Cringeworthy paper cuts aside, the realm of pain is packed with freaky facts. There is the horror of the world’s most noxious bush, why flesh-destroying bacteria really hurt, and the family that cannot be hurt. Agony has a sweet side, too. Some pain feels good, and then there is a walk more popular (and crippling)

Whether we refer to the act of living or to all sentient beings in this world, life has always been a difficult concept for humans to understand. Even when life has preceded us on this planet for 3.5 billion years—and we ourselves have roamed Earth for plenty of millennia—there are many questions about it that

The body is an accumulated wonder of parts fine-tuned by nature to perform precision tasks. Venture past the usual facts, and things tend to get interesting. In recent times, unknown body parts have turned up in fossils and living creatures, ranging from cute to creepy to deadly. Doctors have grown things in strange places and

Why do modern-day humans appear so drastically different from apes when ape species don’t look all that different from one another? Fifty years ago, the mainstream scientific consensus said that our ancestors went from living in trees to hunting on the savanna. Then fossil evidence challenged what we thought we knew. In the Great Rift

Millions of people across the globe wake up each morning to brighten their day with a delicious bowl of crunchy flakes or chewy oats with milk. Cereal is an American breakfast favorite, a fact made clear through television ads, commercial jingles, and the wide variety of textures, shapes, and flavors it comes in, even necessitating

Most speeches follow an entirely conventional pattern. They are often self-congratulatory, bombastic, and, let’s face it, boring. However, it pays to listen closely because there are times when even an ordinary speech can take a sudden turn and leave the audience wondering whether they heard correctly. Some speakers, given an opportunity to have their say,

The beauty of origami appeals to the eye as well as the mind. Designs using paper can yield both detailed sculptural works of animals and flowers. They also employ powerful mathematical principles. Since the 1960s, modern engineering and design have been able to harness both the beauty and the power of origami techniques to introduce

Lost in the hubbub over Budweiser’s finger-pointing corn-syrup Super Bowl ad was an unprecedented spot from another beer company: Michelob became the first brand to air an ASMR-inspired commercial in such a high-profile setting. ASMR is the newest sensation. Short for autonomous sensory meridian response, ASMR is an experience characterized by a tingling, sometimes static-like

“Little people,” among other meanings, is a generic term for mythological creatures that generally look like very small humans. Such entities are especially prevalent in European folklore and include fairies, goblins, gremlins, dwarves, imps, pixies, and gnomes. They vary in size and looks, and some are good, while others are malevolent or a mixture of

Today, a mother can go to the local shop and buy a bottle of baby food or a tub of formula or breastfeed her child herself if possible. Historically, however, a parent’s only two options for feeding a baby were to breastfeed or employ a wet nurse. Often, it was society that would make up

Dinosaurs terrorized Earth’s lesser creatures for nearly 200 million years. But many details of their daily lives are lost to history forever—or at least until a reliable time machine is built. Don’t let that bum you out, though, because scientists are really good at gleaning loads of information from the most seemingly inconsequential remains. From

Recently, there was a GoFundMe scam, which raised $400,000 to assist a homeless man who had allegedly given his last $20 to a damsel in distress on the side of the highway to refill her gas tank. This story was completely made up. Then there’s the Manchester attack’s homeless “hero,” who may have pulled nails

It may be tempting to think that Hollywood today has reached its lowest point in regard to its ethics and those of its stars. Unfortunately, it seems that the movie business has attracted scandal since its birth. In addition, to maintain the reputation of its stars, studios have always hired fixers, double dealers, and outright

There’s nothing quite like the prospect of a battlefield advantage to convince a general or politician to plow some money into a military project that might just work. As this list shows, however, innovation is always a gamble. For every radar or bouncing bomb, there are a handful of expensive, clunky duds. Some of the

Death is a frightening topic for almost everyone. But no matter what, it comes to all of us in the end. Some people—like those who die in accidents—have no control over how or when their demise will occur. Others—like those with long-term fatal illnesses—have time to decide how to face death. Still, there are some

