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The explosive history of spontaneous combustion

Popular Science

In Europe in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, nearly a dozen cases of supposed spontaneous combustion were reported. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. In December 2010, Michael Faherty died in his home in Galway, Ireland. His body was burned and the fireplace was lit, but there was no other source of flames or fuel.


Movies use this one musical trick to make you feel miserable

Popular Science

Plus a roller coaster'thoosie' and other weird things we learned this week. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. An 800-year-old Latin chant called the Dies irae will hit your feels. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. What's the weirdest thing you learned this week?


18 silly finalists from the Comedy Wildlife People's Choice Awards

Popular Science

And your prestigious winner is...*drumroll please*...a bird with grass on its face. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Now which direction is my nest? Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The people have spoken chuckled.


Why do female reindeer have antlers? Cannibalism, probably.

Popular Science

Science The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week Why do female reindeer have antlers? Plus wild neutrinos and other weird things we learned this week. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. What's the weirdest thing you learned this week?


Hawaiian forest birds are stealing each other's twigs

Popular Science

Environment Animals Wildlife Birds Hawaiian forest birds are stealing each other's twigs Kleptoparasitism is a risky crime sweeping the islands' forests. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Bright red iʻiwi birds are among the offenders. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Birds in Hawaii are stealing from each other, and this bird-on-bird crime even extends to members of the same species.


Why don't we remember being babies?

Popular Science

Science Ask Us Anything Why don't we remember being babies? Yet we never forget how to ride a bike. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Are our childhood memories lost or locked? Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Was it a birthday party? Even though little kids remember plenty, most of us lose access to key memories as we get older. It's something scientists call childhood amnesia. We explore just that in a recent episode of the Ask Us Anything podcast, delving into the science behind why our brains forget our earliest memories. 's Ask Us Anything podcast (as well as our written series of the same name) answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions--from the everyday things you've always wondered to the bizarre things you never thought to ask.


Litter of 5 bear cubs spotted in Connecticut for the first time

Popular Science

About 1,000 to 1,200 black bears call the Nutmeg State home. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The state of Connecticut is probably not the first place that comes to mind when you think of bears . However, the Nutmeg State is home to about 1,000 to 1,200 black bears () bears.


Yes, your lobster dinner probably died an excruciating death

Popular Science

Pain killers seem to work on lobsters, so being boiled alive may be just as gruesome as it sounds. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. A growing body of research suggests that the crustaceans can feel pain. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. When it's time to cook a lobster, the crustaceans are infamously boiled alive.


50,000 illegal shark fins found inside fake car part boxes

Popular Science

The poached ingredients worth $1.3 million were seized in a nationwide hunt. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Shark fins remain a prized delicacy despite conservation efforts and education. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recently exposed a major international smuggling operation orchestrated across at least three cities around the country.


New spider named for Pink Floyd devours bugs 6x its size

Popular Science

Maybe the tiny hunter should've been named after Metallica? More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. We can call this newly discovered spider another brick--or web--in the wall. Scientists in Colombia named the new species in honor of English rock band Pink Floyd and the arachnid's preferred habitat--walls.