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How a Killer Caterpillar Uses Scent to Hide (and Other Weird Ways Creatures Camouflage Themselves)
Have you ever wondered how an animal can hide from an insect or bat? While some animals rely on a visual disguise to keep themselves safe, others exploit scent or sound to conceal themselves...
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Desert-Dwelling Methuselahs and a Tree That Thrives on Lightning: 5 Plants Stranger Than Fiction
Though fiction tends to populate enchanted forests and alien planets with weird flora, the real world holds some equally odd vegetation...
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Gas Clouds, Eruptions, Poison and Boiling Water: 4 Lakes You May Want to Avoid This Summer
Most lakes are inviting places that offer respite from the heat... but that's not always the case...
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The Gore-Loving Redcap and the Stealthy Ghillie Dhu: 6 Fairies of the British Isles
The the fair folk, the people of the mounds, elves... go anywhere in Britain and you'll find folklore telling of a fairy (good or bad) that haunts the countryside...
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City-Dwelling Deer and Temple Monkeys: 5 Places Where Animals Rule the Roost
Humans tend to think of ourselves as the masters of Earth - but there are some places where we are clearly tolerated "guests."
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The Burning Mountain and the Skeleton Coast: 10 Otherworldly Places You May Not Want to Explore
Whether man-made or naturally occurring, there are some locations in the world that just seem unreal...
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Cockatoos Operating Drinking Fountains and Monkeys Kidnapping as a Hobby: 4 Emerging Animal Behaviors
They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks - perhaps that's true, but these animals are coming up with new habits all by themselves...
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The Femme Fatale Farmer, "Jack the Stripper" and the Bloody Benders: 3 Cases Where Serial Killers Were Never Caught
Statisticians suggest that around 0.006% of serial killers successfully evade the law, often while racking up an astoundingly high body count...
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The Bird That Mimics a Caterpillar and a Pretend Plague-Carrier: 7 Animals With a Knack for Acting
Humans aren't the only ones to use cloak and dagger tactics. Certain beasts use disguises to appear like more or less of a threat than they actually are - with some even making themselves look like a biohazard!
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The "Bone Collector" Caterpillar and Spider Scam Artists: 4 Decidedly Creepy-Crawlies
With most arthropods you know what to expect (bees make honey, caterpillars munch leaves, spiders catch flies and so on) but some adopt a different and disturbing way of life...
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Real-Life Cyborgs and an Underground Temple: 4 Strange Communities
Many communities have a quirk or a bit of odd history, but few can claim to have secretly built an underground temple...
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Nailed Heads and Reassembled Soldiers: 4 Mysterious Burials
Sometimes an ancient grave leaves many questions unanswered, whether in terms of how an individual died... or why the body received unusual treatment after death...
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The Scythe-Jawed Hell Ant and the Cow-Eyed Marsupial Saber-Tooth: 5 Weird Ancient Creatures
Prehistoric Earth played host to many different animals, some of which were very strange compared to the creatures of today...
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The Town Burning From Beneath and an Island of Dolls: 4 Real Places Fit for a Horror Movie
Some of the best horror media draws on real life for inspiration, putting a dark spin on existing locations - but some places seem pre-made for tales of terror...
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The Unmanned MV Joyita and the Towns That Never Were: 3 Mysterious Disappearances
Whether due to crime, natural disaster or something more outlandish, history is filled with missing people whose departure leaves unanswered questions...
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A Red-Toothed Skeleton and Books That Could Kill: 4 Weird Historical Finds (That Sound Cursed)
Not every archeological find is a trove of gold or jewels - some can be deadly, alien or just downright eerie...
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The Concussive Bunya and the Misleading Manchineel: 5 Trees That Can Kill (or Make You Wish You Were Dead...)
A great deal of life on Earth depends on trees, but that doesn't mean they can't be dangerous or downright deadly...
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The Disintegrating Planet and a Horned Cryovolcanic Comet: 5 Weird Discoveries in Space
Space is often called the final frontier and though we're still a long way from sending humans to another solar system, technology like the James-Webb Space Telescope does allow us to peer into the void...
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Bacteria That Make Bodies and Squirrels With a Taste for Voles: 5 Weird Creatures that Exist Today
The natural world is full of weird and wonderful organisms, ranging from "mundane" beasts that have developed strange habits to things entirely more alien...
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The Hawk that Stalked Hertfordshire and an Attempted Homicide by Snake: 5 Unusual Animal Attacks
Though dog bites may be the most common form of animal attack in the world, plenty of other beasts have taken on humans...
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Spirit Photos and a Semaphore Cyber-Attack: 5 Surreal Scams
Scams are an omnipresent danger in modern life - investment opportunities, wonder-products, diet fads and so on - but these cons ranging from ancient to modern history are a bit more inventive...
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The Sunken $17 Billion and a Haunted Steamer: 4 Weird Shipwrecks (and How They Happened)
It's the fate of many ships to end up in Davy Jones's locker. In the past these doomed vessels were out of human reach, but advancing technology has unlocked their mysteries...
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Brain-Eating Amoeba and a Spider-Zombifying Fungus: 4 Disturbingly Odd Pathogens
Pretty much everyone gets infected by a cold virus at some point in their lives, but there are much stranger infectious entities in the world...
