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Scientists spent two years ruling out all other possible explanations. DAVIDE COERO BORGA/ WiredSigns of a buried lake were detected on the planet’s south pole. Scientists have been on a mission for decades. Despite Mars’ desolate surface, the quest to find water on the Red Planet has been ongoing, with many scientists agreeing that it likely exists in some areas. But new evidence published in the journal Science may be one of the biggest indicators to date that there is water on Mars....

Flavia suffered from depression and melancholy for the 43 years she spent in a European zoo, thousands of miles from her herd. PACMAFlavia the sad elephant in captivity at the Cordoba Zoo in Spain. Flavia, the “saddest elephant in the world,” has passed away after living in solitary confinement in southern Spain’s Cordoba Zoo for 43 years. Flavia was forcibly removed from her herd when she was three and displayed strong signs of discontentedness for the rest of her life....

What began as a group to combat the violence of and compete with the Crips quickly devolved into a rival crime syndicate that persists even in the prisons of New York City today. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 33 Hells Angels Photos That Put You Inside The Notorious Biker Gang Glamour, Gangsters, And Racism: 30 Photos Inside Harlem’s Infamous Cotton Club...

In 1948, 11-year-old Sally Horner was kidnapped and subsequently held captive by a pedophile for 21 months. WikipediaA photo of Sally Horner, taken sometime during her abduction. Current affairs have raised questions as to what constitutes inappropriate behavior with minors. But the unavoidable truth is that pedophilia plotline in the 1955 novel Lolita was not an original concept. Author Vladimir Nabokov undertook research of all kinds to write what’s widely considered to be the most gripping and well-written study in perversion of the 20th century....

The crew of 309 aboard the USS Cyclops disappeared without a trace – and we’re still left with more questions than answers. National Museum of the U.S. Navy/Flickr No distress call, no lifeboats adrift at sea. Nothing. Like it was plucked from the Earth by God himself, the USS Cyclops and all of its 309 crew were gone without a trace. The Bermuda Triangle has claimed its fair share of vessels over the centuries, but none are quite as baffling to Navy historians as the tale of the 1918 disappearance of the USS Cyclops....

Cherie Currie thought she was getting her big break, but she ended up in the middle of a nightmare. Michael Marks/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesCherie Currie of The Runaways. Cherie Currie’s life changed when she was 15 years old. Unlike most 15-year-old girls in 1975, who were busy beginning high school and finding dates for the homecoming dance, Cherie Currie was unbothered by the mundane high school lifestyle. She was more interested in making a scene....

The thumbscrew was a torture device that would cripple you, potentially maim you, but leave you alive so you could tell your comrades all about the enemy’s power. JvL/FlickrA small, basic thumbscrew. During the Middle Ages, monarchs, armies, and religious organizations employed any means necessary to maintain power. Those means included torturing suspects to extract confessions. One of those methods of torture was a thumbscrew, a small and simple device that slowly crushed both thumbs....

The 74-year-old Vietnam veteran was bitten more than 100 times by ants that ‘feasted on him’ just days prior to his death from cancer. Laquana RossJoel Marrable’s room was covered in ants from the floor to the ceiling. Staff claimed he was bathed and transferred to another room, but the infestation apparently returned the next day. A Vietnam veteran passed away at a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs assisted living facility on Saturday, but before he died, he was twice found covered in ants....

Proponents of the process assert that this method is a more sustainable alternative to burials and cremations. PixabayShould Senate Bill 5001 be signed, “human composting” laws will take effect in May 2020. Washington is poised to become the first U.S. state to legislate “natural organic reduction” or “human composting.” The environmentally-friendly process essentially turns human remains into soil in a matter of weeks and could appeal to many as an alternative to cremations or standard burials....

According to its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, “Scientology is the science of knowing how to know answers” – and practicing Scientologists are convinced they know some pretty bizarre things to be true. Here are five of the strangest. Image Source: Wikimedia Commons IN 1950, SCIENCE FICTION WRITE L. RON HUBBARD published Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, a book outlining his new system of psychotherapy. Within four years, the book ushered in a movement that expanded and became its own religion: the Church of Scientology....