It may come as no surprise to you that many characters in the Star Wars franchise have elaborate backstories that have been explored in various books, comics, and animated series. If someone has a single line, they get a backstory! If someone pulls focus, they get a backstory! It’s part of what makes the franchise

Fish tanks are tranquil until scientists want answers and drunk people want some fun. Then the fish stories start to get interesting . . . and more than a little weird. Beyond the laboratory and fish-related emergency room visits, some of the best tales come from public aquariums. From lifesaving firsts to the mysterious case of a shark abandoned

Very little is known about most of the hangmen of North America. In Canada, hangmen often gave themselves aliases so as to hide their true identities. In the United States, the hangman was seldom named in newspapers, and his identity was kept secret from the general population. In many cases, a sheriff or deputy would

Many great writers have taken inspiration from real people in creating their work. In a number of cases, the person who motivated the author is well-known, ranging from Dante’s inspiration Beatrice Portinari to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wife, Zelda, who was the model for Daisy in The Great Gatsby. But determining the sources of inspiration behind

Far too often, the media focuses on negative events while positive news items take a back seat. That’s not the case here as this list covers only stories that inspire, amuse, and uplift. If weirdness is more your thing, you can check out the offbeat list, too. There are several stories this week of elderly

Mankind’s love of records left behind countless documents. Needless to say, some are so common that the very sight of them makes people regret going to the museum. Then there are the secret codes and oaths, unique manuscripts, and caves marked with people’s fear. Text-obsessed scholars are talking in dead tongues and admit once again

When a state has newspaper headlines that read, “Avoid reptiles as a holiday gift,” then you know there’s a problem. Florida has a reputation as the number-one state in the US for invasive species. Over the past decade or so, more than 260 exotic animals (that we know of) have escaped their cages and fled

Several governments around the world have hit lists of people they want dead. The lists usually contain names of people that are claimed by the governments to be terrorists or spies. As we are about to find out, this is not always so. Suspected terrorists, human right activists, and journalists have also been targeted. Not

Coming-of-age rituals occur when someone who was considered a child is transformed into an adult in the eyes of society. This is usually done through some sort of test or celebration, though it varies greatly around the world. Modern-day rituals are common, and many of these extend far back in history. Examples of these ceremonies,

Everyone knows that Elvis died on the toilet, and there have been many celebrity bathroom-related deaths since. Dying on the pot is not just a modern phenomenon, however. While it may seem an ignominious end to a life, there have been plenty of people throughout history who have had to suffer the indignity of being

Alcohol often gets a bad rap. Check the number of accidents caused by drunk drivers or the people in prison for offenses they committed after they got too drunk. However, alcohol also has its good qualities. By that, we mean that it has saved the lives of several people and animals. Most of the time,

Inside the world of extinct animals is a special club—species with dangerous looks. To get a meal or avoid becoming one, both predator and prey refined physical traits to interesting effect. From fangs in whales to herbivores with a taste for meat and carnivores unlike anything seen today, ancient animals were survival specialists. Recent fossils

The world has seemingly descended into chaos and confusion, as economic woes, political uncertainty, mental illness, and violence grip the world. These are safe and uncertain times, or so it seems, and our first responders, from EMTs to the fire department, are on the front line of dealing with the world’s chaos. When someone needs

That cute emoji could get you in trouble. In the past few years, there has been an increase in emoji-related convictions. This happens because emojis can be used in place of real-life objects. For instance, sending a gun emoji to a person could be considered a death threat. Others involved in noncriminal issues have received

Many already know about the infamous Emerald Triangle on the Lost Coast. Cannabis farms in this area of Northern California have remained hidden from detection for decades within the dense redwood forest. The tallest trees in the world are the perfect canopy of cover and a natural guard against intruders. Marijuana growers could thrive in