MUSHROOM
Every year, doctors at a hospital in the Yunnan Province of China brace themselves for an influx of people with an unusual complaint, all related …
HELLO
It’s been 200 years since the word “hello” was first used in print, though its beginnings date back to the 15th Century. This article investigates …
MONSTERS IN THE CITY
Monsters in the city sounds like the title of a horror movie, but it is all-to-real occurrence in Thailand. Once driven to the city’s edges, …
SPIDERS ON MARS
This article in The Economist caught my interest for two reasons: “Spiders on Mars” is a cute title; and, second, it is an excellent example …
HUMAN EMPATHY
I was reminded during this Christmas season of two very special events that demonstrated human empathy at an unexpected level and in two completely different …
VON TRAPP
The last living von Trapp child still helps run the family resort in the mountains of New England – a little piece of Austria, inspired …
THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT
The Voynich Manuscript has long baffled scholars and attracted cranks and conspiracy theorists. Now a prominent medievalist is taking a new approach to unlocking its …
WEIRDLY
The one line (queue) Americans (weirdly) choose to wait in, is the grocery self-checkout line, which is now often longer than the staffed ones. A …
HALLOWEEN
It’s hard not to love Halloween, but the origins of Halloween are a little darker. Today, it’s a time for celebration, jack-o’-lanterns, and of course, …
WARP DRIVE
The idea of being able to travel through space using “Warp Drive” has fascinated many of us for a major part of our lives. As …