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History and Society
Queen Elizabeth II has died. How is this loss different from that of a loved one?
Following the advent of human space flight, NASA began naming missions after children of Zeus.
Each of us carries our own version of the Multiverse in our heads.
Kublai Khan wasn’t the first ruler in history to issue paper money, but his Yuan dynasty did take unprecedented action to ensure this revolutionary form of currency retained its value.
Million Stories
No planet enters retrograde more frequently than Mercury, which does so 3-4 times each year. Here’s the scientific explanation for why.
Asteroid collisions aren't always bad.
Despite the fact that both species shared a similarly large neocortex, scientists still have many questions about how closely the function of their brains resembled our own.
Spaceguard shows that we can manage risks to the extinction of humanity — if only we put our mind to it.
Bring not a bagpipe to a man in trouble.
Remembering Frank Drake, who transformed the search for alien life & extraterrestrial intelligence into a full-fledged scientific endeavor.
Today’s young people are intelligent and kind, but they are overworked and burned out.
John Templeton Foundation
Some animals were even assigned their own lawyers.
Einstein's relativity teaches us that time isn't absolute, but passes relatively for everyone. So how do telescopes see back through time?
The Greeks were among the first to move beyond “primitive money” and establish an official currency, transforming their trade, government, and even philosophy.
Million Stories
Imagine Flipper trained in the art of espionage.
The Russian mindset is characterized by cynicism and distrust.
Are there any advantages to looking so cumbersome?
The last 70 years have taken us farther than the previous 70,000. But can we accomplish more than creating a record saying, "We were here?"
When Cameroon's Lakes Monoun and Nyos exploded, they released clouds of carbon dioxide that suffocated everything in its wake.
Before anesthetics, some patients would die of the pain on the operating table.
The minimum wage is a popular policy, but it's not the only way governments have tried to help workers secure a decent living.
"Strategic ambiguity" has long been the West's strategy on Taiwan.
Quantum mechanics forces us to toss out the old, reliable ways in which we make sense of our everyday reality.
The Arabic word fatwa can mean “explanation” or “clarification.”
Looking at ourselves in a mirror — or on a video call — shapes our sense of self. But what you see is not what others see.