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Stories from this author

Case Solved on Jack the Ripper? Not So Fast

An author and a scientist claim to have proven the identity of the notorious 19th century killer, but others say the evidence is lacking

Once Mexico Had a Wealth of Corn; Now It’s Left With a Genetically Boring Monocrop

This lack of diversity does not bode well for food sustainability and economics in light of climate change

500 Years’ Worth of Book Illustrations Have Just Been Liberated From Print

The internet’s about to get a wealth of illustrations from more than two million books

Home-Cooked Meals Are a Burden on Women

Cash- and time-strapped moms often feel pressured to cook meals for unappreciative kids and men

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Nine Different Households, Surrounded by a Week’s Worth Garbage

Photographer Gregg Segal wanted to highlight the problems of waste, pollution and overconsumption

This Project Wants to Compost People After They Die

A Seattle-based designer aims to introduce a sustainable way of disposing of bodies

Introducing Dendrogramma, a deep sea creature that resembles a mushroom but has more affinity to a jellyfish.

Deep-Sea Mushroom Creatures Found Off Australia

Neither fungi nor fish, these oddball organisms collected in 1986 may represent an early branch on the tree of life

Douglas firs in the American West.

Extreme Drought in New Mexico Cost a 650-Year-Old Tree Its Life

The 7-foot-tall douglas fir named Yoda managed to weather many a drought over the centuries, but not this last one

Action Movies Encourage Charged-Up Viewers to Overeat

People watching action flicks ate nearly twice as much as those viewing a talk show

A wild boar mama in Germany.

Radioactive Boars Are Roaming Around Germany

The boar’s meat is too contaminated from Chernobyl’s radiation to be fit for human consumption

A Lost Chapter From Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” Was Just Released

The chapter was removed after being deemed “too wild” and subversive

Neanderthal Carvings in a Gibraltar Cave Reveal Some of Europe’s Oldest Known Artwork

Some argue, however, that Homo sapiens are responsible for the etchings

Women Now Outnumber Adolescent Boys in the Gamer Community

Smartphones likely explain the sudden spike in the number of female gamers

How British Soldiers’ Gear Has Changed Over the Last 1,000 Years

Photographer Thom Atkinson traces the evolution of wooden spears to sniper rifles

Geckos Can Control the Movement of Their Toe Hairs

Geckos take advantage of van der Waals forces to run across ceilings, but a simple shift allows them to drop to the ground

Some Zoo Grass Is Electrified

Some zoo landscaping is designed to keep the animals within their cages, not for them to interact with

Why You Look Like Your Dog

It’s all in the eyes

Computer Scientists Hack Michigan Traffic Lights To Show Glaring Security Flaws

Three major weaknesses make traffic lights used in almost all U.S. states prone to attacks

The 10,000 Hour Rule Is Not Real

The biggest meta-analysis of research to date indicates that practice does not make perfect

Imagine Living on Mars In One of These Structures

You could call an acropolis, pyramid or beehive home

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