If you browse popular lists like “20 Things That Make You Happier,” you’ll likely find the smell of rain among them. It’s written about in poetry and mentioned in books. But what makes it so appealing ...

For the Antarctic ice sheet to melt almost completely, a rise in average global temperature of just 10 degrees is sufficient. When this happens, sea levels will rise by 58 meters. This will lead to ...

Scientists from the University of Cambridge and the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe have reconstructed the most complete picture to date of how mid-14th-century climate ...

The Toba catastrophe was an eruption of the supervolcano of the same name that occurred between 77,000 and 69,000 years ago in modern-day Indonesia. Although the exact date is unknown, studies of ...

Since 2011, China has had a ban on the screening of movies and TV shows about time travel. The country’s leadership explained this unusual decision as necessary to prevent historical distortions and ...

While suspicious jealousy is toxic, reactive jealousy—in moderate doses—can actually be beneficial. It often signals the importance of a relationship and may prompt partners to clarify boundaries, ...

It’s believed that this was an extremely common practice. In 13th-century France, they supposedly even passed a law requiring residents to shout three times before emptying a pot: “Watch out, water!” ...

What Are Wormholes and Do They Actually Exist? One foot here, the other thousands of light-years away. If you’ve watched the film “Interstellar” or the series “Stargate,” you’ve probably imagined ...

Rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, stomach cramps, trembling knees—the iron grip of fear is unmistakable. It’s one of the least controllable emotions, making it very difficult to suppress or hide. But can ...

Who was famous for his love of flamingo tongues, why cheese overdoses are dangerous, and why pranks with whoopee cushions are a bad idea. Aulus Vitellius began his political career as a governor in ...

Imagine you see a stray dog running toward you. At that moment, the image of the dog, the sound of its running, and other sensory information is transmitted through the thalamus and cerebral cortex to ...

In 1888, in the London district of Whitechapel and its surroundings, an unknown serial killer strangled and then stabbed at least five women: Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, ...