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Goat Coronations and Coffin Races: 5 Really Odd Fairs and Festivals
Who needs a traditional Summer fair when you could see the death of a dragon or a goat being made royalty?
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The Bleeding Glacier and a Rainbow Mountain: 5 Eerie Places on Earth
Some landscapes are picturesque, offering the kind of view you'd see in a charming painting. Other locations are far stranger, being more suited to a dream... or nightmare...
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The Stinking Hoatzin and the Slamming Seriema: 6 Really Weird Birds
Not every bird is suited to sitting on a convenient branch and singing. Some are vicious hunters or have a specialist diet, while others would rather build their own paradise than find one...
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The Fiji Mermaid and Lying Stones: 4 Hoaxes Perpetrated on Science
Finding something new to science can get you fame, respect or (if you play your cards right) a significant amount of money. With those incentives, is it any wonder that not every "discovery" has turned out to be genuine?
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The Scottish Saucer, Flying Warships and Spaceman Photo-Bombers: 3 "Close Encounters"
Most people know about the Roswell incident, but that's not the only place to have experienced a UFO or mysterious figure...
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Ants That Perform Surgical Amputations and Spiders That Play Dead to Lure a Mate: 3 Weird Ways Arthropods Behave
We are only distantly related to arthropods, so it seems a little strange how human-like their otherwise alien behaviour can be...
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A Cooked Pharaoh and the Ancient Puppets of El Salvador: 5 Weird Relics
Chain-wrapped skeletons, masks carved from the dreams of Alaskan shamans and sunken basalt cairns may sound like they were taken from an Indiana Jones film, but they've all been found by real-world archaeologists...
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The Leopard Man of Skye and a Micro-Nation on the Edge of Britain: 5 Real-World Hermits
If the popularity of building and survival games like ARK or Minecraft tells us anything, it's that sometimes people want to be left to themselves...
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The Crocodilian Amphibian and a Plane-Sized Pterosaur: 8 Powerful Prehistoric Beasts (Other than the Dinosaurs)
Though dinosaurs tend to steal the spotlight, plenty of other mighty creatures can be found throughout the history of Earth...
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The Mix-and-Match Skeleton and a Brain that Turned to Glass: 5 Strange Sets of Human Remains
Archaeologists often encounter human remains during an excavation, but sometimes the way a body is buried or the manner in which it died is just odd...
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The 50ft Snake and a Pig From Hell: 10 Giant Beasts From Earth's Past
While you can encounter big animals today, few can match up to their prehistoric equivalents...
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Rocks that Grow and a Steaming Underground Lake: 6 Real-World Places Fit for a Fantasy Novel
Whether film, book or game, fiction media often features fantastical landscapes. That said, there are real world places that can compete with Avatar's Pandora or Tolkien's Middle Earth...
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The Frozen Aircraft Carrier and Injectable Night Vision: 5 Weird Military Projects
Few things drive innovation at the same rate as warfare. That said, not every bit of technology that emerges is practical - or even sensible...
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Fatally Fast Fish and the Great Molasses Flood: 5 Odd Accidents
Ever heard of something being an accident waiting to happen? Sometimes a situation isn't obviously risky, but can still be dangerous - or even deadly...
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Serpent Shrines and the Forbidden Island: 6 Strange Sites Settled by Snakes
Snakes feature in folklore across the globe, so perhaps it shouldn't be surprising when they make their home in odd locations - either of their own accord or with human help...
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Climbing Fish and Cartel Hippos: 6 Animals Living in Unexpected Places
Generally people expect to see animals in certain places - for example, fish at a coral reef... not climbing up a sheer waterfall!
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An Emerging Solar System and a Chorus in Space: 6 Interstellar Oddities
Space has often been called the final frontier - so it shouldn't be surprising that many strange things lurk beyond Earth's atmosphere...
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Bloodthirsty Butterflies and Seal-Eating Gulls: 6 Disturbing Animal Dining Habits
Every living thing has to feed - but some creatures don't limit themselves to green leaves or fresh meat...
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Bank Robbery and Roleplay Gone Wrong: 6 True Crimes on Valentine's
Valentine's is supposed to be a day for romance - but rather than breaking hearts, some people choose to break the law...
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Poison-Spraying Scorpions and Silk-Twirling Spiders: Six Animals (and One Plant) That Use Projectiles
Most animals rely on fangs, claws or venom to fight - but there are a few non-humans who prefer to keep things at a distance...
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Chimp Wars and Penguin Prostitutes: 5 Odd Ways Animal Groups Behave
Living in a group offers many opportunities and challenges to an animal - here are 5 weird ways groups of animals can behave, like forming living traps or turning to prostitution!
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The Flexible 2000 Year-Old Mummy and a Philosopher in a Display Case: 6 Famous Preserved Corpses
While the ancient Egyptians may be the best known preservers of the dead, they certainly don't have a monopoly... as these examples demonstrate.
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Dragged Home by a Lightning-Proof Pooch or Rescued by Lions: 6 Animals that Saved Humans
Between shark attacks and out of control dogs, you might get the impression that animals are out for our blood... but here are some that saved human lives instead.
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Deadly Tonic and the Potting Shed Reactor: 7 Radioactive Misadventures
Radioactive material is useful for more than just weapons, but handling it always poses a risk - especially when the general public get involved...
