While it is fairly familiar to us as our home, the Earth is apparently anything but your everyday planet. That is why we are habituated to Earth as our home in the universe; but in fact, this planet is the definition of exotic. In this account, we look at the most bizarre aspects of the…
Heading out to the lake for an afternoon, or even a weekend, can be one of the most relaxing activities we can do. The tranquility of the water, along with the beautiful scenery surrounding the area can make us forget about the stresses of everyday life. We can swim, fish, or just relax on the…
Moving plants and carnivorous plants are a novel concept popularly portrayed in science fiction horror of the botanical genre. We all know Little Shop of Horrors. But in reality, motile, active plants are a real thing and go beyond the Venus Flytraps of bug-eating fame. While they certainly do not hunt humans, the reality of…
Underwater caves are alluring, fascinating, and also a no-go zone for most explorers. While the subterranean zones known as caves capture our imagination, those that are underwater go a step further and significantly raise the danger factor. Not just flooded tunnels or inundated sea caves, many underwater cave systems extend for hundreds of miles, emerging…
We’ve all heard of the Bermuda Triangle, but surprisingly there is also an Alaska Triangle. This mysterious triangle is the location of countless disappearances of people, planes and boats that have never been found or heard from again. There are many theories regarding the explanation of so many missing people, such as the land being…
Hey! Ever lie awake at night, thinking about the meaning of life, exactly how much money you’ve got stashed away in your mattress… and then your mind wanders to what’s going on with the polar ice caps? We’re not surprised, there are many people – both sleepy and quite wide awake – who are giving…
The Earth is not always your friend, and the planet upon which we developed may not treat us gently despite the effort with which we have colonized so much of its surface. In this account, we move beyond familiar floods, tornados and earthquakes to discover the really weird ways that an active and sometimes badly…
Humans think about having the potential to live forever, while at the same time thinking of most animal life as short and sweet. We’re pet owners, after all. Pets don’t live particularly long. In nature, every winter sees many animals die after mating, and continuing on their next generation. On the farms, our food is…
One of the most immediately surprising facts about fungi may be how to pronounce the word: fun-jai, not fun-guy. But the fun(gi) doesn’t stop there. From fungal intelligence to saving the world, fungi are full of surprises. 10. They’re the Most Populous Kingdom on the Planet We don’t know how many species (of any kind,…
The tree of life may be a popular concept in folklore, mythology, and religious stories around the world. Yet in the world of biology, there exists a variety of veritable “trees of death” poised to cause great harm to any human that comes into contact with them. While not quite the man-eating tree of some…
The Butterfly Effect principle simply states that, given enough time, whatever event, no matter how small, can and will have tremendous reverberations into the future. And when talking about past disasters, natural or otherwise, we always have to keep in mind that, even though devastating, they are part of what brought us here in the…
Once you get past the potatoes and the other humdrum members of the family, nightshades can be fascinating plants—often frighteningly so. Whether strikingly beautiful or modestly mediocre, many belie deadly poisons, potent psychoactive effects, and grisly albeit spellbinding histories. According to one theory, they might even have wiped out the dinosaurs. So it’s no surprise…