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How “Catastrophe and Social Change” (1920) became the first systematic analysis of human behavior in a disaster.

The Uros of Lake Titicaca live on floating islands made from reeds. How did they get there?

For well over a century, engineers have proposed harnessing the ocean’s tides for energy. But the idea hasn’t seemed to register in many places.

Once water gets more than about 200 feet deep, building on the sea floor is out of the question.

From questionable shipwrecks to outright attacks, the Sentinelese clearly don’t want to be bothered.

Stories of child prodigies and the naturally gifted hide the fact that success is built on more than talent alone.

Scientists may have detected the somewhat smelly chemical dimethyl sulfide on a planet 120 light-years from Earth.

New radiocarbon dating reveals astonishing insights.

The Trojan War was fought in Finland and Ulysses sailed home to Denmark, says one controversial theory.

Like ultra-hardy plants that thrive in harsh conditions, businesses that see crises as opportunities are likely to win in the long run.

The weirdest thing about the 21 feet found near Vancouver since 2007? Foul play has been ruled out.

If cocaine affects sharks at all, it does so as an anesthetic, not as a stimulant.

The jail environment teaches the animals that approaching humans results in a boring and annoying experience.

An analysis of Indonesian cave paintings is reframing the history of human art, though whether the paintings really were created by human hands remains an open question.

Though Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” is a classic military treatise, its advice applies to all manner of conflict.

When Cameroon’s Lakes Monoun and Nyos exploded, they released clouds of carbon dioxide that suffocated everything in its wake.

When you turn a map of East Asia upside down, Beijing’s geographic constraints and regional ambitions become much clearer.

Only Caesar lived to tell the tale.

Long before Christopher and Magellan, ancient explorers voyaged into the unknown and brought home extraordinary tales.

Before Constantine received his history-defining vision, a pagan Sun god paved the way for Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into the Eternal City.

His crime was so great, he was not only sentenced to death but his name was to be erased from memory.

Lab experiments showed Caribbean box jellyfish are quick studies of their environment.

True north, magnetic north, and grid north have aligned. There’s also a connection to James Bond.

Driven by a childhood marked by war and environmental devastation, Dyhia Belhabib developed an innovative technology to combat illegal fishing.

The lithium-ion alternatives could help create a safer, greener future.

The most momentous and significant events in our lives are the ones we do not see coming. Life is defined by the unforeseen.

Autocrats like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin fear democracy, yet go to great lengths to present themselves as democratic leaders.

“Spanish Stonehenge” contains 526 giant stones, three circular burial sites, a quarry, and four necropolises.

Humanity is never fully in control of its creations. This lesson from Mary Shelley has remained relevant for over 200 years.

The strange bronze artifact perplexed scholars for more than a century, including how it traveled so far from home.