Kat Long

Joined: Jun 21, 2017

Kat Long is Mental Floss's science editor and host of the Mental Floss/iHeartRadio podcast THE QUEST FOR THE NORTH POLE. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic, and the Washington Post.

7 Tips for Growing a Native Plant Garden

70 Huge Facts About the ‘Titanic’

An illustration of part of our solar system (not to scale).

One Misconception About Each Planet in the Solar System

Ruddy ducks in the Prairie Pothole Aviary.

Smithsonian National Zoo’s New Bird House Highlights Migratory Birds’ Incredible Journeys

7 Facts About Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'

The first collection of Holmes stories was unwelcome in the Soviet Union, which banned it for 'occultism.'

We have better cold weather tires thanks to NASA.

11 NASA Inventions We Use Every Day

From scratch-resistant eyeglass lenses to memory foam, here’s all the tech you should be thanking NASA for.

Affordable and still thoughtful? These gifts have it all.

12 Unique Gifts You Can Get for Under $25

These budget-friendly best gifts under $25 strike the perfect balance between affordability and thoughtfulness.

Crush the gift-giving side of things this holiday season with these best gifts for rock climbers.

15 of the Best Gifts for Rock Climbers

Searching for the best gifts for rock climbers this year? Whether they’re crushing sends or tackling their first boulder problem, we have a few ideas for the perfect present.

14 Thought-Provoking Gifts for History Buffs

This holiday season, stack a few of these history-themed gifts—coffee-table books, home decor, and more—under the tree.

The Luno Air Mattress 2.0 is purpose-built for car camping (dog not included).

We Tried It: The Luno Air Mattress 2.0 Makes Car Camping a Breeze

The Luno Air Mattress 2.0 is designed to make car camping comfortable. Here's what we learned after testing it ourselves.

21 Fascinating Facts About Vaccines

From facts about the COVID-19 vaccine to tidbits from vaccine history, here’s everything you ever wanted to know about immunization.

The Quest for the North Pole, Episode 2: Go North, Young Man

In this episode, we’ll dive into the first real attempts to conquer the North Pole, by land or by sea. And we’ll analyze what went so extremely wrong.

The Quest for the North Pole, Episode 1: Why Go to the North Pole?

In the premiere episode of our podcast 'The Quest for the North Pole,' we learn what made explorers go north in the first place.

The Quest for the North Pole Bonus Episode 3: Family Reunions

While on their quest for the North Pole, Robert Peary and Matthew Henson had sons with Inughuit women. In the 1980s, an ambitious Harvard neuroscientist brought them to America.

The Quest for the North Pole Bonus Episode 2: Minik and the Meteorites

Before Robert Peary claimed to have reached the North Pole, he led several expeditions to northern Greenland. He brought back three legendary meteorites from the Arctic—and a young boy named Minik.

The Quest for the North Pole Bonus Episode: The Arctic’s Biggest Mystery

The demise of the Franklin Expedition remains the most compelling puzzle in Arctic exploration. What catastrophe had befallen Britain’s best-prepared polar expedition? And what tantalizing clues are still being uncovered?