Everyday Myths

If you think chainsaws were first invented to take down a swath of trees, think again. The real story is much more cringe-worthy and involves cutting bones during childbirth.

ByJennifer Walker-Journey

Is the world run by the Illuminati or just some reptilian overlords? Were the moon landings faked? Whether or not you believe this kind of stuff, you'll be entertained by our conspiracy theory quiz.

ByNathan Chandler

Does your back flare up when a storm is coming? Many people swear that rain makes their joints hurt more. But science has had a hard time proving this.

ByAlia Hoyt&Kathryn Whitbourne

Top atmospheric scientists say there's no evidence those lines in the sky are part of some sinister government plot. But will that dissuade conspiracy theorists?

ByPatrick J. Kiger

For some, the holidays are time of good cheer. For others, they're a season of anxiety and loneliness. Does that translate to a higher suicide rate?

ByColleen Cancio

Hot sauce is the most popular condiment in the U.S. Learn more about hot sauce in this video from HowStuffWorks.

Has this ever happened to you? You're blissfully showering away when suddenly something slimy grabs your leg. It's the curtain, and it's not letting go.

ByKate Kershner

We're running out of oil. And diamonds. And while we're at it, chicken wings, too! Relax, these are actually examples of shortages that really aren't. What else is a fake scarcity?

ByChris Opfer

The blood in your veins is blue. Glass is a slow-moving liquid. If you touch a baby bird, its mother will abandon it. Not so fast –- if you learned any of those "facts" in school, what you learned was wrong.

ByJessika Toothman

It's hard to imagine life (especially sci-fi life) without teleportation until something goes wrong. Horribly wrong. These five accidents will make any time you've spent in the telepod seem really tame.

ByRobert Lamb

Who says you can't teach an old technology new tricks? Just because it was invented long ago, that doesn't mean it's useless today. Which programs are reinventing the wheel?

ByPatrick J. Kiger

Quantum physics is a term that's interchangeable with "quantum mechanics." It deals with matter and energy at the smallest scale available: the atomic and subatomic realms. Take a look at these quantum physics pictures.

Relativity is like a triple-scoop ice cream cone; most of us just can't gobble it down in one bite, not without experiencing some serious brain freeze. So let's take it one delicious relative scoop at a time.

ByRobert Lamb

The world's intelligentsia has managed to convince us that the Earth is round and makes a full rotation once every 24 hours. Why can't they agree on the effects of that rotation on toilets and ball games?

ByJennifer Horton

Can you do creepy, bendy things with your fingers that freak out your friends? You might have been called double-jointed. What's really going on with those joints of yours?

ByTom Scheve

You know how when you're bored, time seems to move at a snail's pace, but when you're having fun it goes by all too quickly? Einstein called it time dilation.

ByJohn Fuller

Surfer and physicist A. Garrett Lisi may have solved one of physics' greatest mysteries -- the theory of everything. It's a mathematical link to how the universe works.

ByJosh Clark

I've wondered about this since I was a child and used to spin around and around. I know it has something to do with our ears, but what exactly makes people dizzy when they spin?

The standard definition of floating was first recorded by Archimedes and goes something like this: An object in a fluid experiences an upward force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. So how does the water get displaced to keep a boat afloat?

ByYara Simón

At an intersection, you hear the pitch of the train's horn go up and then back down after the train has passed. Why?

ByWilliam Harris

You're talking with a group of people when, with no apparent warning, everyone stops talking. Is it just an awkward silence or a pregnant pause? Or is this silence something more?

ByWilliam Harris

你饥饿,你的浓情巧克力掉了e on the floor. Are you the type who blurts, "Five second rule!" and gobbles it anyway, or the kind who mourns its loss? Let's look at the science behind contamination.

ByMichael Franco

When you're a kid, this frightening rumor burns through the playground like wildfire. After all, what could be worse than your own eyes exploding out of your head? But does it have any truth to it?

ByAmy Hunter

And, here comes the pitch. Hey Bob, is that player reading a physics textbook at bat? Strike! Wait, Bob, he's put down the book and is getting ready to swing. And -- it's outta here. That guy in the lab coat has scored a home run!

ByRobert Lamb

How great would it be to reconcile general relativity with quantum theory and truly have a theory of everything? That's what a band of theoretical physicists and their trusty hypothetical strings have been working on for decades.

ByRobert Lamb