Mental Floss

HEALTH

An enviable spread.

Are N95 masks reusable? It depends on a few factors—here’s how to tell when yours is ready to be replaced.

Ellen Gutoskey
Watercolor drawing of the leg of a patient, age 50, who had scurvy for 12 months' standing.

Scurvy’s mysterious cause wasn’t identified until the 20th century. Here are a few facts from the disease's long and miserable history.

Kat Long
















Brzozowska/iStock via Getty Images

Based on public health, personal safety, and infrastructure, these are the safest cities in the world in 2021.

Michele Debczak








You got ears? You're gonna have earwax.

The smelly gunk coming out of your ears is actually good for you, which is more than we can say about anything else oozing out of your body.

Jake Rossen