NEWS

Getting your flu shot this year is more important than ever.

The Best Time to Get a Flu Shot in 2020, According to the CDC

July and August were too early for flu shots, but September and October? Just right, according to experts.

Personal airplanes aren't quite reality yet—and sadly, neither are personal space ships!

24 Strange Predictions For the 21st Century

Everyone from chocolate-making companies to some of history's greatest minds (think Ben Franklin and Nikola Tesla) weighed in on what they thought life would be like in the 21st century.

Do Your Bowels Suddenly Spring to Life in Bookstores? You’re Not Alone—and the Japanese Even Have a Term for It: Mariko Aoki

In the ’80s, Mariko Aoki wrote to a magazine about her strange habit of having to poop in bookstores. Now, she’s the namesake for the condition.

Put your worries in Zozobra, and watch them go up in smoke.

Zozobra: The Quirky New Mexico Tradition That Promises to Take Your Gloom Away

At the annual burning of Zozobra in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a 50-foot-tall marionette is stuffed with parking tickets, divorce papers, calendars, and notes, and set aflame, taking people’s worries with him as he goes up in smoke.

Kenya's Wangari Maathai isn't a household name, but she should be.

Meet Nina Chhita, the Artist Celebrating Diverse Female Scientists With Her Instagram Illustrations

From ‘Hidden Figure’ Katherine Johnson to female Nobel Laureates you may not have heard of, Nina Chhita's Instagram is giving us some important history lessons.

Recently Declassified Soviet Video Shows the Biggest Nuclear Explosion in History

Tsar Bomba—the biggest hydrogen bomb ever—detonated in October 1961, and the Soviet Union caught it on tape.

Your sheets need to be washed on a regular basis.

Here's How Often You Should Be Washing Your Sheets

Bedsheets may look clean, but they harbor a variety of nasty things—from dust mites to, yes, even poop.

These seemingly random digits can tell you a lot.

What Do the Numbers on Barcodes Mean?

Barcode scanners don’t need to register the number below the barcode, but it can tell you a lot about a product.

A volunteer for World Central Kitchen prepares hurricane relief meals.

5 Ways You Can Help Victims of Hurricane Laura

Louisiana’s latest hurricane was one of the strongest in U.S. history. Here’s how to partake in the relief efforts.

Labor Day 2020: What’s Open? What’s Closed?

While many people use Labor Day as an excuse to shop ‘til they drop, some places do close their doors whenever Labor Day comes a-knocking.

Each State’s Most Googled Quarantine Hobby, Mapped

From crafts to video games, these are the hobbies people around the U.S. are using to stay busy during quarantine.

Fabric softener acts as a lubricant for your laundry.

What Does Fabric Softener Actually Do?

Fabric softener is supposed to reduce friction and wrinkles and prolong the life of your clothing. But there are some downsides to using it.

NTNU archaeologist Astrid Kviseth digs up a viking sword in Norway.

A Left-Handed Viking’s 1200-Year-Old Sword Discovered in Norway

Archaeolgists in Norway recently uncovered a sword buried on a Viking’s left side, indicating that the Viking likely wielded it with his left hand.

How to Remove a Tick Safely and Effectively

If you find a tick on your body, don't panic—removing it the right way fast drastically reduces your chances of contracting any diseases it might be carrying.

The Last Blockbuster on Earth Is the Subject of a New Documentary

How did the Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon, survive the sinking of its mother ship? We’re about to find out.

A photograph of Alexandre Dumas by Nadar, circa 1855.

Google Pays Tribute to Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo With Doodle

Alexandre Dumas’s action-packed adventure novel is definitely a classic, but the inspiration behind it isn’t very well-known.

These Jurassic Park Mosquito Dice Will Be the Envy of Any Dungeons & Dragons Game

Embrace your geekiest interests with these 'Dungeons & Dragons' dice designed to look like the fossilized mosquitoes from 'Jurassic Park.'

Pharmacists are happy to help. But only after you've walked through the entire store.

The Reason Pharmacies Are Usually Located in the Back of a Store

There's an excellent reason why pharmacy locations like CVS and Walgreens make you walk all the way through the store before picking up your antibiotics.

Dr. Jeanette Epps to Become the First Black Woman to Live Aboard the International Space Station

Jeanette Epps has dreamed of being a NASA astronaut since age 9, and her first-ever spaceflight will make history.

The HearHere app offers audio stories that relate to the things and places you see during a road trip.

Taking a Road Trip? This App Will Tell You the History of the Places You're Passing

HearHere is a new app backed by Kevin Costner that offers short audio stories of the places and landmarks you're curious about.

4 Products From OtterBox That Keep Your Phone Clean and Sanitized

From antimicrobial cases to UV light chargers, these OtterBox products will make you feel better about how much you touch your phone.

Goldfish crackers have nothing on this guy.

Amezaiku: The Nearly Lost Japanese Art of Candy Sculpture

For anyone who’s used the phrase “too pretty to eat,” we have a new benchmark for you: amezaiku, the ancient Japanese art of sugar sculpture.

Jeff Goldblum stars in David Cronenberg's super gross (and excellent) remake of The Fly (1986).

20 Remakes That Are Better Than the Original Movie

From horror films to musicals, everything is fair game for copying ... with varying degrees of success.