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Blubber Butchers and Murderous Monkeys: 8 Secretly Cannibal Animals
Spiders, mantises and sharks all have a reputation for cannibalism, but many more creatures are willing to eat their fellows...
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Hamster Homicide and a Hungry Hippo: Seven Times Pets Killed
Pets can enrich our lives, but owners should remember that they are not human - and that even a tiny critter can be dangerous... or even deadly.
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The Nukes Dropped on Carolina and a Deadly Catch: 5 Nearly Catastrophic Nuclear Weapon Incidents
Nuclear bombs are the most devastating weapons known to man - but sometimes their handlers get a little careless...
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The Six-Mile Fall and an Inflated Man: Seven Times People Survived "Fatal" Experiences
Collisions, extreme temperatures, radiation - there are plenty of ways that a human can die. That said, people sometimes hold on to life against all odds...
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Competitive Frog Jumping and a Celebration of Asparagus: 5 Odd Spring Festivals
Plenty of people and places celebrate spring... but did you know some do it with a competitive frog-jumping contest?
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Flamboyant Foot-Soldiers and Flying Tigers: 6 Odd Groups of Mercenaries from History
Most nations in history have had a standing military force - but that's not always enough. Fortunately there have always been soldiers-of-fortune willing to fill the gap... even if they are a bit strange.
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The Pirate Queen of China and a Hook-Handed Private Eye: 5 Real People Who Would Fit a Pulp-Crime Novel
They say that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Whether or not you agree with that sentiment, there are certainly individuals whose exploits seem incredibly unrealistic...
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An Egg-Laying Rooster, a Papal Corpse and the Rebel Bell: 5 Strange "Criminals" from History
Not every criminal looks like a villain - and if the history of law is anything to go by, they needn't even be human!
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Mobbed by Monkeys and an Air-Dropped Snake: 7 Disturbing Wildlife Attacks
It's been argued that humans are one of (if not the) most dangerous animal on Earth - but that doesn't stop us being preyed on by other beasts!
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Flying Furniture and a President-Masked Nudist: 10 New Year True Crimes
Most people use New Year's Eve as a reason to celebrate - but not every reveller has good intentions in mind.
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Contagious Yawning and Paradoxical Undressing: 5 Strange Innate Human Behaviours
We all have certain instincts, reflexes and other innate behaviours. These may help us survive dangerous situations, can be a side-effect of our neural architecture... or are just plain weird.
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The Spectral Manor House and a Phantom Meat-Man: 6 New Year Spooks
It's pretty common to attend a party on New Year's Eve - but these ghostly guests would probably cause a bit of a stir...
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Frozen Batteries and a Cruel Ice Palace: 5 Cool Facts about Ice
Ice cubes are nice on a hot day, but you might be surprised at how much else you can do with frozen water... like build a palace, or become a millionaire!
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Boosted Attention, Seasonal Depression and Slowed Brain Death: 5 Effects of Cold and Winter on the Brain
Did you know that the human attention span increases in winter? Researchers have found some surprising relationships between the chilly seasons and the contents of the human skull.
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The Holly King and a Skiing Giantess: 5 Winter Gods and Spirits
Winter is a powerful force, bringing death to the land between the harvest and the new life of spring. Here are 5 gods and spirits associated with the season...
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Fist-Fights & Outhouse Races: 8 Odd Winter Festivals
Festivals can offer a break from the doldrums of winter. Whether based on local history, ancient ritual or even the resident fauna, here are 8 odd ones...
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Arctic Poppies, Frozen Frogs and Sluggish Sharks: Flora and Fauna Adapted to the Cold
Researchers estimate that there are between 5-10 million different species on Earth - so what happens when all the good, warm land is taken? Here we look at fauna and flora adapted to the cold, ranging from poppies to sharks...
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The Mind-Bending Shape-Shifter and a Laughing Demon: 7 Mythical Creatures of Ice and Snow
Something about the winter landscape hints of otherworldly creatures. Here are 7 mythical creatures of ice and snow, including a mind-bending shape-shifter and a laughing demon...
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Cooling Guano and a Town on Stilts: 5 Weird Things about the Arctic and the North Pole
Freezing temperatures, months without sunrise and a limited human presence - the Arctic was bound to have some unusual features...
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Ancient Troy and the Valley of the Lost Cities: 5 Times Forgotten Settlements Were Found
You'd think they'd be hard to misplace, but more than one city has been forgotten over the millennia - and in one case, a whole valley of them!
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Flamethrower Santa, the Ceramic Squirrel Stabbing and a Body Buried Beneath Presents: 12 Christmas True Crimes
Christmas is supposed to be a time of cheer and goodwill - but things don't always pan out that way...
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Bee Banditry, the Golden Toilet and a Swallowed Severed Toe: 8 Strange Heists
Not every heist is like Ocean's Eleven. Here are 8 strange heists, including the theft of a golden toilet seat and a shark-napping.
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Devil's Cherries, Enchanter's Herb and a Mushroom to be Consumed Second-Hand: 10 Crops for a Witch's Garden
Plants and fungi have long been a part of folk tradition. Here are 10 crops for a witch's garden, with uses ranging from the medical to the murderous or even magical.
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Behavioural Cues and Shotgun Divination: The Psychology of Cold Reading
Have you ever seen a "psychic medium" working a crowd, seemingly pulling information out of thin air? By asking the right questions and carefully observing the audience a practitioner can piece together that knowledge...
