Life's Little Mysteries

Here's why flat world maps always have distortions.

Here's how much water is in Earth's atmosphere at any one time.

Here's what it's like inside a kangaroo's pouch, where joeys can live for up to one year.

Cannabis has long been called "skunky." Turns out, stinky sulfurous compounds are to blame.

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

Here's why wisdom teeth usually don't come in until the ages of 17 to 21.

Do scientists know if Earth is shrinking or expanding, and if this difference over time will threaten life on our planet?

Here's how the term "horsepower" got its start and why we still use it today.

Here's what historians have to say about whether Benjamin Franklin really flew a kite tied to a key during a lightning storm.

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

Other mountains could be considered Earth's tallest; it just depends how you measure them.

Some stars don't have planets orbiting them. Here's why.

Here's the science and psychology behind why drinking a warm glass of milk may help you fall asleep.

The sun is in its main sequence, but how do scientists know when our nearest star will begin to call it quits?

If humans suddenly went extinct, what animals are most likely to develop human-like societies?

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