Continents
Six Centuries Ago, Chinese Explorers Left This Coin Behind in Africa
Emperor Yongle was perhaps best know for starting the initial construction of Beijing's Forbidden City, but he also sent huge fleets of ships, under the command of admiral Zheng He, out across the ocean to faraway lands
March 15, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Cannibals of the Past Had Plenty of Reasons to Eat People
For a long time cannibalism was a survival technique, a cultural practice, and a legitimate source of protein
March 14, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio Chosen As New Pope
Pope Francis is the first South American ever to hold the position and the first non-European pope in more than 1,000 years
March 13, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Centuries Ago, a Cat Walked Across This Medieval Manuscript
While pawing through a stack of medieval manuscripts from Dubrovnik, Croatia, a student stumbled upon a familiar set of splotches marring the book's pages
March 12, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
This Giant Snail Is Giving Australia Terrible Flashbacks to the Last Giant Snail Takeover
The giant African snail is a true nightmare. So when Australian officials found one in a shipping container yard in Brisbane, they destroyed it as quickly as possible
March 12, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Faces From Afar: One American’s Endeavor to Kick Ecuador’s Vegetable Oil Habit
Coconut oil is healthy. It smells and tastes like sweet tropical butter. Yet almost nobody in Ecuador uses it
March 12, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
A Warming Climate Is Turning the Arctic Green
The world is getting warmer, and the Arctic is getting greener
March 11, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
The Amazon Rainforest Should Deal With Climate Change Better Than We Thought
Contrary to previous research, tropical rainforests should be able to stand up to climate change
March 11, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
The European Union Wants to Ban Pornography
But the resolution is relatively vague on what exactly pornography is
March 11, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Cold, Hungry and Happy in the High Andes
Just 40 bucks in cash, a warm sleeping bag and plenty of wine carry the author through his final days in Ecuador, in the remote high country outside of Quito
March 08, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
What Does This Head From the Thirteenth Century Tell Us About Medieval Medicine?
What can a dissection specimen from the 13th century tell us about the Dark Ages?
March 06, 2013 |
By Angela Serratore
Fake Bishop Tries to Crash Pope-Choosing Party
An impostor bishop crashes important papacy-related meeting
March 06, 2013 |
By Angela Serratore
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Dies at 58
The long-time leader, popular for his leftist views and tight control over oil, succumbs to cancer
March 05, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
North Korea Has Begun a Week-Long Countdown to War
North Korea is threatening to end a 60 year-old ceasefire with South Korea
March 05, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Luxury Home Developer Wants to Tear Down Part of the Berlin Wall’s Remains
Cultural preservation met urban development over the weekend with protests to save the Berlin Wall
March 05, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
The Nazi’s Concentration Camp System Was, Somehow, Even Worse Than We Knew
There were tens of thousands more Nazi prisons and concentration camps than anyone previously realized.
March 05, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Being a Soccer Fan Can Actually Kill You
During the 2006 World Cup watching a soccer game doubled the risk of a heart attack in German fans
March 04, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Biking Ecuador’s Spectacular Avenue of the Volcanoes
Home to a string of high peaks, including 20,564-foot Chimborazo, the area offers some of the finest cycling, hiking and adventuring country anywhere
March 03, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
This Simple Test Could Help Stop River Blindness
River blindness, one of the world's leading causes of blindness, begins when a small parasitic worm wiggles its way into human skin
March 01, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Why Did (or Didn’t) the Meerkat Cross the Road?
Dominant female meerkats hang back to let subordinates cross busy, dangerous roads first
March 01, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
