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.
How Safety Coffins Eased Grave Fears of Premature Burial
Does Marie Antoinette Still Roam the Halls of Versailles?
Is Scattering Someone's Ashes Technically Considered Littering?
Ridiculous History: Chainsaws Were Invented to Help With Childbirth
Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of These Debunked Conspiracy Theories
What's the Fascination With Number 23?
The Tower: The Most Intimidating Tarot Card
Indigo Children: New Age Trend or Undiagnosed ADHD?
What Does it Mean When You See Angel Numbers?
How Ben Franklin Helped Ignite the Jersey Devil Hysteria
From Bigfoot to Nessie: 7 Legendary Cryptids That'll Keep You up at Night
Does the Jackalope Really Roam the State of Wyoming?
Is the Mystery of Namibia's Fairy Circles Finally Solved?
Water 'Witches' Pit Science Against Folklore in Search of Groundwater
What's Really Going on at the 'Dog Suicide Bridge'?
Was Lyme Disease Created as a Bioweapon?
Is the Universe Just a Simulation?
Thought Experiment: What If We Stopped Walking Upright?
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If you're considering a hobby or career as a "ufologist" or paranormal investigator, there are a handful of routes that don't involve being personally abducted or applying to a secret government shadow agency.
By Dave Roos
A surprising percentage of Americans believe that Big Pharma is hiding the cure for cancer because there's a lot of money to be made treating the disease. Experts explain why this isn't true.
By Dave Roos
We've yet to find intelligent life outside of planet Earth. But instead of space, should we be looking right here but in other dimensions?
By Diana Brown
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Tourists may not be the only ones to enjoy the beauty of the famous palace.
By Diana Brown
Would they be a mating display? A fierce weapon to defend against lions?
By Robert Lamb
Previously undiscovered geoglyphs found in Peru were invisible from the ground and too faint and sprawling to be picked up by space satellites. But not drones.
A disturbing noise, somewhere between a window-rattling bass and a brain-numbing deep thrum has bugged the heck out of residents in the city of Windsor, Ontario, Canada for years, and it's called the Windsor Hum.
By John Donovan
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Since 2010, some Windsor, Ontario residents have reporting a low-frequency hum that will not go away. Is this a real sound, and if so, why can't anyone locate its source?
Theories surrounding the source of the Tunguska blast that rocked the Siberian region in 1908 abound. But the exact cause is still a mystery.
By Diana Brown
CERN's work has been groundbreaking to say the least, but conspiracy theories run rampant about the potential disasters it could cause, too.
By Diana Brown
There's no doubt people are seeing lights. But are they really spirits of ghosts — or even aliens — or can these unusual lights be clarified with a simple explanation?
By Diana Brown
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Are strange skeletons unearthed across the globe evidence that we're not alone, or are they simply more myths and legends that are bound to be debunked?
By Diana Brown
These booming sounds are part of a mysterious phenomenon that's occurred for years around the U.S. and elsewhere in the world.
Some of us really hope the yeti is a giant snow ape, but new research finds it's just bears out there in the Himalayas.
Theories about the ghostly lights abound. Conclusions are harder to come by.
By Jamie Allen
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The original King of Monsters has become cute. How does that happen?
By Robert Lamb
Humans are awesome and we have superpowers of our own. But could a greedy world of "supervillains" twist them against us?
By Diana Brown
More than 1,000 people have gone missing from U.S. national parks. Are there reasonable explanations or is there something more sinister at work?
By Diana Brown
According to new research, many people believe wildly inaccurate myths about the brain and learning — even those who know a lot about neuroscience.
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No crew, sails set, fire still blazing in the galley — some ships wash up on shores under mysterious circumstances. The Resolven was one of them.
Many people have sworn to have spotted Bigfoot. But does the elusive hominid exist?
By Diana Brown
When a super-realistic android or video character gives us a creepy feeling, it enters the uncanny valley. Why do we get spooked, and what can we do to avoid it?
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Covfefe isn't as mysterious as everyone makes it out to be. We're here to explain.
Can infrasound explain away ghosts, hauntings and other paranormal activity?
By Diana Brown