Why some people get motion sickness--and others don't When your eyes, ears, and brain don't agree, it can mean bad news for your stomach. "Everyone is capable of motion sickness," says Dr. Kristen K. Steenerson, a clinical associate professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. A couple of years ago, I found myself traveling along the Drake Passage to Antarctica when our ship encountered a patch of 15-foot-tall swells. Waves were slamming against the exterior of our vessel, causing nauseated passengers to run to their rooms and stay there.

From chirps to'hellos': Why some birds talk like people Brains, bonds, and a strange voice box help some birds mimic our speech. Budgies (which is short for budgerigar) are actually a specific kind of parakeet. These birds are excellent communicators. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. In 1995, a California parakeet earned the Guinness World Record for having the largest human vocabulary among birds.

Hormones, shifting organs, and a growing baby can leave permanent marks. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. We've all seen the photos: a celebrity gives birth on Tuesday and looks flawless in a bikini by Thursday. Meanwhile, the rest of us are still trying to figure out what happened to our feet. The truth is pregnancy causes some surprising long-term changes to your body, regardless of whether you're a celebrity or a soccer mom.

Why do your joints hurt when it's cold? And what you can do to ease the aches. Winter can amplify aches and pains through pressure shifts, reduced movement, and muscle tightening. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Each winter, over a million "snowbirds" descend on places like Florida and Arizona to avoid the season's freezing temperatures and instead, ride it out in warmth.

A 2024 study found that cats learn to associate images with words faster than human babies. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. "My cat always watches my phone as I text or read a book," someone wrote on Reddit . "Even right now she is on my shoulder, intently watching what I am typing on this post. Can she read or is she just interested in what I am doing?"

Why do elephants have such big ears? The multi-use appendages are kind of like their superpower. The African elephant has some of the world's biggest ears, measuring more than six feet long and more than four feet wide. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. While real life elephants can't fly, they certainly have enormous ears.

Why do we have five fingers and toes? It all goes back to our fishy ancestors. The answer to why we have five fingers and toes is surprisingly difficult to suss out. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. The popular nursery rhyme is an early childhood memory for many of us.

Why our bodies shake when it's cold. Involuntary muscle contractions keep us warm and even fight infections. "Shivering is a way for our bodies to generate heat when we are cold," says Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, a family physician based in Phoenix, Arizona. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. You're walking down a Chicago street on a blustery winter day, when a particularly strong wind almost whips you off of your feet.

Jon Kotwicki jokes that converting an aluminum plane in Alaska is the "worst idea that a person could possibly have." This 108-foot-long former cargo plane now has a king size bed, washer dryer, and heated floors, but the build was by no means easy. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. When flight instructor and former commercial airline pilot Jon Kotwicki happened upon a DC-6 air freighter for sale in 2022, he knew it was the perfect plane to transform into an overnight rental. However, once he made the purchase, "my first thought," says Kotwicki, "was, 'My God, what have I done?'" Built in 1956, the 117-foot-wide, 108-foot-long cargo plane had spent its days carrying freight and fuel to remote villages in Alaska before retiring from flight.

Our noses take a shortcut to our happiest memories. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Pine is one of those scents that can change a room, and your mood, in an instant. One whiff, and suddenly you're transported to a world of woodsy snowscapes, twinkling lights, a fresh-cut tree shedding needles in your childhood living room . The scent soothing and joyful but why? Turns out the answer has less to do with what's inside the tree, and everything to do with what's inside us.