SCIENCE

One guest-submitted photo of museum artifacts.

Wikipedia Is Digitally 'Preserving' Items Destroyed in the Brazil National Museum Fire

Up to 20 million artifacts were lost.

Is Pluto a Planet After All? A New Argument Emerges

The hapless dwarf planet got demoted in 2006, but some stubborn scientists are still lobbying for reinstatement.

Hidden Library: How Science Is Virtually Unwrapping the Charred Scrolls of Herculaneum

Papyri that were sealed shut by a volcanic eruption in 79 CE are too fragile to open by hand. One computer scientist has developed the X-ray vision to read them.

6 Radiant Facts About Irène Joliot-Curie

Marie Curie’s elder daughter had a brilliant and tragic career of her own.

Could Tennis Be One Secret to a Longer, Healthier Life?

Tennis players lived an average of 9.7 years longer than non-players in a new study.

What Happens When You Don't Wash Your Sheets?

You'll want to head directly to the laundromat.

Infants Can Recognize When Someone is Being a Bully

Even toddlers know when someone is being a tool.

ESA/Hubble, NASA, A. Simon (GSFC) and the OPAL Team, J. DePasquale (STScI), L. Lamy (Observatoire de Paris)

Here's What the Northern Lights Look Like on Saturn

The phenomenon is not limited to our planet.

NOAA Legacy Photo ERL/WPL, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

What Are Microbursts?

Although they cover only a tiny area, the destruction can be severe.

Female Narwhals and Beluga Whales Go Through Menopause, Too

Welcome to the club.

Could a Massive Volcanic Eruption Have Led to Napoleon's Loss at Waterloo?

New research hints that a volcano may have rained all over Napoleon's parade in 1815.

Silicon Republic, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0

Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Who Discovered Pulsars, Was Just Awarded $3 Million for Her Work—More Than 40 Years After Nobel Prize Snub

Her discovery received the Nobel prize in 1974 ... but it was her male professor who got the credit.

New Sensor Can Alert You to Peanut Traces in Your Food in Real Time

For people with severe food allergies, Nima can ease the anxiety of eating out.

Why Cutesy Names Are the Most Effective Way of Getting Your Cat's Attention

Less Felix, more Fluffy.

How Do Placebos Work?

There's a very real reason why your grandmother’s chicken soup makes you feel better when you're sick.

How Much Hotter Your Town Is Going to Get by the End of the Century

Try not to weep.

Goats Like People Who Smile at Them

In case you need an excuse to smile at goats.

Tiny Tunnels Between Your Brain and Skull Help Fight Disease

And scientists just discovered them.

University Researchers Across the Country Want to Pay You $300 to Eat Avocados

And the avocados come free.

Take Heart, Nerds—Science Says the Cool Kids Don't Stay Cool

A longitudinal study finds that the 13-year-olds with social cachet lose it by the time they're young adults.

Photo illustration by Mental Floss. Illustration: iStock.

10 Scientific Facts About Spite

Acting in a spiteful manner is something everyone engages in at one point or another—and it can be a tool we use to our advantage.

The Mediterranean Sea Could Disappear in the Distant Future

The continents are going to look very different 50 million years from now.

The grave of the Somerton Man in Adelaide, South Australia

The Body of Australia's Somerton Man—a 70-Year-Old Cold Case—Might Be Exhumed

The victim's identity is just one of the story's many mysteries.

10 Facts About Silicon

If you have a cell phone in your pocket or dirt on your shoes, you’re carrying silicon.

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