Life's Little Mysteries

Franklin was being sarcastic. But dig into the story of how the myth arose and it just gets weirder and weirder.

Fetuses show preliminary facial expressions that look like cries starting around 24 to 35 weeks. These facial movements of crying are soundless and too subtle to be felt by the mother.

Zebras' black-and-white coloration is iconic, but what color are their stripes?

Historians are still uncertain about what happened to the vanished English colonists at Roanoke, but they have several theories.

Reference Although millions of people celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on Dec. 25, most scholars agree that he wasn't born on that day, or even in the year 1 A.D.

Scientists recently found that a so-called jumping gene may have jumped ship millions of years ago, and taken our tails with it.

The number of satellites orbiting Earth is skyrocketing, and this may be causing more problems than solutions in the long term.

Here's what would happen to an astronaut's body if they didn't have a spacesuit protecting them in outer space.

Fictional cyborgs have appeared in science fiction since the 1920s, but who was the first human to fuse with technology and become a real-life cyborg?

Humanity shaped the world at the expense of many species, which were driven to extinction through our activities. How would Earth be different if modern humans never existed?

The effectiveness of the flu shot varies from year to year, but often, it isn't very high.

The president wears many hats, but how is the Commander in Chief's time spent?

Most people see only one sunset a day. How many more could you catch, if you really tried?

If the flu shot is, on average, between 40% and 60% effective at preventing the flu, why should you get it?

Here are some theories as to why cold air helps get rid of nausea.

What was the fate of those charged with witchcraft at Salem?

Here's what would happen if the speed of light were orders of magnitude slower.

Ancient people came up with a number of creative ways to store leftovers.

Istanbul has had many names, including Byzantium, New Rome and Constantinople. It didn't officially become Istanbul until 1930.

As men age, their testosterone levels stay high until age 70 or so, prompting their eyebrows — and ear and nose hair, too — to grow longer and longer.