Life's Little Mysteries

Is Teflon, the clear plastic used to coat pots and pans, safe to use?

This parasite may manipulate your brain to make you take more risks.

The Sahara was once a grass and shrub-covered steppe. Could this ever happen again?

Fire safety involves "fire resistant" and "flame retardant" measures.

Single-cell microbes known as bacteria are simpler than most forms of life, yet they are still intriguingly complex.

What did people use instead of toilet paper? Seashells, tapestries, wooden sticks and more.

The nothingness of space is hard to wrap our heads around.

Have you ever wondered why humans can't digest corn?

It's possible that a pup's cold, wet nose acts as an infrared sensor.

It apparently comes down to THC and endocannabinoid receptors in the brain.

With enough heat and oxygen, diamonds will burn.

No, but the crown did popularize the orange carrot.

Just as Earth orbits the sun, our sun orbits the galaxy.

We've got good news for men.

This alcoholic beverage has quenched thirsts for thousands of years and is one of the oldest chemistry experiments in the world.

Personality isn't fixed

No, Churchill just really wanted Brits to eat more carrots.

Lacking human oversight, glitches in oil refineries and nuclear plants could lead to fires, nuclear explosions and fallout.

Identity, politics and good, old fashioned resistance to change.