Science Versus Myth

Each year, approximately 4,000 people go to the emergency room for injuries caused by accidents involving electrical outlets. While this number seems high, even more people never make it to the hospital. They die.

By Katherine Neer

Forward and back, left and right, up and down -- most of us are familiar with these spatial dimensions. We might even pinpoint our location in time. Is that all there is to dimensions? No way, say the scientists who have a theory for everything.

By Robert Lamb

It opened the door for numerous technological advances, from nuclear power and nuclear medicine to the inner workings of the sun. It even appeared in the title of a Mariah Carey album. Really. Can you define those three key variables, too?

By Robert Lamb & Yara Simón

It could be that the hunt for the Higgs is a little like Christopher Columbus' famous 1492 voyage, full of surprising discoveries that take particle physicists to places they never anticipated. How's that voyage going anyhow?

By Robert Lamb

Superman has his Bizarro planet, Alice tiptoes through the looking glass. For scientists, that world where normal rules and laws fail to explain what's happening is quantum physics. What's so weird about it?

By Robert Lamb

We'd by lying if we said that the sight of the Grim Reaper standing by our bedside, scythe in hand, wouldn't scare the daylights out of us. How did this well-known personification of death become so frightening?

By William Harris

The practice of hypnotism dates back centuries, and there are those who swear by its validity. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, hypnosis is an interesting phenomenon. Check it out -- and let us know if you start to bark like a dog.

By Tom Harris

Nostradamus is said to have predicted the rises of Napoleon and Hitler, the destruction of the World Trade Center and even the COVID-19 pandemic. But was this 15th-century astrologer really that smart?

By Tom Harris & Melanie Radzicki McManus

The vampire legend has been evolving for centuries. The most common image of the vampire was born in Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" in 1897, but the stories go back further than that. Learn all about the undead.

By Tom Harris

The Chupacabra is a vampire-like creature that has been gaining notoriety. Learn about the legend of El Chupacabra and Chupacabra incidents and sightings.

By Katherine Neer & Nicole Antonio

The word "nirvana" gets thrown around in conversation all the time, often to describe a state of joy or supreme happiness. Actually, it's more than that -- a whole lot more. Find out what nirvana is.

By Tom Harris

Have you ever had a dream that came true? Or called a friend at the exact moment he was calling you? Most of us have had some sort of paranormal experience. Is this evidence of the existence of ESP?

By Tom Harris

You've heard the saying for ages, but exactly why is it so dangerous to go swimming right after you eat?

A CART race at Texas Motor Speedway was cancelled because the G-forces on the drivers were too high. How can you calculate the G-forces, and how do the cars generate forces that high?

Saturation diving hinges on the idea that the dissolved gases in our blood and body tissues match those in our lungs. This deep-sea exploration method allows divers to work at extreme depths without constantly surfacing. Learn how it works.

By Austin Henderson

Bigfoot, aka Sasquatch, allegedly roams the forests of the Pacific Northwest, yet it has eluded the cryptozoology community for decades.

By Nicole Antonio

Déjà vu is used to describe the feeling that you experienced a situation before. What causes this phenomenon? It's not a glitch in the matrix, but most of our knowledge on the subject is still theoretical.

By Yara Simón

If you were to fly west around the world, fast enough so that you crossed one time zone every hour, would you stand still in time?

There's actually an equation to figure it out!

By Katherine Neer

A helium balloon rises because the helium is lighter than air. So how would a balloon -- made from a very sturdy but very lightweight material -- that had been removed of all air respond?

February is an unusual month, especially when it comes to leap years. In this article, you can read about why we use leap years and how the year 2000 was a leap year and 1900 was not.

By Sascha Bos

Special relativity deals in phenomena that don't agree with our historical or commonsense views of how the universe works. In fact, many of the theory's assertions almost appear ludicrous.

By John Zavisa

You may have noticed that we're all constantly traveling into the future. But what if you were interested in dancing through the fourth dimension more deftly than the next guy? How might you do that?

By Kevin Bonsor & Robert Lamb

Looking forward to instantaneous travel? The Star Trek teleporter is one step closer to reality. Scientists have now teleported a laser beam. Could humans be next?

By Kevin Bonsor & Robert Lamb

Ever wonder why we start our year on the first of January? Or why we have January and the other 11 months in the first place? Find out all about time.

By Marshall Brain