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru (2015‍-23), born in Chicago, Illinois

1955 Steve Berlin, American saxophonist, keyboardist and record producer (Los Lobos; Top Jimmy & the Rhythm Pigs), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1956 Kostas Karamanlis, Greek politician (Prime Minister of Greece 2004-09), born in Athens, Greece
1956 Lefteris Zagoritis, Greek lawyer and politician, born in Rhodes, Greece
1956 Ray Wilkins, English soccer midfielder (84 caps; Chelsea, Manchester Utd, AC Milan, Rangers, QPR) and manager (QPR, Fulham, Jordan), born in Hillingdon, England (d. 2018)
1957 Jerry Don Gleaton, American baseball player, born in Brownwood, Texas
1957 Kepler Wessels, South African cricketer who played for both Australia and South Africa, born in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State Province, South Africa
1957 Tim Wallach, American MLB player (Montreal Expos 1980-1992), born in Huntington Park, California
1958 John Bennett Herrington, American astronaut and USN aviator, born in Wetumka, Oklahoma
1959 Hans Richter, German soccer forward (15 caps GDR; FC Karl-Marx-Stadt, 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig), born in Olbernhau, Germany (d. 2023)
1959 Mary Crosby, American actress (Kristin-Dallas, Ice Pirates), born in Los Angeles, California
1959 Morten Harket, Norwegian rocker (Aha – “Take On Me”), born in Kongsberg, Norway
1960 Anthony Addabbo, American actor (Jason-Generations), born in Coral Gables, Florida (d. 2016)
1960 Callum Keith Rennie, British-Canadian actor (Impulse, Star Trek: Discovery), born in Sunderland, England
1960 Christian Petzold, German screenwriter and director (Afire, Transit), born in Hilden, Germany
1960 Melissa Leo, American actress (All My Children), born in Manhattan, New York
1961 Antonia De Sancha, English actress and lover of British MP David Mellor, born in London, England
1962 Tom Kurvers, American ice hockey defenseman (Hobey Baker Award 1984; Stanley Cup 1986 Montreal Canadiens), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 2021)
1963 Jaromir Dragan, Slovak ice hockey goalie (1992 Winter Olympics Bronze), born in Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia
1964 Faith Ford, American actress (Another World, Corky-Murphy Brown), born in Alexandria, Louisiana
1964 Kurt Gouveia, American NFL linebacker (Philadelphia Eagles), born in Honolulu, Hawaii

1965 Russian politician (President and Prime Minister of Russia), born in Leningrad, Soviet Union

1965 Troy Neel, American baseball player, born in Freeport, Texas
1966 Mike Cooley, American guitarist (Drive-By Truckers), born in Tuscumbia, Alabama
1967 John Power, British singer-songwriter, bass player, and guitarist (The La’s – “There She Goes”), born in Allerton, Liverpool, England
1968 Dan Cortese, American actor and TV host (Jess Hanson-Melrose Place), born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania
1968 Ginger Helgeson-Nielson, American tennis star, born in St. Cloud, Minnesota
1968 Vincent Ghadimi, Belgian pianist and composer, born in Rocourt, Liège, Belgium
1970 Craig Montoya, American bass player (Everclear), born in Spokane, Washington
1970 Francesco Casagrande, Italian road racing cyclist, born in Florence, Italy
1970 Ketanji Brown Jackson, American attorney and judge, born in Washington D.C.
1970 Robert Ben Garant, American screenwriter and actor (Reno 991!), born in Cookeville, Tennessee
1970 Satoshi Kojima, Japanese professional wrestler (NJPW), born in Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan
1971 Andre Matos, Brazilian singer and musician (Symfonia), born in São Paulo, Brazil
1971 Jeff Loomis, American progressive metal guitarist (Nevermore), born in Appleton, Wisconsin
1971 Kimberly Williams, American actress (Father of the Bride), born in Rye, New York
1971 Mario Henry, American NFL wide receiver (Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons), born in Erie, Pennsylvania
1972 David Bell, American baseball infielder (St Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies) and manager (Cincinnati Reds), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
1973 Andrew Lincoln [Clutterbuck], English actor (The Walking Dead), born in London, England