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Seeking out Scares: The Psychology of Horror Media
Horror is a popular genre, but why do we find scary content appealing... and can it help us in real life?
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The Door-Knocking Vrykolakas & the Hopping Jiāngshī: 5 Vampires That Don't Wear Evening Dress
The aristocratic Dracula may be the most well-known undead in the world, but here are 5 other kinds of vampire that don't wear evening dress...
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The Soap-Making Serial Killer & an Evil Mayor: 5 "Werewolves" From History
Werewolves have existed in myth and legend since ancient times - here we look at 5 "werewolves" from history...
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The Fanged Satanist & the Hooters Vampire: 6 Real "Vampire" Attacks
Vampires show up in film, book and folklore, but it doesn't take an undead nobleman to drink blood - here are 6 real "vampire" attacks...
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Murderous Ministers, a Lesbian Vigilante and Poisoned Pixy Stix: 5 Real Halloween Murder Cases
Not every Halloween horror is paranormal in nature - here are 5 real Halloween murder cases, including a brawling minister and prostitute, poisoned Pixy Stix and a lesbian vigilante.
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Skinless Horse Demons & Two-Faced Hyena Men: 5 Lesser-Known Spooks
Halloween is a time for vampires, werewolves and ghosts... this list looks at 5 lesser-known spooks said to haunt the world...
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Bone-Clad Walls & Skin-Bound Books: 5 Weird Uses for Human Body Parts
The human body is a complicated thing, a network of interconnected organs working in concert to keep us alive - but that's not all the human body can be used for...
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Drugs, Pufferfish & Premature Burial: The Zombies of Haiti
Zombies are often depicted as a walking, rotting corpse, but the original Haitian creature is a different kind of horror - and it may not be pure folklore...
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The Jazz Axeman & the Giggling Granny: Five Murderers Fit for a Horror Film
Murder mysteries and detective shows are popular forms of entertainment, but they tend to play down just how strange and deranged homicides can be...
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Context, Mould & Infrasound: Why Do Some Places Seem Haunted?
Eerie abandoned houses, woods, asylums and hotels have all served as stages in ghost stories - but are there other explanations for the creep factor of these supposedly haunted locations?
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Damned Spirit, Ghostly God or Mounted Raider: The Folklore of Headless Horsemen
Headless horsemen crop up surprisingly often in folklore - this article looks at several instances, including Ewan of Mull and the Green Knight...
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Plutonium Injections, Civilian Bioweapon Tests and Two-Headed Dogs: Real World Experiments that Resemble Mad Science
Research is essential if we want to discover new things... but sometimes experiments can seem a little insane - human plutonium injections, for example...
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Radioactive Ruins and Warzones: Danger Zones Turned Wildlife Refuge
Sometimes an area dangerous for humans can be prime habitat for animals, including impassable forests, radioactive ruins and warzones.
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Sleepwalking Murder and Fatal Insomnia: Seven Ways Sleep Can Go Wrong
We all need sleep, but we don't always get it. This article looks at seven ways sleep can go wrong, including sleepwalking murder and fatal insomnia...
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Hypervigilance & Location Specific Psychosis: 4 Strange Psychological Conditions (More Common Than You Would Think)
Psychological conditions are more common than you'd think - and not all of them are immediately obvious. Here are 4 strange psychological conditions more common than you'd think, including misophonia and hypervigilance...
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Smoked, Converted to Soap or Self-Inflicted: Six Sorts of Mummification
Not all mummies are Egyptian - and not all of them required human preparation. Here are six sorts of mummification, including the smoked mummies of the Anga and naturally occurring soap mummies...
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Crystal-Shelled Sea Sapphires and the Mimic Octopus: How (and Why) 7 Animals Change Colour
The ability to change colour on demand is a big survival advantage. Here are 7 animals that change colour (along with how and why they do it) including the vanishing sea sapphire and an octopus master mimic...
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CIA Spy-Cats and the Penguin Major General: 7 Animals with Weird Warfare Connections
Beasts have been used in war since ancient times - here are 7 animals with weird warfare connections, including spy-cats and a penguin of rank...
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Mammoth Jerky, Carnivorous Tacos and a Dino-Tail in Amber: Strange Fossils
Every fossil hunter hopes they'll stumble across a dinosaur skeleton... but relics of the ancient Earth come in many forms, such as mammoth jerky or a dinosaur tail trapped in amber...
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9 Beasts Stranger Than Fiction: Fanged Deer and Mad Hatterpillars
The animal kingdom spans a huge range of creatures—here are nine strange beasts found on Earth today, including fruit-eating "wolves" and fanged deer...
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Deadly Voices and a Gut Full of Perfume: The Whales Behind Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick is a classic work of fiction - but it was also based on a real creature. This article takes a look at the whale with a deadly voice and a gut full of perfume...
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Spiky-Chickens and Doomsday Ducks: Seven Strange Dinosaurs
Before the age of mammals came the dinosaurs - this article looks at seven of the more... strange dinosaurs, such as a pug-like pterosaur and a dinosaur parrot.
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Deadly Beads and Carnivorous Toilets: 5 Disturbing Plants
We depend upon plants for oxygen, food, medicine and building materials - but not every plant fits this wholesome mould. From the weird to the deadly, here are 5 disturbing plants including pitcher plants who moonlight as toilets and toxic seeds used as beads...
