Laughter is said to be the best medicine, but, as with all drugs, overprescription is a dangerous thing. For most people, the most significant side effect of laughing is a pain in the ribs and perhaps some damp underwear, but for a few people, there is a real risk of overdose. Some people have underlying

Every day, humans express themselves in a myriad of weird and wonderful ways. Our body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice all convey some form of meaning. From a subtly raised eyebrow to a sharp rejoinder, these signals dominate our every social interaction. While we are intimately familiar with our own methods of communication,

Comedy is supposed to be hilarious. However, it has become deadly at times and led to the loss of lives. People have perished while watching comedic acts, or the entertainers themselves have died during their performances. Sometimes, the comedians have been murdered for wisecracking in ways that were offensive to certain individuals or groups. Comedians

Hate it or love it, the world is full of worms. Physically vulnerable, the squishy creatures find safety in weirdness. Some form gruesome alliances, while others grow new brains. Worms can eat without mouths, control other species, and enjoy environments that would kill most other living things. The slithering wonders also have scientists’ undivided attention.

The 18th and 19th centuries saw a growth in a whole range of clubs. Gentleman’s clubs, like White’s, flourished everywhere. Special interest societies sprang up. Whatever your hobby, interest, religion, or political persuasion, there was a club for you. It was almost as if people didn’t want to go home. The dining club, however, offered

Pornography is defined as the depiction of erotic or sexually charged material through various mediums such as images, books, video, and so forth. The concept of pornography itself is a highly subjective thing. What one person or culture considers sexualized or erotic, another person or culture may not see as such in any way whatsoever.[1]

During the Great Depression, South Texas had its very own Bluebeard. Like the titular character in the French fairy tale, Joseph Douglas “Joe” Ball hacked up his lovers before disposing of their body parts in the sands and swamps of Bexar County. History has come to know the tall, lanky, and hard-bitten Ball as the

Another April 15 has just gone by. People who have filed their taxes can heave a sigh of relief while they await any tax refunds. People who have yet to file their taxes and haven’t requested an extension may be too late to avoid the interest and late payment penalties of the IRS. However, there

There are several theories of evolution out there. The theory of evolution by natural selection proposed by Charles Darwin—also called Darwinism—just happens to be the one generally accepted by science. Other scientists and philosophers proposed theories of evolution before Darwin’s birth and after his death in 1882. Some ideas were fairly close to Darwinism—until the

Every day, the oceans crash upon countless beaches. More often than not, oddities arrive between the usual flotsam of shells. There is always the mandatory monster’s carcass and real species so surprising that few can recognize them. The most bizarre shoreline finds are usually man-made. From large pieces of foreign harbors to hundreds of Garfields,

The world of puppies is not restricted to playpens and looking adorable. In recent years, several have made history by just being born. Pups are also handpicked for careers like beetle sniffers or police dogs (because they are clones of the police force’s best dog). Additionally, charities continue to rescue the offspring of Chernobyl’s abandoned

Human history could be said to be one of ever-increasing knowledge. Overall, we know more today about a great many things than people did in centuries past. That doesn’t mean, however, that there weren’t a number of missteps along the way. You wouldn’t think it’d be that easy to “discover” something that doesn’t actually exist—because

Mankind has likely practiced executions since before recorded history. But only relatively recently have we turned our attention toward developing more humane methods. In 15th-century Europe, the suffering of the convicted was an important feature of justice. But as time went on, people began to seek something less brutal. The lethal injection was first introduced

Freezing to death is the direct opposite of burning to death. Both are horrible ways to die, though freezing tends to be longer, condemning victims to a slow, shivering death. However, hypothermia is more survivable than immolation. Over the years, a number people and animals have been frozen to the point where death would seem

Earth science is an umbrella term for the disciplines studying our world. They include geology, meteorology, and oceanography, to name a few. Within these fields, researchers recently found things that should not be there, processes that work when they should not, and an epic global event that everyone missed. From NASA confusing mud to a