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Historical Events on September 14

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September 14, 2025

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Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell

1993 MCA and Virgin Records release album “Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell” by singer Meat Loaf, written and produced by Jim Steinman; it arrives 16 years after the first installment of eventual trilogy, and features the hit “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)”

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What Happened on September 14

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September 14, 2025

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Major Events

More September 14 Events

Did You Know?

Francis Scott Key pens the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” later known as “The Star-Spangled Banner,” while witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry from a ship in Baltimore Harbor

September 14, 1814

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Vitamin D May Help Slow Aging, Study Finds

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September 14, 2025

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Holding Vitamin D Sunlight — Could a simple vitamin help slow the ticking of our biological clocks? A new study suggests vitamin D may protect the delicate chromosome caps linked to aging, potentially lowering the risk of age-related diseases. Credit: Stock

A clinical trial suggests vitamin D may slow cellular aging by preserving telomeres. Researchers urge caution on dosing and emphasize lifestyle as the most reliable path to healthy aging.

Vitamin D supplements may help safeguard the protective caps on our chromosomes that influence the pace of aging, raising hopes that the “sunshine vitamin” could support healthier longevity, according to a recent study.

Researchers reported that taking 2,000 IU (international units, a standard vitamin measurement) of vitamin D each day helped preserve telomeres, the small structures at the ends of chromosomes that act like the plastic tips of shoelaces, shielding DNA from damage during cell division.

Each of our 46 chromosomes ends with a telomere, which gradually shortens every time a cell divides. Once telomeres become critically short, cells lose the ability to divide and ultimately die.

Shortened telomeres have been associated with several major age-related conditions, including cancer, heart disease, and osteoarthritis. Factors such as smoking, chronic stress, and depression appear to accelerate this process, while inflammatory processes in the body also contribute to telomere loss.

Beyond strong bones

Vitamin D is widely recognized for its role in bone health, particularly in helping the body absorb calcium. Adequate intake is especially important for children, adolescents, and individuals with darker skin or limited sun exposure to ensure proper bone growth and maintenance.

But vitamin D also powers our immune system. A review of evidence found that vitamin D supplements can cut respiratory infections, especially in people who are deficient.

Early research even suggests it might help prevent autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis, though more trials are needed.

Since inflammation damages telomeres, vitamin D’s anti-inflammatory effects could explain its protective role.

Testing vitamin D in a clinical study

In this recent study, from Augusta University in the US, the researchers followed 1,031 people with an average age of 65 for five years, measuring their telomeres at the start, after two years, and after four years. Half took 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily, while the other half received a placebo.

The results showed that telomeres were preserved by 140 base pairs in the vitamin D group, compared with a placebo. To put this in context, previous research found that telomeres naturally shorten by about 460 base pairs over a decade, suggesting vitamin D’s protective effect could be genuinely meaningful.

This isn’t the first promising finding. Earlier studies have reported similar benefits, while the Mediterranean diet – rich in anti-inflammatory nutrients – has also been linked to longer telomeres.

The catch

But there are some important points to note. Some researchers warn that extremely long telomeres might actually increase disease risk, suggesting there’s a sweet spot we don’t yet understand.

There’s also no agreement on the right dose. The Augusta researchers used 2,000 IU daily – much higher than the current recommended intake of 600 IU for under-70s and 800 IU for older adults. Yet other research suggests just 400 IU might help prevent colds.

Experts say the optimal dose probably depends on individual factors, including existing vitamin D levels, overall nutrition, and how the vitamin interacts with other nutrients.

