Most Recent Common Ancestors
Eve, Charlemagne, and you
How far back do you have to trace your genealogy to find someone who was an ancestor of not only you but everyone else now alive? Math and biology reveal startling answers to the question of the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA).
The Bodleian Library
Oxford’s famous book sanctorium
From a modest beginning in the 1400s, Oxford's Bodleian Library has grown into one of the largest and most prestigious libraries in the world. But take its No Smoking signs very seriously.
Truffles
Fungus of the gods
These small black (or white) lumps may not look like much, but they are among the world's rarest and most expensive foods. And the aroma is heavenly, at least if you're a pig.
Orgone
The strange theories of Wilhelm Reich
Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich posited the existence of an invisible life force that sounds suspiciously like something from a George Lucas movie. Despite a lack of evidence, people still believe in it.
Hypercorrection
Taking the rules of language too far
When you try so hard to correct a grammatical error that you overcompensate and make another error in the process, you're experiencing the common phenomenon of hypercorrection.
Kefir
The fermented milk wonder drink
Your local supermarket probably sells a kind of fermented, yogurt-like beverage that's as tasty as it is odd, and which may also aid digestion and offer other nutritional benefits.
The Voynich Manuscript
Cryptography’s holy grail
An elaborate, 240-page manuscript from the 13th century remains one of cryptography's most puzzling artifacts. My guess: it's a student's notebook.
White Noise
Color-coding sound
People commonly refer to static, hissing, rainfall, and other similar sounds as white noise, but real white noise is a bit different. And yes, noise comes in other colors as well!
Leonardo’s Robots
Renaissance man meets mechanical man
Leonardo da Vinci was many things, possibly including the world's first roboticist. Sketches from 1495 supposedly constitute plans for a humanoid robot.
The Charles Atlas Dynamic-Tension Fitness Course
Isometric blast from the past
Do bullies kick sand in your face at the beach and ridicule you because you're skinny? It's not too late to sign up for Charles Atlas's no-equipment-required body-building course from the 1930s and get the physique you always wanted.