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ADVERTISEMENT We are all familiar with the phrase “your mind plays tricks on you.”  In many scientific cases, this statement has proven to be true.  The human brain is extremely complex and organized.  Professionals are skilled at making observations surrounding cognitive tendencies, but understanding the mechanisms behind human perception is challenging.  The cognitive map that [...]

Mother Nature is filled with formidable killing machines. Voracious flesh-eaters such as the thresher shark, the harpy eagle, the death stalker scorpion…and how about that rosy snail? Or the oyster mushroom? Some animals kill with teeth, claws and muscle…others kill with little more than mucus and patience. 10.  Planarian If you’ve taken college biology, you [...]

Mark ups are the small profit margins that retailers gain when an item is sold. It is the fundamental of business; it’s the reasons that the amount we pay is not what the item is actually worth. It’s the small amount of money the business owner tacks on to cover expenses and overhead costs such [...]

Update: With the recent (April 2010) eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano in Iceland, this list is more interesting than ever. The volcano has erupted for the second time in less than a month, melting ice, shooting smoke and steam into the air, reducing air quality and forcing hundreds of people to flee rising floodwaters. The [...]

Recycling industry is raising a stink and toilets seem to have become its new research lab. Researchers have taken recycling to extremes with body discharges as their new target of attention. With an annual per capita production 130 gallons of urine and 13 gallons of feces, scientists sure have an endless supply of human waste. [...]

It may come as no surprise to learn that, due to limited resources, many citizens of poorer countries are forced to eat whatever they can get their hands on. However, when it comes to gross foods, not all are born from utter necessity. You’d be amazed to learn what disgusting things many people eat by [...]

Measuring the size of a wave can be difficult. In most parts of the world a wave is measured from its face: the front of a wave from top to bottom. However, in Hawaii a wave is measured from the back. Typically the back of a wave is about half the size of its face, [...]

Do you ever have really, really weird dreams? I do, and I don’t need professional help to figure out the source – usually that salami sandwich or entire cheesecake I ate right before I went to bed. Recurring dreams, on the other hand, demand more of my attention – often because they are scary. In [...]

Urban legends and myths continue to dupe us. Until the Paris tasting in 1976, the myth that France was the only Country that could produce high quality wine lived on in oenophiles minds. Even though you may laugh at the myths below some people are still fooled by them. Let’s try to set the record [...]

No visit to a new country would be complete without trying the native moonshine. Just as culinary tastes differ throughout the world, as do beverages. Most countries share the old favorites of beer and wine, but here’s a list of poisons solely unique to particular regions – for good reasons. 10. Argentinean Maté Although not [...]