Every year, thousands of people donate their bodies to medical science. Since the beginning of the study of anatomy, we’ve learned a lot about ourselves, our bodies, life, death, and our mortality in general. It’s safe to say that anatomical research has really helped in the development of some of our best medicines and surgeries,

Why must we transition from plastic-based materials to biodegradable alternatives? Beyond noticeable everyday plastic pollution, the methods of extracting the petroleum and natural gas required to produce plastic often devastate the surrounding environment. The toxic chemicals contained in plastic also leach into foods, beverages, oceans, and groundwater. Most shockingly, recycling merely slows down the journey

When someone goes missing, however unexpectedly, it is often quickly forgotten by all except those closest to the person who vanished. However, when multiple people disappear at the same time, especially a large group, it is obvious that something bizarre and potentially dark has taken place. Even more interesting, these mass disappearance events are on

Anyone who travels often enough will eventually run into a bad experience while they fly. Annoying passengers and grumpy employees are two of the usual suspects. Such hassles are as much a part of flying as pat-downs and those preflight safety demonstrations that few passengers pay any mind to. However, as the next ten stories

The idea of being a keeper in a windswept lighthouse is the romantic dream of many an introvert: hearing the cry of the gulls, looking moodily at the glitter of the sun on the sea while wearing a cable-knit sweater, perhaps having the time to grow a lush, full beard. Yes, there are a lot

Medicine throughout the ages has granted us so much to be thankful for. Very rarely do any of us wake up having to fear smallpox or some of the deadliest flu viruses. Syphilis is no longer a death sentence, a bacterial infection guaranteed to devour at us from the inside, consuming our brains as it

In the lead-up to World War II, it was well understood that the Third Reich was the most formidable force of science and technology that the world had ever seen. Blending occult lore and magic with cutting-edge engineering and physics, Adolf Hitler sought to master matter and spirit in much the same way as he

As a physician, you are taught to use all of your senses when entering the room to help determine the patient’s diagnosis. Certainly, doctors visually examine patients and uses things like stethoscopes to listen to heartbeats. While many wouldn’t readily think of smell as being one of the more important senses that physicians use, it

Some mysteries have been baffling the world for a couple of years, while others have been around for centuries. Regardless of how long they’ve been around, scientists and other experts aren’t giving up on solving the biggest mysteries of our time and those that came before us, especially ones that are a mixture of legend

They cling to small islands and show up in strange places. Most are old enough to no longer have a name. How ancient settlements sank or survived can be telling about the enduring battle between ordinary people and the forces of nature. Found among these ruins, the simplest artifacts can rewrite the past and mysteries

Dead human bodies are something that strike us all to the very core the moment we see them. They creep us out and make us wonder and stare in awe at the futility, shortness, and delicacy of life. They are the zombies in our horror movies. They are the inevitable terminal destination of life, and

Food is one of the most mysterious aspects of prehistoric life. Stones and skeletons preserve well, but ancient leftovers quickly disintegrate into nothing. So scientists have to get crafty (and a little lucky) to uncover prehistory’s culinary secrets. Still, they have found some interesting ones, which could change the way we view prehistoric people. They

Doing the deed with the dead (aka necrophilia) is the ultimate taboo in our society, perhaps besides pedophilia and incest. In fact, necrophilia is a paraphilia so taboo that it’s both fascinating and absolutely horrifying. From ancient cultures like the Egyptians to historical figures charged with necromancy as part of evil rituals, the story of

What was Bob Marley’s favorite country? Yemen! It’s funnier if you say it out loud while stoned. Trust me. Yemen is an ancient country on the very southernmost edge of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering Saudi Arabia, unsurprisingly. The land has changed hands dozens of times over the centuries as empires wax and wane. Even today,

The world’s oldest profession (or so they say), prostitution is as old as it is provocative. It’s safe to say that prostitution has been around as long as civilization itself. It has almost always come with the territory of debauchery, sex, violence, drug and alcohol use, and wild times; the pleasures of the flesh, it

The Wild West ended over a century ago, but many of its characters live on thanks to pop culture. Their staying power is a testament to the popularity of these lawmen, outlaws, frontiersmen, and folk icons who shot their way into the history books. Of course, over the decades, we might have romanticized the era

More often than not, buildings, islands, forests, etc. are creepy simply because they look the part and have a terrifying backstory. For instance, the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town imprisoned slaves over 150 years ago, and terrible stories of torture and execution emerged. An article posted on a South African news website back

The history of the natural world is written in genetic code. Sometimes, these snippets brave cataclysms and time to deliver the truth safely back to scientists. More often than not, what DNA has to tell us about the past is so unusual that it would otherwise beggar disbelief. Genes are not just honest faces that

Our favorite spring holiday (which technically falls within the calendar confines of winter) is almost here. Whether you call it St. Patty’s Day, St. Paddy’s Day, or St. Patrick’s Day, the festivities on March 17 keep us raising our glasses (and steins and mugs) to the feisty Irish and their pious and humble patron saint.

A lot of scientific evidence suggests that the world once experienced a flood so large that it covered the entire planet, wiping out animals and people. In the Western world, everyone knows the legend of Noah’s Ark and the idea of The Great Flood is deeply tied to many religions. It turns out that nearly

In today’s world of mass communication, gruesome content has become just about as normalized in our society as any other piece of information. We have websites dedicated to murderers and gore, live war videos, and live-streamed police shootings in our newsfeeds. It seems as if nothing is off-limits these days. Still, some crimes are so

Imagine picking up a bottle at the beach only to discover it contains a letter written decades ago. And the writer, a total stranger who might even be dead, wants you to reply or even forward it to another stranger. Or maybe the letter contains information that more than a few people would be very

Evolution works slowly and randomly, changing little bits here and there until an entirely new thing emerges eons later. Sometimes, these changes are insignificant or boring, yet other times, the mutations are so ridiculously weird that they’re destined for the prehistoric hall of fame. When you see how much certain creatures have changed over time,

Police K-9 units bring dogs to crime scenes every day to inspect for drugs, bombs, and bodies. One of the many reasons why people love dogs as pets is because people feel safer, knowing that their pooch will protect them if something goes wrong. While we all know that thousands of these brave dogs exist

For parents, it can be really difficult to leave their children in the hands of total strangers, especially in today’s world. Many women have to go to work soon after their child is born, and they really have no choice but to drop their son or daughter off at daycare and hope for the best.

There are some really old animals around us. We mean creatures that have been alive for hundreds or even thousands of years. Just imagine an animal that was alive during the signing of the Declaration of Independence still living today. Although it is usually difficult to estimate the ages of wild animals, scientists have devised

There is no doubt that there are some mysterious destinations spread around the globe. Such places can be intriguing, fascinating, frightening, or thrilling to those who visit them. Some destinations, though, are more intriguing than others, particularly when there’s nothing out of the ordinary about them upon first inspection. Many picturesque locations hide dark pasts.

A single detail can change everything about a monument, the written record, or an entire field. While not all discoveries are dramatic, every recovered piece is valuable. Even the shortest chapter of history is rarely complete. Pieces can turn up anywhere, hidden in plain sight or where none are expected. But it is not all

Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, the Prince of Darkness—all names for the same dark, demonic figure who is pervasive and ubiquitous throughout the world and all of its religions. The Dark Lord has as many names and character traits as our creative minds can describe and assign to him. Throughout time, the Adversary has been different things

It was Winston Churchill who supposedly once said, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” He meant that, despite all of democracy’s flaws, you don’t get the flagrant abuses and corruption inherent in other systems. And he was right. After all, it’s not like you’d ever hear about a leader