From July 31, 1969 to June 26, 1970, the four Zodiac Killer ciphers arrived at the offices of The San Francisco Chronicle. It took 51 years for the remaining unsolved codes to finally be broken. Wikimedia CommonsA sketch of the Zodiac killer, whose last ciphers were finally just solved after a half-century. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Zodiac Killer terrorized Northern California. He left several clues in his wake, including a handful of coded messages....

Sex has always been a taboo subject for much of civilization and likely always will be. These sex facts prove that history is filled a panoply of unusual fetishes and customs. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 1 of 23Cleopatra was an innovator of the vibrator and was said to pleasure herself with the vibrations created from a box full of angry bees....

These ancient world maps might be inaccurate, but they were once thought to be exemplars of cartography. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 25 Ancient Maps That Make Modern Ones Look Very Boring 44 Ancient Artifacts That Reveal What Life Was Really Like For Our Ancestors 35 History Maps That Will Make You See The World In A Whole New Light...

These haunting color images of Imperial Russia show a world on the verge of revolution and about to change forever. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 44 Old Color Photos Made With Autochrome That Remain Stunning A Century Later 44 Stunning Color Photos Of The World’s Cultures 100 Years Ago 39 Psychedelic Photos Of Pre-Revolution Russia...

And you thought that jewelry was the only way to transform your hand into something more exotic. We might regard body painting as a relatively new art form, but in reality it is an ancient practice shared across many cultures. Be it tribal painting rituals, henna tattoos or morning makeup routines, the human body has historically presented itself as an apt canvas for personal expression. In the West, most of our knowledge on the subject begins and ends with clowns painting animals on kids’ faces at birthday parties....

In 1905, August Vollmer became town marshal of Berkeley, California. In just a few years, he transformed his department into the first modern police force — and laid the groundwork for the heavily-armed police of today. Wikimedia CommonsAugust Vollmer was Berkeley, California’s longtime chief of police and pioneered the use of military methods in the American police force. Armored police and military-style raids have become a terrifying and all-too-common fixture in the modern United States, but many people may not know that the nation’s history of police militarization can be traced in large part back to one man....

The motives for Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold to carry out the Columbine High School massacre had nothing to do with bullying or revenge — and the real truth is even more disturbing. On the morning of Tuesday, April 20, 1999, Columbine High School senior Brooks Brown noted something strange. His on-again-off-again friend Eric Harris had missed morning classes. Even stranger, Harris — a straight-A student — had missed their philosophy exam....

When Eddie Lincoln died of tuberculosis on February 1, 1850, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln were devastated — but it wouldn’t be the last time they’d lose a child. Public DomainEdward “Eddie” Lincoln died just shy of his fourth birthday after suffering for months from tuberculosis. The story of Abraham Lincoln’s life is threaded with tragedy. And one of the most powerful blows that the president suffered came when he lost his young son, Edward Baker Lincoln, in 1850....

Frank Cullotta was a ruthless burglar and hitman who eventually turned informant on his partner in Las Vegas — and later advised Martin Scorsese on the set of Casino. FlickrFrank Cullotta’s 1981 Las Vegas arrest photo. One of the most infamous members of the Chicago Outfit and the Hole in the Wall Gang burglary ring, Frank Cullotta also ended up providing law enforcement with key information on the mob’s activities in Las Vegas — and was one of the primary sources for the legendary book-turned-movie Casino....

“The fact remains that lions are wild animals and no matter how habituated or tame they might seem, they remain unpredictable and instinctive.” Mahala View Lion Game Lodge/FacebookSeventy-year-old game reserve owner Leon Van Biljon was mauled to death by the lions under his care. As majestic as they are, it’s important to remember that lions and other big cats are wild animals. Even when they are used to human presence, these beasts can make unpredictable movements....