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Though Lake Natron is known for its life-ending properties, it’s actually quite hospitable to some lucky species. You may remember the eerie black and white photographs of calcified birds that went viral a couple years ago. The poor creatures appeared to have “turned to stone” in the highly caustic waters of Tanzania’s Lake Natron — specifically due to the high amounts of sodium carbonate in the lake. This mineral deposit makes its way into the lake via Ol Doinyo Lengai, a nearby volcano and the sole active producer of natrocarbonatite lava....

A report with substantial eyewitness accounts and government documents shows the large-scale detention of ethnic Muslim minorities. Associated Press A security officer guarding a security post leading to a center believed a e-education camp. Accounts of Muslim minorities being detained at “re-education camps” in Xinjiang, China have been slowly trickling into the media for nearly a year. On May 15, 2018, Adrian Zenz published a report with corroborating accounts including the government’s own sources, showing that officials have created large-scale re-education camps, in which several hundred thousand to over a million Muslims have been detained and subjected to torture, brainwashing, and humiliation....

Neanderthals may have known how to self-medicate, new research shows. A new analysis of Neanderthal teeth has found that Neanderthals self-medicated with painkillers and proto-penicillin, tens of thousands of years before modern humans got the idea. Publishing their results in the scientific journal Nature, researchers examined the dental calculus, or built-up plaque, found on the teeth of Neanderthals. One of the Neanderthals that the researchers studied was a teenager with a large dental abscess and a gut parasite that gave him constant diarrhea, the New Scientist reports....

“[These urchins] are minute but terrifying,” a scientist studying them said. If you’re in the market for a pet, the collector urchin is probably not the way to go. Though they might be aesthetically pleasing — small and round with vibrant, multi-colored spikes — anyone who frightened your new friend would risk getting hit with a cloud of chomping, venom-spitting jaws. Officially named the Tripneustes gratilla and nicknamed the cake sea urchin or the Parson’s hat sea urchin, these coral reef-dwelling creatures have developed a defense system much more elaborate than their urchin cousins....

Joseph Martinez is locally known as “Jupiter Joe,” a street astronomer who sets up his telescope on subway platforms and sidewalks and offers free lessons to children. Left: NYPD Handout; Right: Jupiter Joe’s Sidewalk Astronomy/FacebookLeft: Minerliz Soriano, who was found strangled to death in a dumpster in 1999. Right: Joseph Martinez, who has just been charged with her murder. Taught to reach for the stars, Minerliz “Minnie” Soriano dreamt of becoming an astronaut....

The victim left his truck parked at a gas station for a few days, and when he returned the truck had vanished — with all noodles in tow. FlickrMaruchan is one of the most popular instant ramen noodle brands in America. A tractor trailer transporting about $98,000 worth of ramen instant noodles was stolen while it was parked at a Chevron gas station in Fayette County, Georgia. The incident happened sometime between July 25 and August 1, according to a report that the victim filed with local authorities....

In 2002, an elite tactical team was said to have killed the Kandahar Giant, a 13-foot-tall beast with flaming red hair, six fingers on each hand, and two sets of teeth. Staff Sgt. Bertha A. Flores/U.S. ArmyA U.S. Special Forces soldier on patrol in Kandahar Province. In August 2016, a YouTuber posted a lengthy interview with a military contractor identified only as Mr. K. In the interview, Mr. K claimed to have been present during the brutal slaughter of a killer he called the Kandahar Giant....

In 267 A.D., Zenobia took over the Palmyrene Empire as the queen regent. Just a few years later, she had Egypt, Asia Minor, and the Levant under her control. Wikimedia CommonsCoin showing Zenobia. 272 A.D. Zenobia was the Queen of the Palmyrene Empire from 267 to 272 A.D. Under her rule, Palmyra expanded from modern Syria all the way from Iraq through Turkey and into Egypt. Although not much is known of Zenobia’s ancestry, she was likely of noble descent, and may have even been a descendant of Cleopatra....

From morphine to Santa Claus to Nazis, this Coca-Cola history lesson will reveal how one sugary drink created the America we know today. Afghan refugee children stand in front of a Coca-Cola sign in northwest Pakistan. Image Source: HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images On the evening of April 16, 1865, Union and Confederate cavalry clashed over a bridge in Columbus, Georgia, in what was arguably the last battle of the U.S. Civil War....

