The ocean likes to cull ships. Over the centuries, storms and reefs have amassed a great collection at the bottom of the sea. Wars added plenty more wrecks. When water conditions are right, skeleton crews and cargoes remain preserved for centuries. Among other things, divers recently encountered included two of the world’s oldest artifacts on

There are many weird laws around the world today. The majority of them were passed centuries ago and have never been repealed, although they’re not currently being enforced. Still, many of them are on the books, and plenty of people can unknowingly commit crimes for various odd reasons, though they probably won’t actually get in

Prisons are all about keeping people inside, but every now and again, folks find their way out. It happens more often than you might think, but nevertheless, there are some institutions touted as being inescapable, such that there is no conceivable way for anyone to escape. The only problem is that people inevitably do escape

Laws are passed to protect the environment or members of society. Curiously, these same supposedly progressive laws have sometimes backfired, hurting the very things or people they were supposed to protect. This is obviously because every law has consequences. And unfortunately, it is often impossible to predict the intended and unintended effects of every law.

Bones record history in their own way. Whether they splinter, show up in odd places, or provide DNA, ribs and all the rest are packed with information. In recent years, archaeologists handled fascinating rarities, some seen for the first time. Some of the skeletons displayed the ironic fate of one of history’s cruelest physicians, a

Battle has been an unavoidable element of life since the beginning of time. Animals have always fought for food and survival, and humans have waged war for innumerable reasons since the advent of our species. Territorial, political, religious, and other bases for bloody conflict have written violence into our blood. Violence is so much a

In the heat of video game competition, people will do strange things and may even act violently. Sometimes, they don’t think before they act. Other times, people are already violent and use video games as a means to let out their aggression. This is certainly not exclusive to video games. But as a relatively new

We think of addiction as something that must be detrimental to one’s health. However, in reality, many of us are addicted to various things that may not hamper our lives in any way. These addictions are still quite real as well as essential for our day-to-day functioning. It may be coffee for some, cleanliness for

To help you end the week on a positive note, we have gathered all the news that might lift your spirits into one list. This is where you’ll find a nice mix of feel-good stories combined with significant achievements and tales of true togetherness. If you’d also like something weird and wacky, check out the

There’s nothing wrong with a little healthy competition. Of course, it’s much more interesting when the competition is unhealthy. People will sometimes go to extreme lengths to get back at their rivals. Dedicated one-uppers have erected statues in clear view of their rivals, built fences around their homes, and even built towers named after their

Inside every organism are molecules called chromosomes. These threadlike structures hold genetic instructions, and every human cell normally has 23 pairs. Under the microscope, so to speak, these molecules can prove the history books wrong and solve long-standing mysteries about impostors. They reveal rare conditions, where talent comes from, and even ancient massacres. Perhaps the

There are several misconceptions that many believe about Neanderthals. One is that they were dumb and uncivilized, which is actually untrue. This misconception has lingered on for so long that we use “Neanderthal” as a word for an uncivilized and unintelligent person. Neanderthals were even almost named Homo stupidus (“the stupid man”). Today, we know

Some animals are on the verge of extinction. The difference between a related group of animals continuing for another generation or becoming just another addition to the history books may be the survival of just a few species. Some have even gone extinct in the wild and are only around because we had them in

A “scandalous woman” is pretty much any woman who stepped out of the socially acceptable rules for women in her society, and throughout history, that description could mean practically anything. In other words, you could essentially retitle this list “10 Women Who Did Something Other Than Become A Wife And Mother.” Many of these women

Mummies are often associated with ancient Egyptians even though they were not the only culture that mummified dead humans and animals. The Chinese did, too. The Egyptians were probably not the first, either. The Chinchorro people of Chile have been mummifying their dead since 5000 BC. The first Egyptian mummy was created 2,000 years later.

It was a beautiful day in May 1991 when an unknown, nondescript cowboy walked into the American Federal Bank in Irving, Texas. Tellers would later describe him as a white man in his mid-forties who stood 178 centimeters (5’10”). A bit on the heavy side, he had a noticeable paunch. He wore all black, save