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5 Odd Forms of Animal Motion: Flying Squid and Leaping Leeches
What's more disturbing than a scuttling spider? How about one that cartwheels almost as fast as a human walks? This article looks at 5 odd forms of animal motion, including flying squid and leaping leeches...
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6 Behaviours Shared by Humans and Other Animals
Psychologists often talk about anthropomorphism - but here are 6 behaviours that really do seem to be shared by humans and other animals, including dancing rats and burying the dead...
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10 Devious Hunters of the Animal Kingdom
Some animals rely on trickery, weaponize the environment or even manipulate the reflexes of their prey to obtain dinner. This article looks at 10 devious hunters, including an eagle that hurls goats and a mind-controlling water snake.
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Anarchists, Bear Costumes and Siege Weapons: 10 Odd Assassination Attempts
Assassins usually use subtlety and skill to target their mark... usually. Here are 10 odd assassination attempts, including a custom-built siege weapon and a noblewoman willing to get her hands dirty...
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Carrion Eaters and Hallucinogenic Honey-Makers: 5 Odd Bees
Bees are found on every continent except Antarctica – and some strange examples have evolved, including carrion-eaters and hallucinogenic honey-makers ...
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Deathless Cells and the Eternal Jellyfish: Biological Immortality
Biologically immortal creatures cannot die due to old age - you could say they possess eternal youth. This article looks at human "HeLa" cells, a jellyfish that can reset the biological clock and more...
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From the Earth, Space or Human Remains: 5 Weird Diamond Facts
Women love them, men kill for them - but what's special about these hard, shiny chips of rock? Some come from space while others burst from the ground on a magma jet... even though they are flammable!
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Comedic Psychopaths: Humour and the Dark Triad of Personality Traits
No one is entirely sure why humans enjoy humour... but that there seems to be a sinister link between it and the darker aspects of your personality...
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6 Animals With a Sixth Sense: Electricity-Sensing Spiders & Seismic-Signalling Elephants
Folklore often claims animals can sense things humans cannot—but is there a grain of reality behind that idea? Here are six animals with a sixth sense, including electricity-sensing spiders and seismic-signalling elephants.
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Calcite-Lensed Trilobites and Panoptic Jellyfish: The Evolving Eye
Humans are visual creatures, relying heavily on our eyes to navigate, find food and spot danger. This article looks at the evolution of the eye... and some strange examples in nature.
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Could You Be Hypnotised and What Would That Mean?
Though often thought of as a pseudo-science suited only for "magic" shows, hypnosis is an actual psychological phenomenon. Researchers have found that it can alter memory, offer pain relief or even modify behaviour...
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Typhoid, Tuberculosis & Polio: 5 Medieval Diseases That Just Won't Quit
Did you know these five medieval diseases are still around today? Quinsy, typhoid, scarlet fever, tuberculosis, and polio.
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Hypnic Jerks and Seeing While Blind: The Weird World of Hallucinations
Depictions of hallucinations usually focus on sight and sound, but they can also be tastes, scents and feelings. This article looks as hallucinations across the five senses, including hypnic jerks and a hallucination that makes the blind "see."
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Conditioning, Fear of Missing Out and Sunk Costs: Psychology in Gaming
Games companies can be a cynical lot, willing to employ all kinds of tricks to keep a customer hooked. This article looks at some of those tricks, including conditioning, FOMO and sunk costs...
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Chefs, Murderers and Mystics: 5 Groups of Cannibals Alive Today
Cannibalism does happen in the modern world, and not only amongst isolated tribes. From religious sects and killers to the jungles of New Guinea, there are plenty of individuals who've tasted long pig.
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Hypnosis, Dice and the Satanic Panic: 1980s American Witch Hunt
Almost everyone has heard of the Salem witch trials, but did you know that a witch hunt occurred in the 1980s? Dubbed the Satanic Panic, a wave of public hysteria led to pointless prosecutions and significant costs.
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Cyberlimbs, Digital Minds and Genetic Editing: The Future of Humanity?
Humans have evolved to be robust and adaptable... but our best asset is our brain. This article looks at recent innovations including prosthetic limbs that can feel and genetically-edited humans.
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6 Body-Snatching Parasites: Zombie Ladybirds and Bee Backpacks
Not every predator goes for a quick and simple kill. Here are six body-snatching parasites, including a wasp that zombifies ladybirds and bee backpacks!
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Aardvarks, Elephant Sharks and Vampire Squid: 8 Living Fossils
This article looks at eight species that have changed little over millions of years.
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Kamikaze Bikers and Maple Syrup Smugglers: 5 Unusual Kinds of Criminal
Not all criminals lurk in dark corners and wait for a wealthy victim. Here are 5 unusual kinds of criminal, ranging from kamikaze biker gangs to maple syrup smugglers...
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5 Fascinating Examples of Futuristic Farming Technology
With the world troubled by pollution, climate change and population growth, farmland may become a premium resource. Here are five forms of farming that may be in our future, including underwater greenhouses and cloned flesh ...
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Metal-Collecting Ferns and Plastic-Eating Waxworms: 5 Naturally Occurring Pollution Solutions
Pollution is an ever-present threat in the modern world. This article looks at 5 organisms that could help counter pollution, including metal-collecting ferns and plastic-eating waxworms...
