Modern Countries
- Explore more »
Prolonged Drought Could Shut Down Shipping on the Mighty Mississippi
This time last year the Mississippi around St. Louis was 20 feet deeper
December 18, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Not Even Canadians Are Likely To Get a White Christmas This Year
The odds of a white Christmas has dropped 15% in recent decades
December 17, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Rasputin Was Murdered Today in 1916
It's still a mystery who exactly orchestrated and carried out the deed
December 17, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Soon There Should Be Fewer Microscopic Soot Particles in the Air
The Obama administration just set new limits on soot from smoke stacks and diesel engines, a type of air pollution linked to early death and higher rates of heart attacks, strokes and lung diseases
December 17, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
This Nostalgic Private Collection Has 1,713 Photos of Old-Fashioned Cans, Jars and Clippings
Flickr user Roadsidepictures offers hundreds of images of vintage product packaging spanning most of the 20th century
December 14, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Why Japan is Obsessed with Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas
Thanks to the insanely successful “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!” (Kentucky for Christmas!) marketing campaign in 1974, Japan can't get enough KFC on Christmas Day
December 14, 2012 |
By K. Annabelle Smith
To Treat Drug Dependency, Doctors Are Burning Off Chunks of Addicts’ Brains
Through surgical means, doctors burn away the parts of the brain that deal with pleasure and motivation.
December 14, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
After Nearly 70 Years, How Do Stealth Planes Stay Stealthy?
From the Horten Ho 229 to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, stealth technology has changed a lot
December 13, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Boredom Didn’t Exist as an Emotion in Darwin’s Days
In 1868, Darwin set out to quantify human emotion in a series of novel experiments, which researchers are recreating today
December 13, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Brits Whine About the Weather on Twitter More Than Any Other Nation
Thanks to Twitter, even people with no direct contact Great Britain's subjects can bask in its citizen's propensity for weather-related complaint
December 13, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Before the Civil War, There Were 8,000 Different Kinds of Money in the U.S.
It wasn't until after the war that the U.S. started to really use the dollar
December 12, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
As the World Warms, the Future of Skiing Looks Bleak
Climate change is delivering serious wounds to the winter sport all over the globe
December 11, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
A New Way to Generate Brain Cells from Pee
This trick could help supply cells for studying the mechanisms of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
December 11, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Start Hoarding Your Beans, Thanks to Climate Change, $7 Coffee May Be the Norm
Starbucks most expensive cup of coffee to date raises the question, how high can we go?
December 10, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Environmentalists Want To Keep Oil Platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Wait, What?
Oil companies want to pull their rigs from the Gulf, but environmentalists are saying "no"
December 10, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Stylish But Illegal Monkey Caught at Ikea
A confused monkey wearing a shearling coat and diaper was found wandering around outside an Ikea store in Toronto
December 10, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
It’s Been 40 Years Since Anyone Rode a Rocket to the Moon
Apollo 17 took off forty years ago today
December 07, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
It’s the Final Day of the Doha Climate Talks, And, Uh, Did Anything Actually Happen?
Reports from Doha don't provide much hope that any progress has been made on the increasingly urgent issue of global climate change
December 07, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Where to Watch the Biggest Waves Break
From Waimea Bay to "Mavericks," here are some superb sites to watch surfers catch the biggest breakers in the world this winter
December 06, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
After Decades of Wishing for a Mars Colony, It May Finally Be Within Reach
With multiple paths to the red planet laid out, we might actually see people on Mars in the next few decades
December 06, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
