Mental Floss

SCIENCE

iStock

How Much Smartphone Use Is Too Much?

Researchers have a term for the fear of being without your phone: nomophobia ("no mobile phone phobia").

R. Sieben, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 3.0

Yellowstone's Steamboat Geyser Keeps Erupting, and Scientists Aren't Sure Why

In March, it erupted for the first time since 2014—and has erupted six more times since.

iStock

Brush Away Your Sniffles With New Allergy-Fighting Toothpaste

Relief may soon be a quick rinse away.

iStock

Researchers May Have Pinpointed the Exact Amount of Money You Need to Be Happy

A new study has figured out the dollar amount of where money stops being a blessing and starts being a curse.

iStock

Why Does the Sky Look Green Before a Tornado?

And does an emerald hue always mean it's time to run inside?

iStock

Diamond Mines Are Drying Up, So De Beers Is Starting to Grow Them

Lab-grown luxury.

iStock

13 Things to Know About DNA Testing Kits

How to interpret them correctly, how accurate they are, and what's next on the horizon.

iStock

Scientists Have Discovered Massive Canyons Beneath Antarctica's Ice Sheets

Data from the South Pole may show how the continent will respond to climate change.

Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

15 Facts About Lava

We tried to bomb lava into submission. It didn't work.

iStock

MIT Wants to Teach Robots to Do Your Chores

A new simulator is designed to break household chores down into robot-friendly steps.

iStock

Dinosaurs Had Dandruff Problems, Too

How embarrassing.

iStock

AI May Be Better at Identifying Skin Cancer Than Human Doctors

But don't expect it to replace dermatologists anytime soon.

iStock

Why Are Our Brains So Big? Scientists Have a Few Possible Answers

The brain makes up 2 percent of the average person's body mass.

Kena Betancur, AFP/Getty Images

Want to Live as Long as an Olympian? Become a Chess Grandmaster

Checkmate, death.

iStock

The Surprising Reason Why Pen Caps Have Tiny Holes at the Top

It’s a matter of life and death.

iStock

DNA Analysis of Loch Ness Could Reveal the Lake's Hidden Creatures

Three hundred water samples from around the lake will be tested.

iStock

How Long to Steep Your Tea, According to Science

You're a quick chemistry lesson away from a better brew.

iStock

Sleeping In on Weekends May Help You Catch Up on Sleep After All

The new study could change the way we think about sleep debt.

iStock

People With Type A Blood Are More Prone to Severe Diarrhea

Beware of buffets.

iStock

What Is Death?

Defining it is more complicated than you think.

iStock

Stradivarius Violins Get Their Distinctive Sound By Mimicking the Human Voice

You'll never hear one the same way again.

Phil Walter, Getty Images

How Michael Jackson's Dancing Defied the Laws of Biomechanics

The entertainer's much-imitated dance moves pose challenges for neurosurgeons.

Carl Court, Getty Images

Is There a Limit to How Many Balls You Can Juggle?

The current record may never be broken.

iStock

This Is the Age When Puppies Reach 'Peak Cuteness'

They're at their most adorable when they need us the most.