SCIENCE

Young female Goliath bird-eating spider.

The World’s Largest Spider Is as Big as a Newborn Puppy

Measuring nearly a foot wide and weighing more than a third of a pound, the Goliath bird-eating spider is the largest spider in the world.

The Night Watch, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642

Researchers Have Uncovered a Hidden Sketch in Rembrandt’s The Night Watch

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has found a preliminary sketch of 'The Night Watch' the painter drew directly onto the canvas, giving us new insight into his creative process.

10 Fascinating Facts About Orangutans

Orangutans spend 95 percent of their lives in trees, and that's only one of these ginger-haired apes' unusual traits.

11 Fascinating Facts About Chipmunks

What do chipmunks eat? Baby birds, occasionally. Do chipmunks hibernate? Yes, but not like bears do.

5 Tips on How To Escape An Erupting Volcano

What’s worse: Lava or ash? And what are these rocks plummeting from the sky? Volcanologist Dr. Janine Krippner shared her tips for how to escape an erupting volcano.

Science is finally understanding the full extent of cat psychopathy.

Is Your Cat an Actual Psychopath? Take This Test and Find Out

Science supports what we've long suspected: Cats can exhibit psychopathic tendencies. This online test can measure just how dangerous they really are.

Scientists Captured Footage of the Rare—and Very Large—Phantom Jellyfish

The giant phantom jellyfish has been spotted roughly 100 times since it was discovered more than a century ago.

The Trigona species of bee, which includes bees of the meat-eating variety.

Don't Bee Alarmed, But Certain Bees Have Evolved to Feast on Meat

The 'vulture bee' found in Costa Rica can do pollen, but it also likes to dine out on rotting animal carcasses.

"No! You're the one who's not listening!"

Star 'Trossed Lovers: Albatrosses, Usually Mates for Life, Are Getting 'Divorced'

The albatross can remain with the same partner for decades, but changes in the environment are raising their "divorce" rates.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman

Experience What It’s Like to Fall Into a Black Hole With This 360-Degree VR Video

It's hard not to feel unsettled by this 360-degree VR video simulation of what it's like to get sucked into a black hole.

Are Zebras Black With White Stripes or White With Black Stripes?

What color are a zebra's stripes? Though it may sound like a philosophical query, it is possible to answer this question with science.

Two people can, however, look at the same photo of a rainbow.

Rainbow Disconnection: Why No Two People Can Ever See the Same Rainbow

How do rainbows form? It’s all about light waves, water, and angles—and that includes the angle from which you see one.

Nikola Tesla demonstrates alternating current (AC) in his lab in 1901.

20 of History’s Most Outrageous Scientific Feuds

History is rife with debate over fundamental aspects of existence—but sometimes, those feuds got a little out of hand. Here are 20 of the wildest scientific throwdowns.

Sleep isn't always as easy as babies make it look.

8 Facts About Insomnia

Vincent van Gogh’s favorite cure for insomnia was camphor. Don’t try that at home (or anywhere), kids.

People Who Decorate for the Holidays Are Perceived as Friendlier, According to Science

A 30-year-old study found that people who decorate their homes for the holidays tend to appear friendlier to their neighbors.

Vengolis, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0

Listen: Honeybees Alert Their Pals When Killer Hornets Are Nearby By Letting Out a Horrific ‘Scream’

Asian honeybees have developed a disturbing defense mechanism against hornet attacks: "screaming" with their wings.

Is this Bloody Mary part of the problem or solution?

Can Drinking More Alcohol Cure a Hangover? The Truth Behind the Hair of the Dog

The hair of the dog is one of the oldest hangover cures still around today. But can it really save you from that pounding headache?

The look of fear when you realize someone's about to drop you, an eyeball, from a great height.

Watch: Scientists Discover What Happens When You Drop an Eyeball From a Five-Story Height

As the Institute of Human Anatomy demonstrates, it takes more than a long fall to make an eyeball go splat.

Heinz’s New Ketchup Was Made From Tomatoes Grown in a Mars-Like Greenhouse

Farming on Mars may not be as easy as it looks in 2015’s ‘The Martian,’ but a new Heinz ketchup suggests it might be possible.

Channel 37 was a mystery to old-school viewers.

Analog TVs Never Had a Channel 37—Here's Why

Old-school channel-flipping was usually interrupted by static on channel 37. Broadcasters wanted to use it, but they couldn't—because of science.

A tongue-eating parasite is just one of the many charming wonders of nature.

Meet the Tongue-Eating Louse, Which Does Exactly What You Think It Does

The tongue-eating louse is a charming little isopod that likes to burrow into a fish's gills, settle in its mouth, then suck the blood out of its tongue until it falls off so that it can replace the organ and dine on the mucus.

Mykyta Dolmatov // iStock via Getty Images Plus

7 Scientific Mysteries

Scientific mysteries continue to stump experts in fields ranging from meteorology to medicine. Here are a few strange things science still hasn't figured out.

Three planets over the La Silla Observatory in Chile.

See Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter Align on Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, star-gazers can be thankful for a trio of planets lining up in the night sky after sunset.

Australia Is Vaccinating Hundreds of Its Koalas Against Chlamydia

Many of Australia’s koalas have chlamydia, which is making it extra difficult for them to keep their population numbers up.

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