Throughout history, humans have come up with some pretty weird ideas related to longevity. Like drinking neurotoxic mercury to live forever, slathering yourself in oil and eating honey to reach the ripe old age of 300, or getting an...

Do you know what you want to preserve for the next generation? asks community leader Ndinini Kimesera Sikar. Drawing on her experience growing up in a family of 38 in a traditional Maasai village in Tanzania — where every chore was...

The year is 1030 CE. Chu Hong's best friend, Liang Gao, tells him that the local magistrate has been spotted holding a surprise archery competition in a nearby town and will arrive at their village soon. This is Hong’s chance to showcase...

No substance has been as constant an ally to insidious scheming as arsenic, the so-called “king of poisons.” In its chemically pure form, it isn’t much of a threat because our bodies don’t absorb it well; it’s when arsenic combines with...

Beehives always have a queen, who is the mother of the entire hive. But have you ever wondered, what happened to the king, if there was ever any? Can a male bee become a king?

Epigenetics: Why Inheritance Is Weirder Than We Thought

What if AI could bring the past to life? Cartoonist Amy Kurzweil shares how she helped train an AI chatbot on her late grandfather’s archives, allowing her to connect with a family member she never met — and discover family history she...

When Queen Jocasta of Thebes gave birth to Oedipus, a grim air seized the occasion. Her husband, King Laius, had received a prophecy from Apollo's oracle foretelling that he would die at the hands of his own son. Determined to escape...

Paternity leave has many benefits for dads, their partners and their babies -- but did you know it also has surprising benefits for companies? This is what author Shu Matsuo Post learned from his seven transformative months of paternity...

Family life often requires extraordinary bravery, from navigating the daily challenges to surviving the unexpected crises. Author and podcaster Kelly Corrigan offers profound wisdom (and seven key words) to help you focus in on what...

When filmmaker Desiree Akhavan told her Iranian immigrant parents she was in love with a woman, she knew they would object. She explains why it's worth the risk to let people get to know the real you.

Ada Lovelace, Daughter of Lord Byron, was somehow the first author of a computer program...even though she lived more than a century before the first modern computer.

After bringing her son to a summer camp for gender-nonconforming children, photographer Lindsay Morris launched a project to share the campers' stories with the world. One of them, Reed J. Williams, is now a powerful advocate for...

Instead of seeing life's challenges as obstacles, I see them as an obstacle course — a fascinating array of tests that I'm curious to see if I can pass, says community builder Maryam Banikarim. Telling the story of her experience...

There's a saying that comedy is tragedy plus time. Perhaps that's why some of our biggest problems feel easiest to manage with a dose of humor. Comedian, journalist and actor Roy Wood Jr. has spent his career finding the silly in the...

Achilles, just slain in the Trojan War, arrives in the Underworld and is greeted by Sibyl of Cumae— a prophetess and also the realm’s local guide. Though it gets a bad rap, Sibyl is determined to prove to the newcomer that hell is...

Dasha Navalnaya is the daughter of Alexey Navalny, the politician and leader of the Russian opposition to Vladimir Putin. Sharing the story of her father's poisoning, persecution and current imprisonment, she details what it was like...

Oiwa’s only hope for ending her marriage to the cruel and dishonorable samurai, Iemon, was her father. But after he tried to end the union, Iemon murdered him in cold blood. With plans to marry another, Iemon conspired to poison his wife...

When it comes to the mating game, fish have some of the strangest ways of thwarting the competition.

Have you ever wondered why some primates have such a red, prominent rear end? Turns out that many monkeys use their bums for communication! Learn all about this butt chat in this episode of SciShow!

Long before we had cameras scientists still needed visual documentation—enter the science illustrator!

Hundreds of years ago, your ancestor stole a magical tarot deck from Fate herself— and it came with a terrible cost. Once every 23 years, one member of your family must face Fate in a duel with rules only known to your opponent. And...

Long ago, the Hawaiian wind goddess wielded a gourd that housed the winds of the Islands. It came to hold her bones, along with the life force they carried, and was eventually passed to her grandson, Paka'a. Like his father before him,...

In this poetic and moving reflection, actor, musician and activist Golshifteh Farahani honors those who have fought for "Woman, Life, Freedom" following Mahsa Amini's death at the hands of Iran's religious morality police. Calling upon...