Modern Countries
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A U.S. Spy Agency’s Leftover, Hubble-Sized Satellite Could Be on Its Way to Mars
What do you do with a spare world-class satellite?
May 15, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
E. Coli Can Survive the Freezing Cold Winter Hidden in Manure
Even the harsh Canadian winter can't kill these hardy bacteria
May 15, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Watch Out: This Year’s Fire Season Will Be Another Bad One for the West
A warm, dry winter has set the stage for another bad year of forest fires in the western U.S.
May 14, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
You Can Now Get a College Degree in Rock
In Nottingham, England, you can now get a college degree studying Heavy Metal
May 14, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Police Could Soon Get Their Hands on the U.S. Military’s ‘Pain Ray’
This high frequency microwave weapon makes you feel like your skin is burning, but leaves no scars
May 14, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Buried Pig Bodies Help Scientists Refine Search Methods for Mass Graves
Currently, the science of detecting mass graves is hit or miss, though the remains of thousands of missing persons may be stashed in clandestine graves
May 14, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Curses! The Four-Letter Word Renaissance Speakers Wouldn’t Flinch At
Back in the ninth century, the S-word referred to excrement in a matter-of-fact, not a vulgar, way
May 13, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Shell Is Drilling the World’s Deepest Offshore Oil Well in the Gulf of Mexico
The new well contains around 250 million barrels of recoverable oil total - or just over three percent of the oil used by the U.S. each year
May 09, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Could Lightning Come From Space?
Cosmic rays may cause a "runaway breakdown" of electrons when they collide with highly charged particles in thunderclouds
May 09, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
You Totally Would Have Wanted This Little Dome-Headed Dinosaur as a Pet
Just 90 pounds and 6 feet tall, this newly discovered dinosaur is the oldest of its kind
May 08, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
U.S. Gives Mongolia Its Tyrannosauras Skeleton Back
The U.S. government is returning a Tyrannosaurus skeleton to Mongolia and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is giving two statues back to Cambodia
May 07, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The History of Baseball Stadium Nachos
From a Mexican maitre 'd's mishap in 1943 to the gooey, orange stuff you put on your chips at the baseball game today.
May 07, 2013 |
By K. Annabelle Smith
Nearly 4,500 Kids Are Injured on Amusement Park Rides Each Year
Based on current trends in the amusement park market, these injury numbers probably won't go down any time soon
May 06, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
One Upside to Drought: the Fewest Tornadoes in the U.S. in At Least 60 Years
No water in the air means less fuel for tornadoes
May 06, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
London’s Secret Gardens
Follow us to these fragrant green oases secreted away within central and far-flung London neighborhoods
May 06, 2013 |
By Rocky Casale
Celebrate the Kentucky Derby With Henry Clay’s Mint Julep Recipe
Sip one of Henry Clay's very own mint juleps or spoon down a bowl of burgoo, aka roadkill soup
May 03, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
African-Americans Sent Thousands of Anti-Slavery Petitions in the 18th and 19th Century
The petitions lend insight into the lives of African Americans during this tumultuous period in U.S. history, and now they're being digitized for all to see
May 03, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Game Wardens Helped Poachers Kill the Last of Mozambique’s Rhinos
Mozambique's rhinos have been living on the edge of extinction for more than a century, but now they're finally gone for good
May 02, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
What’s Better at the New Orleans Jazz Fest: The Food or the Music?
From oyster patties to po'boys, crawfish to étouffée, the caterers and restaurants offer strong competition to the legends on the big stage
May 02, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Some Shoppers Actively Avoid ‘Green’ Products
While energy efficiency and green labeling is a popular marketing strategy today, this strategy can polarize some conservative customers
May 02, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer


