Culture

Latest

A woman at a clear white board writes down ideas.

Can humanity run out of ideas?

By Paula Schaap published

Humans will likely never run out of regular, mundane ideas, but whether will will run out of big ideas is a more nuanced issue.

A boy sticking his tongue out while he concentrates.

Why do we stick out our tongues when we're concentrating?

By Donavyn Coffey published

Researchers have several ideas as to why people sometimes stick out their tongues when they're concentrating.

American culture: A cowboy

American Culture: Traditions and Customs of the United States

By Kim Ann Zimmermann, Callum McKelvie published

Reference Nearly every region of the world has influenced the customs and traditions of the United States.

Reference
Gravity? What gravity?

Are flat-earthers being serious?

By Stephanie Pappas published

Of all the conspiracy theories that litter the Internet, the flat Earth conspiracy is quite possibly the most curious. Here's a look at what flat-earthers believe and why.

Culture Buddhist temple Seigantoji at Nachi Falls, Japan

What is culture?

By Stephanie Pappas, Callum McKelvie published

Reference Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.

Reference
Reproduction of Ötzi the Iceman an in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy

Ötzi the Iceman: The famous frozen mummy

By Tom Garlinghouse, Jessica Leggett published

Reference Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old man whose mummified remains were dug out of an Italian glacier in the Alps, has fascinated the public since his discovery in 1991.

Reference
A person sits on a cliff over a river.

What is the 'call of the void'?

By Joe Phelan published

Sometimes people feel the "call of the void," an unexpected urge to jump from a dangerous place. Here's why.

A statue of Sherlock Holmes in front of Baker Street Station. The famous detective was all about deductive reasoning and known for saying: "'Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth."

Deductive reasoning vs. Inductive reasoning

By Alina Bradford, Mindy Weisberger published

Here's a look at the differences between deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning, with examples of each type of scientific reasoning.

A woman holds up a hamburger

Are humans at the top of the food chain?

By Isobel Whitcomb published

Lions, wolves and great white sharks have no natural predators, except humans. Does that mean humans are at the top of the food chain?

Fascism leaders, May 9, 1938: German dictator Adolf Hitler and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini standing in the back of a car, on display as they drive through Rome.

What is fascism?

By Mindy Weisberger published

Reference Fascism is a political ideology usually characterized by authoritarianism and nationalism. However, many scholars say the concept is difficult to define.

Reference
Waving a transgender flag during a gay pride march.

What does transgender mean?

By Alina Bradford, Timothy Williamson published

Reference The term transgender describes people whose gender identity differs from the sex to which they were assigned at birth.

Reference
Two women with similar personality traits laughing in conversation.

Personality traits & personality types: What personality type are you?

By Stephanie Pappas, Ben Biggs published

REFERENCE What makes you, you? Psychologists sketch out personality traits using the "Big Five".

REFERENCE
When babies are born, they breathe through their lungs for the first time.

What happens when a baby takes its first breath?

By Donavyn Coffey published

Fetuses don't breathe oxygen in utero, so how do newly born babies figure it out?

Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. This black and white image of a dewy spider web on a tree branch would not be attractive to someone with arachnophobia.

What is arachnophobia?

By Jennifer Leman published

Arachnophobia is a fear of arachnids, a group of arthropods that includes spiders, scorpions, ticks and mites.

A side profile photo of a person and a robot face to face.

Will humans ever be immortal?

By Patrick Pester published

Humans are getting better at staving off death our technological and medical advances. But could humans ever become immortal?

The first "Fountain of Tolerance," in the Italian village of Fontecchio, offers the opportunity to become a human-alien hybrid, via the ingestion of meteorite-infused water.

Art project creates 'human-alien hybrids' with meteorite-infused water

By Mike Wall published

The water flowing from a medieval fountain in the Italian village of Fontecchio bubbles with extraterrestrial effervescence.

Man paints a design on a wall outside.

Are left-handed people smarter?

By Randyn Bartholomew published

Here's a look at the research about whether left-handed people are smarter than righties.

Neon "psychic" sign in a shop window.

What is ESP?

By Isobel Whitcomb published

Also known as "the sixth sense" or "psi," extrasensory perception, or ESP, encompasses a wide range of paranormal abilities, including mind reading and predicting the future.

Concept of a narcissistic and egoistic man.

There are 2 types of narcissists. Here's what makes each tick.

By Nikhila Mahadevan published

Chances are you've met a narcissist. Here's what's behind the gigantic ego.

German mathematician Emmy Noether (shown here in this portrait) was born on March 23, 1882, in Erlangen, Germany, and died April 14, 1935, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Math genius Emmy Noether endured sexism and Nazism. 100 years later, her ideas still ring true.

By Tamar Lichter Blanks published

Albert Einstein described Emmy Noether as a "creative mathematical genius" who, despite "unselfish, significant work over a period of many years," did not get the recognition she deserved.