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Chemicals in the Blood Could Warn of Suicidal Thoughts

Preliminary work has found chemical signs, hidden in the blood, of peoples’ internal struggles

About the only use modern humans have for their urine is in health screenings. But preindustrial workers built entire industries based on the scientific properties of pee.

From Gunpowder to Teeth Whitener: The Science Behind Historic Uses of Urine

Preindustrial workers built huge industries based on the liquid’s cleaning power and corrosiveness—and the staler the pee, the better

The whole map, in all its zoomable, scrollable glory, can be found here.

This Map, With a Dot for Every American, Shows the Country’s Racial Divisions

With one dot for every person, color-coded by race, this map shows the distribution of Americans

What Happens to the Internet When Google Goes Down?

For five minutes on Friday, Google.com went down. While it was down the internet saw a 40% drop in traffic

Iranian Schools May Soon Teach “Drone Hunting”

The details of the new high school curriculum remain elusive, but the plan was likely inspired by the drones being deployed to the Middle East these days

Before Crime Novels, the Late Elmore Leonard Specialized in Westerns

The author was in the middle of a 46th novel when he passed away following complications from a stroke

To Exercise More, Sleep More First

Exercise is not a quick fix for sleeplessness, but rather a sleep aid that kicks in only with a long term investment of a regular schedule at the gym

By analyzing a piece of fish’s DNA, researchers have found that roughly a third of U.S. seafood is mislabeled.

How DNA Testing Can Tell You What Type of Fish You’re Really Eating

By analyzing a the DNA of fish sold across the country, researchers have found that roughly a third of U.S. seafood is mislabeled

It’s 95 Percent Certain That We’re the Main Cause of Climate Change

A leaked copy of an upcoming report reinforces the fact that we are the main cause of modern climate change

Bottles of imported sake line the shelves at True Sake, in San Francisco. Soon, the small retail shop will begin carrying sake made in America.

Can You Taste the Difference Between American and Japanese Sake?

Sake has been brewed for thousands of years in Japan. Now, American brewers are starting to make sake—but is it any good?

Technology has pushed education in good and bad directions.

10 Things We’ve Learned About Learning

For starters, laptops in classrooms are a big distraction, singing phrases can help you learn a language and multitasking isn’t good for your grades

Here’s an Incredible Image of Venus Passing in Front of the Sun

The tiny black dot on the top lefthand side is Venus.

Architects are using a puzzle-like map to get Israelis to think about how a peace plan might look.

Can Architecture Help Solve the Israeli-Palestinian Dispute?

The key to bringing these nations together in peace may be to first think of the territories as moveable pieces

From 1700 to 2000, the evolution of American anthromes

Watch How America’s Lands Changed From Forests to Fields

“Arthromes” are like biomes, but they acknowledge humanity’s influence

Millennials’ Raucous “Hookup Culture” Is All a Big Myth

From the 80s to today, college-aged kids aren’t having any more sex than before

Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza with President Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in 1962

The CIA Finally Admitted It Orchestrated the Iranian Coup of 1953

A newly-released 1970s internal CIA report admits the agency’s involvement in the 1953 coup

183 Children Died in a Stampede for Toys in 1883

Victoria Hall had at least one good outcome: the invention of outward opening emergency exits and the invention of the “push bar” emergency door

Before Robots, Japan Had Tiny Dolls That Tumbled Down Stairs And Served Tea

Automata paved the way for the creepy, lifelike robots we see today

Crashed Costa Concordia Is Still Sitting in the Water in Italy

It’s been 19 months since the crash, but the ship is still in the water

George Fabian Lawrence, better known as “Stoney Jack,” parlayed his friendships with London navvies into a stunning series of archaeological discoveries between 1895 and 1939.

The Commoner Who Salvaged a King’s Ransom

A furtive antiquarian nicknamed Stoney Jack was responsible for almost every major archaeological find made in London between 1895 and 1939

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