It is weird to think that diseases can be used to cure other diseases. However, it is true. For centuries, scientists have figured out ways of using deadly, pathoegenic bacteria, viruses, and protozoa to cure deadly diseases caused by other pathogens. It may seem counterintuitive to cure one illness with another, but it has worked

You’ll find quirky and unusual restaurants anywhere in the world. From fine dining to fast food, they all try to create a unique experience that will keep their patrons coming back. Most are in traditional shop fronts or purpose-built buildings. With many antiquated buildings being redeveloped, it certainly isn’t unusual to find a restaurant or

There is more to hair than growing and harboring dandruff. Strands have superpowers, like a sense of smell and helping some creatures to hang by their hair. Biological wonders aside, there is the fascinating world of hair archaeologists who investigate the enigmatic bobs and weaves that once were fashionable in long-dead cultures. Hair can also

The Harry Potter series is absolutely riddled with secrets and unanswered questions. How are Muggle-borns found? How do Muggle-borns even come about? Who gets accepted into Hogwarts, and why? What did Dumbledore see when standing with Harry before the Mirror of Erised? Speaking of Harry, where did his enormous fortune come from? The good news

The word “civilization” is open to interpretation, but archaeologists usually refer to ancient civilizations as human societies “with a high level of cultural and technological development.”[1] Although the Aboriginal people of Australia, for example, are commonly believed to be the oldest continuous culture to inhabit the earth, their nomadic habits and lack of infrastructure usually

The Church of Scientology has become one of the most ridiculed religions since its launch in 1952. The religion was founded by American author L. Ron Hubbard. Scientologists are known to believe that the Earth is inhabited by alien “thetans,” which walk our world disguised as humans, and that the “auditing” process will clear the

Human history is dotted with temples. Today, their ancient walls often hold strange relics, some of which are the only evidence that missing temples once existed. Not all places of worship are dusty ruins-and-pottery affairs, though. Many are still in service or the products of new religions. While the classic oldies tell tales of biblical

Unlike the gecko and the octopus, humans, unfortunately, can’t regrow lost limbs after they’ve been severed. That’s why prostheses, artificial limbs, have such a long history in engineering and medicine. From the horrors of war to the devastation of disease, history has provided ample opportunity for innovation. Today, thanks to the imaginations of inventors, amputees

We’ve all watched the daring scenes in crime movies where the criminals make dramatic escapes. Many lawbreakers may have taken inspiration from these scripts. Some may have even pulled off their planned heists. But for other would-be burglars, things didn’t go exactly as planned. Here are 10 inept burglars who needed to be rescued by

For countless years, humans have sat around campfires and regaled one another with tales of mythical, shape-shifting beasts. These macabre creations horrify and thrill in equal measure. They chase us through our nightmares. They play tricks on the mind during those dark winter nights. We seem equally fascinated by the idea of humans transforming into

On October 29, 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 slammed nose-first into the ocean soon after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia. All 189 passengers and crew on board were killed. A similar incident occurred on March 10, 2019, when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed, killing all 157 passengers and crew aboard soon after takeoff from Addis Ababa,

The Romans are often portrayed as a civilization given over to debauchery and decadence, a once-great empire gorging itself on food, alcohol, and sex while watching people fight to the death in the gladiator arena. In fact, Roman society was based on a strict rule of law, which, although not democratic, took account of the

The stories we love best have an uncanny way of sinking into our hearts and staying with us forevermore. But what if you were to learn that some of those very stories were only made possible courtesy of some truly horrible real-life events? From timeless classics to modern masterpieces, it seems that writers have been

The idea that life often mirrors art is one with which many of us are familiar. In most cases, these parallels between fact and fiction feel like harmless fun. There are times, however, in which the blurred line between the two can start to feel unsettling, as though there was more at play than simple

On a cloudy afternoon in November 1971, a well-dressed middle-aged man boarded a domestic flight leaving Portland, Oregon. Soon after the plane took off, the man calmly alerted air hostesses to a bomb he had wired inside his briefcase and communicated his ransom demands to the police on the ground. The man, who had used