The shifting sands of the Sahara have swallowed animals, people, and entire cities over eons. It is the largest hot desert in the world, and those who become lost in its endless sandy plains are likely to never be seen again. In the ancient world, whole armies were known to march off across it, never

Named after Charles Ponzi, Ponzi schemes come in all shapes and sizes but have certain elements in common. The details of the supposed business are often vague or mysterious. They promise high rates of return for little risk and often come with a deadline to panic investors into putting in money before they properly consider

History is not the same everywhere. How else can we explain historical accounts of an event differing from nation to nation? Since the 20th century, several governments have realized that they could rewrite history to their own benefit. And they have been doing just that. Governments promote these edited versions of history through their schools

In many ways, ancient Rome was the birthplace of modern Western culture. It’s easy to see ourselves reflected in its culture and customs, with its focus on liberty and the rule of law. In other ways, though, ancient Rome was more alien than we can imagine. For one, their addiction to bloodthirsty sports in which

A modern wonder is imaging and our ability to share pictures globally within seconds. People alive today can surf the web and see the most incredible scientific sights without ever having to step inside a laboratory. Pictures showing freshly solved mysteries and violent things in space are fascinating, but they pale next to unusual world

Despite our differences in opinion and cultures, there’s one thing just about everyone can agree on: Sex is amazing. No matter how much we may enjoy it, though, it’s one of the most mysterious aspects of evolution. Scientists have been trying to answer why we have sex at all for quite some time now,[1] as

There are times when all of us open our mouths before we have engaged our brains. Unintentionally, we can hurt other people’s feelings or show ourselves and our employers in a bad light. It may be because we are caught off guard or we are having a bad day. In most cases, a timely apology

Even after humans fought for centuries to escape the restrictions of this world and thus be able to venture into the cosmos, we finally decided to look back. So, ironically, Earth has been the primary focus of our observations from space. Although scientists have obtained hundreds of thousands of photographs of planets, galaxies, and other

It’s no secret that couples often speak their own language with one another. When two people become close, they develop their own inside jokes, codes, and nicknames. When we see others doing this, especially in public, it can quickly go from cute to sickening. However, cutesy nicknames and baby talk between two people in love

Many in China like to claim that their country has seen 4,000 years of continuous civilization. In truth, new evidence hints that Chinese civilization may even be older than that. For those in the West, Chinese history is either completely unknown or only vaguely identified. However, in many mandatory Western civilization courses, professors like to

The Manhattan Project is famously known as the United States-led endeavor which successfully created the first atomic bomb. The success of the Manhattan Project led to the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945 and the total surrender of Japan, ending World War II. The project was extremely complex and dangerous, even causing the deaths