SCIENCE

A beautiful barn owl sneaks up on its prey.

How Do Owls Fly So Silently?

Owl feathers’ special structures help the wise birds sneak up on their meals.

Do Sharks Really Not Get Cancer?

As the thinking goes, sharks don’t get cancer, so the pills will keep you from getting it, too. But there’s a problem with that theory.

Raccoons are smart, dextrous, and in your garbage cans.

10 Clever Facts About Raccoons

Whether they’re scaling skyscrapers or digging through your trash, raccoons are fascinating. Discover more about their habits, diet, and intelligence.

People view the solar eclipse at Rockefeller Center on August 21, 2017, in New York City.

8 Safety Tips for Watching the 2024 Solar Eclipse

Whether you’ll be in the path of totality or elsewhere in North America, you need to be cautious when viewing the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

The total solar eclipse in August 2017 was the last one with a path of totality across the United States.

Solar Eclipse 2024: The Mental Floss Viewing Guide

Here's everything you need to know about Great North American Eclipse, from its path of totality, to the best place to view it, to finding safe eclipse glasses.

If you swear you’ve seen Bloody Mary, you may have experienced the Troxler effect.

Bloody Mary: Why We Think We See Ghosts in Mirrors

The spooky Bloody Mary phenomenon has a scientific explanation.

Coyotes vs. Foxes: What’s the Difference—and How to Tell Them Apart

It may be hard to tell foxes and coyotes apart from far away, but there are several key differences distinguishing them.

Shellshocked? Nah. Shell-curious? Oh absolutely.

How Do Baby Birds Breathe Inside Their Eggs?

Discover the fascinating ways eggs provide everything a baby bird needs, including oxygen through a sophisticated system of membranes and air pockets.

Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological coping mechanism.

The Surprising Origin of Stockholm Syndrome

Is Stockholm Syndrome real? Learn about the survival tactic that leads captives to sympathize with their captors.

Is your neighbor acting strangely? Must be a full moon.

Does the Full Moon Really Make People Act Strangely?

Along with Mercury in retrograde, the full moon is a pretty popular scapegoat for bad luck and bizarre behavior. Is it warranted?

The word ‘blueberry’ may be false advertising.

Are Blueberries Blue? The Answer Is Surprisingly Complicated

Blue pigmentation doesn't exist in the plant kingdom, but blueberries have found a unique way around this.

George Washington Carver in his laboratory.

10 Black Inventors Who Changed the World

Get to know the brilliant African American innovators who brought you blood banks, personal computers, dry cleaning, and more.

'The Scream' against a real-life photo of nacreous clouds.

Art-ly Cloudy: The Meteorological Mystery Behind Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’

What caused the “flaming clouds of blood and swords” that inspired Edvard Munch to paint 'The Scream'?

Could the Average Person Be Talked Through Disarming A Nuclear Bomb?

The movies make it look easy. But if the future of our world depended on it, could you successfully work to disarm a nuclear bomb?

Would a smell by any other name evoke such delight?

What Exactly Is ‘New Car Smell’?

Discover the science behind that irresistible “new car smell”—and whether it need to roll down your windows.

A Simple Trick for Defrosting Your Windshield in Less Than 60 Seconds

Meteorologist Ken Weathers became a viral sensation by sharing a very simple way to de-ice your windshield in cold weather.

Cuttlefish have incredible powers of disguise.

Watch A Cuttlefish Camouflage Itself in an Underwater Living Room

In the ocean, cuttlefish are masters of disguise. But can they camouflage themselves in artificial environments, like human homes?

Many of these mysteries continue to endure.

15 of History’s Greatest Mysteries

From a book no one can decipher and puzzling disappearances to unsolved crimes and beyond, many of these historical mysteries still have us scratching our heads.

The ‘Seinfeld’ Double-Dip Is Exactly as Gross as It Seems, According to Science

You really don’t want to know what’s lurking in that dip.

Virginia Woolf, Charlie Chaplin, and Ludwig van Beethoven could be considered nepo babies.

18 Nepo Babies From History

Plenty of nepo babies have earned their places in history. But it’s always good to acknowledge the doors open to people who have rich relatives—or whose dad knows the manager of a clogging troupe.

Who's Out There ? 1975 NASA Orson Welles Documentary on Aliens

Watch Orson Welles Discuss Aliens In This NASA-Produced Documentary

In 1975, Welles provided narration for the short documentary 'Who’s Out There?,' which explored a range of theories and beliefs about alien life.

Is It Safe to Eat Snow?

Fresh snow might look tasty, but just because it looks clean doesn’t mean it actually is.

Your dog's adorable brown eyes were no mistake.

Why Do Most Dogs Have Brown Eyes?

The "buy her brown contacts pls" meme is backed up by evolutionary science.

100 Things We Learned in 2023

From record-breaking plants and incredible animal news to space superlatives and the awesome power of Taylor Swift fans, here’s the long list of things we learned in 2023.

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