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5 Crawling Horrors: Glue-Spitting Velvet Worms to Frog-Eating Beetles
Bug-like monsters are a staple of sci-fi and horror fiction...but nature has produced some equally disturbing beasts, including glue-spitting velvet worms and frog-eating beetles.
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Ghosts, Gods & Demons: The Psychology of Possession
Many cultures have folklore about supernatural possession - could these encounters be explained by psychological conditions?
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Regeneration in Nature: Skin-Shedding Mice & Self-Beheading Sea Slugs
Regeneration is a popular superpower in comics, but it appears in nature more than you'd likely expect. Here are five animals that can regenerate like a superhero, including skin-shedding mice and a sea slug that decapitates itself.
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8 Animals With Weird Natural Defences
Camouflage and speed are excellent ways to avoid being eaten—but some animals take a more direct approach. Here are eight animals with weird natural defences, including suffocatingly slimy hagfish and puking seabirds!
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Hellburners, War Wagons and the Iron Crow: 7 Siege Weapons
Engineering has played a significant role in human warfare. Here are 7 weapons used in siege warfare, including hellburners and the iron crow...
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10 Crazy Frogs: Opioid-Laced Moisturiser, Tarantula Roommates and a Deadly Behind
Frogs come in many forms, not all of which sit on a lily pad and croak. Here are 10 crazy frogs, including those with opioid-laced moisturiser or tarantula roommates.
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Murder by Mimicry: Animals That Catch Prey Through Imitation
Throughout the animal kingdom, there are creatures who use mimicry to get what they want. Here are seven creatures that lure their victims, including an ant-imitating spider and a bird that sings to attract supper.
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Hangman's Rope & the Tyburn Tree: Folklore of the Gallows
Interested in the facts and folklore of the gallows? Here, we look at some chilling gallows superstitions and legends, including two celebrity hangmen, odd rituals, and more.
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Parisian Wolves and a Giant Crocodile: 6 Times Animals Became Serial Killers
Humans may be dangerous, but there are animals out there that can give us a run for our money. Here are 6 times animals became serial killers, including the wolves that terrified Paris and a giant crocodile.
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Berserkers, Assassins and Aztec Warriors: 5 Groups of Militant Mystics
This article covers five different warrior-mystics across different cultures.
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Rising Pollen Counts and Immune Overreactions: Hay Fever
Figures vary from country to country, but around 20% of people in the developed world suffer from hay fever. This article looks at how pollen affects the immune system - and how hay fever has been involved in deaths.
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Whip-Swords and War-Scythes: 8 Weird Historical Melee Weapons
Human history has produced plenty of ways to kill in close quarters. Here are 8 of the more unusual weapons cultures have come up with, including the falx and the war-scythe.
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Eaten Alive: 5 Real-Life Shark Attacks (and 18th Century Britain's Peg-Legged Politician)
2023 saw increased numbers of unprovoked shark attacks, while fatalities doubled. Here are 5 real-life shark attacks, including the deadliest in history.
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Building Reefs and Eating Jellyfish: The Strange Life of Coral
Corals are best known for the reefs, beaches and atolls they create, but did you know they bleach themselves to survive stress, love the taste of plastic and can capture and eat jellyfish?
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Grudge-Holding Crows & Orcas With Hats: 5 Creature Cultures
Cultures can be defined as the collected customs of a group. Here are five nonhumans with culture, including grudge-holding crows and orcas who wear hats.
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5 Animals Who Seem to Use Recreational Drugs
Hominids have been using and abusing substances for hundreds of millions of years. Here are five other animals that indulge, including monkeys that seem dunk and wallabies that get wasted!
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Rocket Bullets & Lightning Projectors: Could These 6 Weird Weapons Actually Work?
Humans have been developing weapons since the first caveman picked up a rock. Here are 6 weird weapons, including rocket bullets and a lighting gun!
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5 Unique Technological Contraptions From the Past
Humans have always been innovative. Here are five odd contraptions from the past, including herd-catching pitfalls and the medieval surgical tool that saved a prince...
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Shackled Skeletons & Mummified "Alien" Remains: 6 Bemusing Burials
Sometimes the contents of a grave defy expectation. Here are six bemusing burials - including a leper warrior and the victims of ancient chemical weapons.
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Screaming Bats & Indecent Insects: 8 of the Loudest Animals
The natural world can be a noisy place—but some animals take it to the extreme. Here are eight of the loudest including overcompensating monkeys and a whale with a deadly voice...
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Bear Sacrifice and Wax Organs: Six Unusual Religious Rites & Rituals
Most religious rituals are staid affairs. Ranging from body-modification to sky burial, these six rites are rather different...
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Exploding Carts and Giant Omelettes: 10 Unconventional Easter Traditions
Easter is usually celebrated with chocolate or an Easter egg hunt. Some festivities, though, are quite bizarre! Here are 10 unconventional Easter traditions, including a fireworks war, a giant omelette and voluntary crucifixion!
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Easter Island's Mysterious History: Where Did Its People Go?
When Europeans first came to Rapa Nui they were met by a shore devoid of trees and studded with the ominous Moai. What happened to the people of Easter Island?
