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The Up-Goer Five Thing, Where Learned People Explain Hard Stuff With Easy Words

Writing about really hard things using only a couple of words is much harder than you would think

Mycobacterium leprae, in red.

Leprosy Can Turn Nerve Cells Into Stem Cells

The scourge of biblical times could open up a new way of making stem cells in the lab

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Too Much Chili Powder Or Black Pepper Can Kill Kids

A two year old girl died after her caretaker allegedly poisoned her with chili powder

That bright little blob in the upper lefthand corner is North Dakota’s natural gas flares.

At Night, Giant Fields of Burning Natural Gas Make North Dakota Visibile From Space

Locals have a new nickname for their state. North Dakota: “Kuwait on the Prairie”

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The Most Famous Fake Women in History

Manti Te’o isn’t the first person to invent (or, have invented for him) a lady. Here are five other women who never existed

Dear Abby, America’s Favorite Advice Columnist, Dies at 94

Nearly 60 years ago, Pauline Phillips became Dear Abby, and her advice has since been read by tens of millions

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Star Trek Got Warp Speed All Wrong

Hold everything people. The blast of a star and light that happens in Star Trek when they jump to warp speed? Wrong! It wouldn’t look like that at all, according to some physicists

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The ISS’s New Inflatable Room Could Pave the Way for Space Hotels

Set to launch in 2015, this new piece of the International Space Station is designed to be blown up like a balloon

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Just Twenty-Nine Dominoes Could Knock Down the Empire State Building

With just 29 dominoes, you can take down the Empire State Building

How Do Doctors Want To Die?

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The Latest Fleet of 787s Is Nothing But Trouble

The new 787 Dreamliner fleet has been plagued with issues, including electrical problems, broken windows, fires and engine failures

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Giant Sinkhole Is Swallowing Up a Louisiana Bayou Community

Mining activities likely opened up this apparent pit to hell, forcing residents to evacuate and spewing toxins into the environment

Coal-fired stoves are a major source of black carbon.

Black Carbon May Contribute Almost as Much as Carbon Dioxide to Global Warming

Black carbon’s role in driving warming is much higher than previously thought

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The U.S. Once Wanted To Use Nuclear Bombs as a Construction Tool

From digging a harbor to expanding the Panama Canal, how couldn’t nuclear bombs be used?

Horse Meat Turned Up in Irish And British Burger Meat

Hamburger meat is never the healthiest option, but it does come with a few basic assumption—like that it’s made from cows

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Brits Are Allowed To Insult Each Other Once More

For the past 27 years, it’s been against the law for Brits to insult each other

Chimps Have an Innate Sense of Fairness

Human ideals about fairness may not be so human after all

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To Understand the Largest Structure Ever Found, We Need to Rethink the Basic Principles of the Universe

These 73 quasars—massive, extremely remote celestial objects—stretch for about 4 billion light years

Is It Too Late To Forgive Lance Armstrong?

How To Send Secret Messages With Skype

And now that you know you can—don’t you want to?

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