Love Kid News, but not the ads? Starglo Plus is the answer. Starglo is the Kids and Family

podcast network where you can find shows like Kid News, mysteries about true histories, and what-if

world all ad-free. Starglo Plus even offers audiobooks adapted for young readers. It's the perfect

way to introduce kids to

classic characters like Sherlock Holmes, Little Women, and the Great Gadsby. Mom and Dads, you can

subscribe to Starglow Media.com slash subscribe. That's Starglowmedia.com slash subscribe. And teachers, if you're interested in Starglo Plus for your classroom, you can get a

subscription for free by emailing info at starglomedia.com.

That's info at stargloomedia.com.

Good morning and welcome to Kid News.

I'm Kim.

Today is Thursday, May 15th, 2025. And we begin with a group of

climbers attempting a controversial shortcut to the top of the highest mountain in the world.

Typically, the journey up Mount Everest in Nepal takes 40 days, give or take, with most of that

time spent acclimating to the altitude. But an Austrian guide

thinks he and three clients can do it in just seven days by inhaling a gas known as xenon,

which is sometimes used as an anesthetic and has an interesting side effect. Notably, it increases

production of a protein called urethropoitein or EPO, which helps red blood cells

carry oxygen through the body.

The rub, xenon is a performance-enhancing drug banned in most sports and shunned by climbing

purists.

Guy Lucas Furttnbach sees it differently.

He told the financial times that because climbing is not an

...