Although these findings are exciting, it’s too early to start popping high-dose vitamin D in the hope of slowing aging. The strongest evidence for healthy aging still points to the basics: a balanced diet, regular exercise, quality sleep, not smoking, and managing stress, all of which naturally support telomere health.

However, if you’re deficient in vitamin D or at risk of poor bone health, supplements remain a sensible choice backed by decades of research. As scientists continue unravelling the mysteries of aging, vitamin D’s role in keeping our cellular clocks ticking may prove to be just one piece of a much larger puzzle.

Reference: “Vitamin D3 and marine ω-3 fatty acids supplementation and leukocyte telomere length: 4-year findings from the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL) randomized controlled trial” by Haidong Zhu, JoAnn E Manson, Nancy R Cook, Bayu B Bekele, Li Chen, Kevin J Kane, Ying Huang, Wenjun Li, William Christen, I-Min Lee and Yanbin Dong, 21 May 2025, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.05.003

Adapted from an article originally published in The Conversation.

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Solar Flares Are 6.5 Times Hotter Than We Thought

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September 13, 2025

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Solar Limb Flare and Scaled Earth — A solar limb flare with a comparatable scale of Earth. Credit: Created by Alexander Russell (University of Andrews) using the open-source SunPy Python package and data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory space telescope via NASA EPIC Team

Solar flares heat ions much more strongly than electrons. The finding offers a new explanation for spectral line broadening.

Recent work from the University of St Andrews suggests that particles in solar flares can become 6.5 times hotter than earlier estimates, offering an unexpected resolution to a mystery about the Sun that has persisted for half a century.

Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy in the Sun’s outer atmosphere that raise temperatures to more than 10 million degrees. These explosive events dramatically increase the amount of solar X-rays and radiation that reach Earth, posing risks to spacecraft, astronauts, and the planet’s upper atmosphere.

The study, published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, examined how solar flares heat plasma to temperatures beyond 10 million degrees. This plasma, composed of electrons and ions, behaves in ways that differ from long-standing assumptions. The researchers discovered that the ions, which are positively charged and account for half of the plasma, can reach temperatures above 60 million degrees.

Ions heated more strongly than electrons

Drawing on findings from other fields, the research team led by Dr. Alexander Russell, Senior Lecturer in Solar Theory in the School of Mathematics and Statistics, concluded that solar flares are very likely to heat ions much more intensely than electrons.

Image of a Solar Flare — Solar flares. Credit: Created by Alexander Russell (University of Andrews) using the open-source SunPy Python package and data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory space telescope via NASA EPIC Team

Dr Russell, said: “We were excited by recent discoveries that a process called magnetic reconnection heats ions 6.5 times as much as electrons. This appears to be a universal law, and it has been confirmed in near-Earth space, the solar wind and computer simulations. However, nobody had previously connected work in those fields to solar flares.”

Challenging old assumptions in solar physics

“Solar physics has historically assumed that ions and electrons must have the same temperature. However, redoing calculations with modern data, we found that ion and electron temperature differences can last for as long as tens of minutes in important parts of solar flares, opening the way to consider super-hot ions for the first time.”

“What’s more,” he added, is that the new ion temperature fits well with the width of flare spectral lines, potentially solving an astrophysics mystery that has stood for nearly half a century.”

There has been a long-standing question since the 1970s about why flare spectral lines, bright enhancements in the solar radiation at specific “colors” in extreme-ultraviolet and X-ray light, are broader than expected. Historically, it was believed that this could only be due to turbulent motions, but that interpretation has come under pressure as scientists have tried to identify the nature of the turbulence. After nearly 50 years, the new work argues for a paradigm shift where the ion temperature can make a large contribution to explaining the enigmatic line widths of solar flare spectra.

Reference: “Solar Flare Ion Temperatures” by Alexander J. B. Russell, Vanessa Polito, Paola Testa, Bart De Pontieu and Sergey A. Belov, 3 September 2025, The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/adf74a

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