In November 1842, a group of slaves escaped their Cherokee-owned plantations in Oklahoma and headed for Mexico, only to be chased down and captured by an 87-man militia. Apic/Getty ImagesCherokee delegates negotiated with the U.S. government in 1866 to guarantee tribal citizenship to black slaves freed from their tribes. On the night of Nov. 15, 1842, a group of 25 black slaves largely owned by a notorious Cherokee slave master made a daring escape....

Like it or not, you’re human. This means that at one point or another you use slang. It’s not to look cool, per se, but a sort of verbal shorthand or way to identify with a certain group. But because we use it all the time, slang constantly evolves, adapting its meanings and usage according to our tastes and needs. Many slang words you’ve likely already used today have some pretty surprising origins....

From an Auschwitz survivor celebrating her 104th birthday with 400 of her descendants to a circus swapping real animals for holographic ones, here are some uplifting stories from this year. Pixabay The year of 2019 was full of highs and lows. Despite some truly disastrous news, there were also plenty of uplifting stories guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Want to read some good news for a change? Check out the best happy news stories of 2019 below....

From wives to nurses to even children, these 23 female serial killers show that murder isn’t just a man’s world. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: The 33 Worst Serial Killers Ever To Stalk The Earth 33 Famous Serial Killers Whose Crimes Shocked The World How Amelia Dyer Killed Hundreds Of Babies And Became One Of History’s Worst Serial Killers...

Every map assumes a point of view. Not just in the Mercator vs. equirectangular sense, where, for example, Greenland’s girth is famously either greatly exaggerated or diminished, depending on how the globe is stretched and flattened. Share Flipboard Email There’s also the point of view that comes when the inherent authority of a map meets the unavoidable politics of the mapmaker, forging an image that does so much more than just offer directions to the wayward....

These beautiful fall photos will remind you of all the things you love about autumn: Pumpkin Spice Lattes and cozy nights spent with friends and family. Fall is upon us. Kids are back in school, and the sunlight is starting to make itself scarce. These 30 colorful fall photos will remind you of all the things you love about autumn. Though summer will end in just a few days, these colorful fall photos prove that there’s no reason to have the summertime blues:...

Missed out on the classics or looking for something new? Check out some of the best history books of all time, from ancient marvels to Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction. 55 History Books That Will Change Your Outlook On Life View Gallery The holiday season is upon us — what would make a better gift than the gift of hindsight? From Ancient Rome philosophers to the gonzo journalists of the 1970s, these history books encompass the perils, the pitfalls, and the peculiarities of humanity’s shared past....

In June 2021, the wife and youngest son of Alex Murdaugh were murdered at their rural estate, sending him into a spiral that ended with him hiring a hitman to kill him. Maggie Murdaugh/FacebookAlex Murdaugh (center) and his late son and wife. With a wife and two sons, South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh appeared to have it all. That is, until June when his spouse and son were killed in an unsolved murder case....

This incredible video shows you LSD’s effects on the human brain like never before. You won’t believe how powerful this drug truly is. Turns out your trip might have been in the name of science after all. Researchers monitoring the neural activity of participants in a new study recently produced the first images of the effects of LSD on the brain — and the results are pretty impressive. “This is to neuroscience what the Higgs boson was to particle physics,” said David Nutt, professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London and senior researcher on the study....

In 1954, the British engineers behind Blue Peacock designed a nuclear landmine to use against the Soviets — and it was dependent upon live chickens. Bruno Vincent/Getty ImagesThe prototype for the Blue Peacock, a nuclear landmine. As the Iron Curtain descended across Europe following World War II, countries on both sides started making plans about what to do if the Cold War ever turned physical. As the nuclear arms race took off, the British came up with the top-secret Operation Blue Peacock as a way to stop a potential Soviet attack....

Long before Advil, people would willingly consume human blood and bone powder to cure ailments. Long before there was ibuprofen readily available, or before penicillin was a widespread notion, people looked for cures of daily ailments in the weirdest of places. They would chew herbs, drink mysterious potions, and… eat human flesh? Yes, that’s right. In the 17th century, Europeans were hardcore medicinal cannibals. Europeans from all walks of life, from clergymen to royalty would routinely take medicine in which the most common ingredient was human body parts....