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Easter Murders: Politics, Madness and Rage
Chocolate eggs and rabbits are great, but Easter has had its share of blood as well - ranging from a mad sculptor to a Florentine conspiracy...
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Carbon-Capturing Fish and a Nourishing False Banana: Organisms That Could Change the World
The world faces many problems - climate change, unstable ecosystems and mounting waste. Nature itself may offer some solutions however, such as guard llamas and a nourishing false banana...
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Dead Man's Fingers & Sheep-Sized Puffballs: 6 Mysterious Mushrooms
Fungi are found almost everywhere - and they take far more forms than the simple stem and cap you might find in the supermarket. Here are 6 mysterious mushrooms - including glowing fungi and a sheep-sized puffball!
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Poisonous Pigeons & Killer Coral: Strange Users & Uses of Toxins
Many organisms make use poisons. Here we look at some of the stranger examples, from snakes that steal toxins to spiders that could prevent brain damage in stroke victims.
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Printed Ears and Donor Limbs: The Power of Organ Transplants
Sometimes the human body cannot recover from injury or disease. Organ transplantation offers another solution - researchers are even experimenting with printing organs and transplanting heads!
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Tentacled Leeches & Salt-Mining Elephants: 7 Weird Creatures Found Underground
Hidden beneath the Earth lurk blind piranha, mineral-eating microbes, and salt-mining elephants - read on for seven weird creatures found underground...
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Pancakes and Whips: 7 Ancient Spring Festivals
Easter isn't the only spring festival with ancient roots... and some of those celebrations still exist today.
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8 Weird Psychological Conditions (Exploding Heads and Walking Dead)
The human psyche is complicated. From an imaginary bug infestation to believing yourself to be dead, here are eight of the weirdest conditions a human can experience.
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Deadly Charmers and Femme Fatales: Serial Killers
Serial killers can be found throughout human history - here we look at what makes a serial killer, how they choose their targets and how people respond to them - including a woman who won a dinner date with death.
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Metal-Fanged Worms and Walking Sharks: 8 Denizens of the Deep
Strange creatures lurk in the sea. From metal-fanged invertebrates to fish with bioluminescent search lights, here are eight denizens of the deep.
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Chocolate, Lotteries and Magic Potions: 5 Bits of Valentine’s Day Lore
Valentine's Day is surrounded by folklore and urban legends. From a medieval love potion to a set of haunted bricks, here are five examples.
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Murders on Valentine's Day
With emotions running high, people can do drastic things in response to a perceived slight. From a stabbing over bubble and squeak to a foiled mass-shooting, here are five deadly crimes that happened around Valentine's Day.
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Rare Rabbits: Should the Easter Bunny Consider Itself Lucky?
Rabbits are often thought lucky. Read on for how rabbits survive a world that wants to eat them, the origin of the "lucky rabbit's foot" and some species of rabbit that have definitely not been lucky...
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Death-Defying Leaps and High-Speed Cheese: 5 Regional Celebrations of Spring
What better way to celebrate spring than hurling oneself down a muddy slope in pursuit of a rolling cheese or carrying a massive phallus through the streets of Japan?
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Nightmare at the Asylum: 5 "Cures" Fit for a Horror Movie
Many treatments have been tried on mentally ill folks throughout history. Some wouldn't look out of place in Guantanamo Bay. Here are the five most disturbing.
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Risible Rodents: 5 Verminous Feats
Rodents include everything from the humble mouse to the capybara. From the coypu that cause floods to the mice that hunt scorpions, here are 5 impressive feats performed by rodents...
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Friend or Foe: Stockholm & Lima Syndrome
Named after a hostage situation in Stockholm complicated by the captives bonding with their captors, Stockholm syndrome may be a warped form of survival instinct. Read on for more about Stockholm syndrome and the equally bizarre Lima syndrome.
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Kill or Cure: 8 Strange Medicines From the Wild
Medical experts are always searching for the next solution. From brain-preserving spider venom to pain-killing snails, here are eight strange medicines.
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10 Unique Body Conditions: What Is Cat Eye Syndrome? (and More)
Humans rely on genetics and their environment to function, but sometimes things go wrong. From being naturally drunk to slowly turning into bone, here are 10 of the oddest conditions that can be found in humans.
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New Year Oddities: 10 Strange Traditions to Herald Spring
Celebratory toasts are fine, but New Year's traditions can be much more interesting—such as a stuffed possum being lowered into a cheering crowd, or the symbolic drowning of a goddess!
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Walking the Wilderness: 8 Massive Migrations
Whether for food or to avoid the lethal cold, these animals brave epic journeys, some of which need multiple generations to complete. Here are eight creatures that perform massive migrations to survive ...
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3 Studies on Conformity: How Far Will Humans Go to Fit In?
The willingness to conform is part of the human psyche, something that allows us to form massive social groups – or commit acts of callous cruelty. Here are three studies that illustrate how far a human will go to fit in.
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Zoopharmacognosy: When Animals Medicate Themselves
Humans are not the only ones to experiment with pharmacology. Between the ointments made by orangutans to the last-ditch alcohol baths used by parasitised fruit-fly larvae, here are five examples of zoopharmacognosy ...
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Creepy Crustaceans: 8 Odd Arthropods From Beneath the Waves
Crustaceans are a widespread group, ranging from bacteria-farming crabs to a parasite that hollows living creatures into a submersible. Here are 8 of the strangest crustaceans on Earth ...
