Life's Little Mysteries

It may sound like science fiction, but can actual science keep a brain alive in a vat?

Some people who visit Paris develop extreme symptoms — such as nausea, vomiting and hallucinations — when their expectations of the city do not jibe with reality.

Attila the Hun invaded the Roman Empire and led the Hunnic Empire in Central Asia. But where was he buried?

Even when there is substantial evidence to the contrary, the allure of conspiracy theories may be too powerful for some to resist.

Forests took millions of years to evolve after the first land plants arrived, waiting for precursors to roots and branches to arrive and for CO2 levels to get just right.

Your body's cells are constantly replicating themselves, but the rate of renewal depends on where those cells are located and what they do.

Like some other metals, copper oxidizes when left out in the elements, but the coloring process is complicated.

More than 70% of our little blue planet is covered by water, but we can only drink a tiny fraction of it. Why can't we drink saltwater when it is all around us?

If the surface of your skin gets too chilly, the brain sets into motion a series of warming tricks such as shivering.

There are a myriad of answers to the question, "why are manhole covers round?" But most of them have to do with functionality and economy.

Soda's effervescence comes from processes that super-saturate the liquid with carbon dioxide, which later escapes from the soft drink as tiny, effervescent bubbles.

Stars appear to twinkle because the light from these distant objects passes through wobbly air in the atmosphere.

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element with properties similar to those found in phosphorus. It is also a deadly toxin that is difficult to detect.

Science suggests that words aren't strictly necessary for reasoning.

Soap is great at getting rid of pathogenic bacteria and viruses because of its molecular structure.

Pigs have sweat glands, but regulate their body temperature in other ways.

Historians aren't sure where the tomb of Genghis Khan is located, but they’ve made several educated guesses.

Chowing down pet food may not be as safe as it used to be.

Ever take a sip of a flat soda? Here's the chemistry behind it.

The Red Sea takes its name from periodic blooms of a blue-green algae called Trichodesmium erythraeum, which turn the normally vivid blue waters a reddish-brown.