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Landing Curiosity on Mars was Way Harder and Way Less Expensive than the Olympics

Landing a car-sized rover on a distant planet using a sky crane is really hard, and really awesome.

Mark Twain. Left: Photographed by Life Magazine. Left, in Tesla’s Lab, photographed by Wutz

The Only Footage of Mark Twain in Existence

This silent film footage was taken in 1909 by Thomas Edison at Mark Twain's estate

Longhorn cattle in Houston, Texas.

Why Do Cows Have Spots?

Cows' mottled coats may have evolved to help keep flies away.

“The Energy-Water Collision”

41% of Water in the US is Used for Power Generation

The Union of Concerned Scientists describes how warming and drought can cause problems for power generation

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How to Recognize and Avoid Fake Health Food

It's no surprise that many of food health labels stray from truth, but how can we cut the rubbish and identify the things that are actually good for us?

The European Space Agency wants to put an unmanned lander on the Moon in 2018.

India Wants to go to Mars Too, And Other Upcoming Space Missions

Though all eyes are on Curiosity, space agencies from around the world have by no means been resting on their laurels.

In Step With Income Inequality, US Cities More Geographically Segregated than Ever

Residential segregation has increased by income in 27 out of 30 of America's metropolises, and in some cases translates to shorter lives in poorer areas

Political geography of America, March 30 1822 to November 15 1824

170 Years of America’s Evolution In One Animated GIF

In one click, the drifting lines and changing colors take you through 170 years of history.

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Scientists Explain How an All Drug Olympics Could Create the Greatest Athletes Ever

If we let athletes dope all they want, just how big, fast and strong can they really get?

Jesse Owens

76 Years Ago Today, Jesse Owens Proved the Nazis Wrong

In 1936 Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, throwing the idea of Aryan supremacy back into Hitler's face

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Teens Predict Their Own Downward Spirals

For teens, having low expectations about living long, healthy lives turns out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

This palm frond fossil dating to the the Eocene period was found in Utah’s Green River Basin.

Ancient Climate Change Meant Antarctica Was Once Covered with Palm Trees

53 million years ago, Antarctica was so warm that palm trees lived along its shores.

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Why don’t sprinters start with a pistol anymore? They’re too fast

The classic starting gun leaves too much margin of error, so London has switch to an electronic beep.

Clear rosin represents the mother’s tissue, while the fetus is suspended in white.

Why 3-D Printed Fetuses Represent the Future of Medical Imaging

A 3-D printed fetus might seem strange, but it represents an opportunity to improve medical education and imaging.

Like this dinosaur, but not made of stone.

Australian Billionaire in Talks with Cloning Pioneers to Build Real Jurassic Park

With his billions of dollars, Clive Palmer is investigating cloning dinosaurs to build a real life Jurassic Park

“Night At The Museum” For Adults Lets You Sleep Over With Dinosaurs

London's Natural History Museum is challenging adults to channel their inner child in an upcoming grown ups-only slumber party

The Beaufort Sea, off the coast of Alaska, on July 25, 2006.

Miners, Drillers Push Into Void Left By Melting Arctic Ice

The opening of parts of the Arctic Ocean each summer, and the melting of surface ice on northern landscapes, driving a gold rush into the Arctic frontier

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Research Suggests Politicians are More Likely to Be Psychopaths

Several of the characteristics that define a psychopath also correspond to the traits that make for effective leaders. For politicians, this is true

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Old-Timey Olympians Show How Things Have Changed

Clendenin's photos evoke the feeling that for all the changes seen by the modern Olympic games, the athletes themselves could be transposed across time

Artist rendering of Curiosity cruising the Martian surface

How to Follow Every Second of the Curiosity Mars Mission

The Curiosity lander sets down in just a few days, and here's who to follow on Twitter in anticipation

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