Science Versus Myth
Are vampires real? What is an out-of-body experience? Are crop circles proof that aliens exist? HowStuffWorks explores what is real and what is urban legend with this collection of Science Versus Myth articles.
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Agate Stone: Meaning, Uses, and How to Benefit from Its Energy
What Is Angel Number 33 Telling You? Understanding Its Message
Unraveling the Aries-Virgo Cosmic Dance: A Captivating Exploration of Zodiac Compatibility
Unraveling the Mystique of the Knight of Cups: A Tarot Journey Through Love, Creativity, and Spiritu
All About the Hoop Snake: Separating Fact From Fiction
Origins of the Fresno Nightcrawler, a Pants-shaped Cryptid
Goatman Legends of Ancient Greece and Modern America
What's Going on With Detroit's Mysterious Zug Island?
10 Unidentified Sounds That Scientists Are Seriously Looking Into
10 Famous Paranormal Hoaxes
What If Cows Didn't Exist?
What If Earth's Magnetic Field Flipped?
What If Humans Could Breathe Underwater?
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Would a world with ample water for all mean less disease? Fewer wars? Globally improved health and finances? Sip along with us as we wonder what if.
It's a crazy thought, but what if cancer didn't exist? And malaria, schizophrenia and every other illness that disrupts our normal functioning? Come along as we investigate what such a world might look like.
Unless you've been living under a rock (one not appearing on Google Maps’ Street View), you're probably intimately familiar with the behemoth and its many services. But what would the world look like if this powerhouse company had never existed?
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Before leaving work, you'll need to check the traffic report. Lately, a disruptive T. rex has meant some adjustments to your commute. What other changes would be in store if dinos roamed the Earth?
Decapitation is a surefire way to deliver a quick and painless death, right? In actuality, an increasingly large body of historical and scientific evidence suggests that beheading doesn't, in fact, deliver instant death.
By Josh Clark
How great would it be to reconcile general relativity with quantum theory and truly have a theory of everything? That's what a band of theoretical physicists and their trusty hypothetical strings have been working on for decades.
By Robert Lamb
Once upon a time, our universe was born. Was it all just luck that it evolved in a manner compatible with life? Or are such "coincidences" all in a day's work for a universe?
By Robert Lamb
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You know the drill: You plunge into darkness and then see a bright light. An angelic figure speaks to you. Why are people's near-death experiences so similar?
Let's assume that it's possible to create a complete loop in time travel -- that time travelers could travel into the past and then return to the future (or vice versa). What could we do with our time machine, and how would time travel affect our lives?
If the colonists hadn't eked out a victory against the mighty British Empire, what would have been their fate? Would leaders like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson have been executed?
Black holes have serious pull, and they're not afraid to use it. Could one of these skulking bad boys ever arise in our home, sweet (solar system) home?
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It's all fun and games when you're on a deserted island. But eventually you're going to get really thirsty. How bad can glugging seawater be?
You can say goodbye to the seven continents and hello to days that seem infernally long. What else awaits you on a spin-free Earth?
Would the people of the world get along better if they spoke the same language? Or would it just be easier for us to hate each other?
Solar flares disrupt Earth's magnetic field when they hit the planet, causing issues with power and GPS. But if a major solar storm hit Earth, the consequences could be catastrophic.
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If you don't recycle, you should. If you do recycle, you should do more. And what if everybody in the world started to recycle? At the very least, it would help us attack that enormous plastic patch in the middle of the ocean.
It's a strange thing to think about, but have you ever wondered what would happen if the ozone layer suddenly wasn't there? Here's a hint: Getting a bad sunburn would be the least of your problems.
Remember learning about photosynthesis when you were a kid? Let's pretend for a moment that this vital process could somehow permanently stop. How tough would it be to continue to live on this Earth?
Picture the smells of a warm, sunny day in July. To your left, a neighbor is barbecuing. To your right, someone has put a warm apple pie on the windowsill to cool down. Smells great, right? So how does sunshine factor into all of this?
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From tropical islands to arctic tundra, we humans appear capable of living just about anywhere. But do different groups of people fare better in certain types of climates, or are we just really good at adapting to the environment around us?
Our early ancestors, enjoying the effects of rotten fruit, had stumbled onto something big. How did alcohol serve as a nutrition source and, some believe, help motivate hunters to take up farming?
There'd be some sacrifices. But bird-people society would have its advantages: interchangeable parents, sophisticated gardening skills and a close relationship with trees.
Income inequality contributes to societal ills. Would mandating equal paychecks for all improve the situation or lead to work-shirking and massive government?
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When it comes to eating certain questionable foods — like unrefrigerated potato salad — most of us know to stay far away. But what about moldy bread? If you cut the offending areas off, is it a risk worth taking or a ticking time bomb?
Say a guy mistakes "the Pill" for a breath mint. Is he going to have any lasting side effects if he takes one? What about if he took it regularly?