HARD NUMBERS

1,400: North and South Korea have succeeded in a joint bid to have traditional Korean wrestling recognized as a cultural gem by the United Nations, the latest sign of thawing relations between the two countries. The sport, which some sources say predates the two countries' 1950s-era partition by more than 1,400 years, is known as Ssirum in the North and Ssireum in the South.

100: More than half of all babies born in Japan today can expect to live to the age of 100. The country, which has the world's highest average life expectancy at 84 years, is facing a demographic crunch as it looks for ways to support a growing elderly and retired population with a shrinking number of working-age adults.

70: Elon Musk, the billionaire industrialist and space enthusiast, estimated there was a 70 percent chance that he would personally move to Mars by hitching a ride on one of his SpaceX rockets. The 47-year-old entrepreneur, who last year unveiled a detailed plan for colonizing the red planet, has stated that humanity must become a multi-planetary species in order to avoid extinction. His statement left us wondering how exactly he got to the number 70.

3: China has begun construction of its third aircraft carrier, state media confirmed this week. The as-yet unnamed warship is part of a broader push by Beijing to increase its naval might. China's navy last year became the world's largest by total vessels, though it still significantly lags the US in terms of firepower and overall budget.