The seemingly simple sense of taste is anything but clear-cut. Science cannot explain all its complexities, and the underlying biology is so powerful that marketers successfully manipulate customers with suggestion. There are taste buds in strange places and people who taste the unbelievable. The tongue is also amazingly uncharted—sensing the tasteless, switching sensations, and even

He was one of the most evil, most dangerous humans who ever walked the Earth, yet he was praised and honored for centuries onstage and in text by people he would likely have murdered if given the chance. Aside from some obscure Victorian-era plays and poems, not much is known in the Western world about

In the past, penguins were called arse-feet because their legs were closer to their rear. The name “arse-feet” was used for any bird that had its feet close to its rear, although it originally applied to the little grebe, a type of water bird that is still known as the arsefoot. The penguin was first

Marriage is a sacred vow of commitment. The union is intended to be permanent, an everlasting devotion to one another. It can be a daunting promise to make, unless you know you’ve found your soul mate. For many, the perfect spouse appears in the form of a fellow human being. But for some, their dream

2017 has been a busy year for paleontologists and dinosaur aficionados worldwide. They found some new species, invalidated some old ones, and even resurrected a forgotten species from the dead. They learned new things about dinosaur behavior and patched a few holes in our understanding of the evolution of these animals. The year wasn’t free

If you have ever played an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) or similar video game online, you know that some people can get a little crazy when it comes to that one item or even location they simply must have. What you may not know is that there are people out there who will

Quick, get out your Rubik’s Cube! Mind puzzles, brainteasers, or whatever you may call them are often fun and sometimes addictive. Logical paradoxes are absurd statements that make sense and yet don’t at the same time. Here’s a classic example of a fun little brainteaser called “The Paradox of Omnipotence” that’s been puzzling minds for

Think torture is a relic of the Dark Ages? Think again. Torture for sadistic gratification, information extraction, and punishment is intimately woven into the human experience. Even today, horrific acts of torture occur every day in all corners of the globe. Due to the unseemly elements and tools required, torture is often conducted in specially