Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

Science

An archaeological mystery in Ghana: Why didn't past droughts spell famine?

An archaeological mystery in Ghana: Why didn't past droughts spell famine?

A terrible drought hit Ghana in the 1400s, far worse than today's conditions. Yet people had enough to eat, while today they go hungry. What changed? In a word, colonialism, a new study suggests.
by Winifred Bird

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
What does it take to get permanently banned from Twitter?

What does it take to get permanently banned from Twitter?

Twitter says it's reviewing its hateful-conduct policy. The suspension of conservative writer Milo Yiannopoulos has prompted a new focus on the company's ongoing struggle to rein in abusive messages.
by Alina Selyukh

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
What is a paradigm shift, anyway?

What is a paradigm shift, anyway?

Thomas Kuhn, the well-known physicist, philosopher and historian of science, was born 94 years ago today. Psychologist Tania Lombrozo takes a look at what his "paradigm shift" really means.
by Tania Lombrozo

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Spacefaring stamp sets world record

Spacefaring stamp sets world record

The "Pluto: Not Yet Explored" stamp has traveled farther than any other stamp, hitching a ride on the New Horizons space probe, which accomplished its closest flyby of the dwarf planet last summer.
by Jason Slotkin

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Where did agriculture begin? It's complicated

Where did agriculture begin? It's complicated

Scientists have long assumed that farming began among one group in the Mideast. But a new study suggests a more diverse origin story.
by Rhitu Chatterjee

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Marine ecologist on swimming with sharks, what 'Jaws' got wrong

Marine ecologist on swimming with sharks, what 'Jaws' got wrong

Neil Hammerschlag has looked inside the mouth of a wild tiger shark and lived to tell the tale. He says that sharks pose only a very small risk to people: "Humans are not on the shark's menu."

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
In wake of shootings, Facebook struggles to define hate speech

In wake of shootings, Facebook struggles to define hate speech

After last week's police shootings, Facebook received a flood of complaints, with users calling out posts as hate speech. According to Facebook insiders, the company was not prepared.
by Aarti Shahani

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!