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Call of the Yeti: The Abominable Snowman?
Said to live in the snowy landscape of the Himalayan mountains, legends of the yeti have found their way into pop-culture - but could there be anything behind the stories?
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Debatably Deadly: 10 "Harmless" Animals Behind Human Deaths
There are plenty of "harmless" animals that have killed people. Here are 10 examples, ranging from livestock to bugs, beavers and even a swan ...
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Festive Feasts: The Origins of Six Traditional Christmas Foods
Christmas has gathered a lot of traditions, many of which revolve around food. Classics include turkey, mince pies and gingerbread ... but have you ever wondered where they came from?
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How Animals Survive Being Frozen Alive
Snow can be beautiful but deadly. Some animals living in cold climates have found ways to survive being frozen alive – and have even incorporated it into their life cycles!
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Witches, Devils and a Defecating Log: Christmas Customs and Myths
Christmas is a time of tradition and folklore - and regional folklore can get very strange, covering everything from a bloodthirsty goddess to a defecating log.
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Chilling Experiences: The Ghosts of Christmas
Ghost stories are a part of Christmas tradition, possibly hearkening back to ancient Celtic and Germanic beliefs. Here we look at the origins and biological mechanisms of festive ghost stories - along with a few real world examples.
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Talking Turkey: 5 Festive Fowl Facts
Though usually thought of as a walking festive meal, turkeys have been viewed as messengers to the gods, can communicate by changing colour and have played a role in politics.
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Winter Wonderland: Life and Death in the Snow
From multicoloured snow to frozen eyes, a snowscape can be strange and deadly—yet still be a haven for life.
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How Reindeer Survive the North: 5 Features Possessed by Natures Perfect Pole-Trotter
Natives to the North Pole, reindeers have adapted to contend with both the icy weather and the extreme day/night cycle of the Arctic.
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The Reanimated Man: Could Science Make a Walking Corpse?
Walking corpses and Frankenstein's monster have become a fixture in modern horror, but could dead flesh be reanimated with science?
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Mood, Madness and the Moon
Folklore has always associated the moon with strange behaviour—but could moonlight or magnetism actually be influencing us?
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Howling at the Moon: Clinical Lycanthropy
Clinical lycanthropy is a recognised disorder! It is the belief that you are becoming a wolf. Read on to explore this disorder and real-life cases.
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Hex-Crazed Hags: 5 Real World Witches
Almost every civilisation has stories of witches—but did their "powers" have any basis in fact - and did they merit the often grisly fate of the witch?
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Six-Legged Specialists: 6 Seriously Strange Ants
Diminutive social insects found almost anywhere on Earth, ants exhibit some extraordinary adaptations, ranging from floodproof nests to explosive workers!
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Bioluminescence & Reflection: 6 Animals That Harness Light
Light suffuses our environment, and some animals have evolved ways to harness light, using it as bait, disguise or even outright invisibility.
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Mad Science: When Biology Meets Technology
Biomechanical lifeforms and mind-controlled machines may seem like a thing of the future, but the technology exists today—from rat-machine brains to explosive-detecting spinach!
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Anomalous Arachnids: Eight Strange Spiders
Spiders can be found in almost every part of the world. Some hunt with deception, others with acrobatics and some even eschew insects in favour of fish or plant material. Here are eight strange spiders...
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Outbreaks of Delusion: Mass Hysteria
Mass hysteria can infect a crowd with irrational behaviour and beliefs, ranging from outbreaks of spontaneous dancing to a fear of shrinking genitals.
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Loopy Lepidoptera: Eight of the Strangest Butterflies and Moths
Butterflies and moths come in many varieties. Whether infiltrating ant hills, stealing tears or living underwater, here are eight of the strangest Lepidoptera.
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Prehistoric Horrors: 5 Nightmares of the Past
Prehistoric Earth was a dangerous place. From bipedal crocodiles to whale-hunting leviathans, here are 5 nightmares of the past.
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Natural Survivalists: The Extremophiles
Humans are adaptable, but some organisms put our talent for survival to shame. From living fossils beneath Antarctica to archaea that call boiling acid home, the extremophiles live up to their name.
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Natural Mimics: 10 Animals That Speak
Complex speech sets humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, but there are some animals that mimic humans with impressive accuracy.
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When Herbivores Attack: 10 "Vegetarian" Animals With a Surprising Taste for Meat
Herbivores rely on plants for food, but some of these "harmless" creatures can turn rather bloodthirsty when given the opportunity.
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Schadenfreude: A Laughing Matter?
Schadenfreude is a burst of guilty pleasure, felt when witnessing another's misfortune. Occurring naturally in everyday life, schadenfreude may originate from the social instincts of early humans.
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Beavers, Ants and Weavers: 7 Animals that Build
Humans are not the only builders on Earth. Rivalling our skyscrapers, statues and pyramids are the air-conditioned farms of termites, the arboreal residential complexes of weavers and the geometric designs of lonely pufferfish.
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Weird Weaponry of the Animal Kingdom
Humans lack the natural weaponry found throughout the animal kingdom. From poisoned ribs to biological harpoons and bio-electric pulses that can stop a man's heart, nature has come up with some lethal defensive tools.
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Is ESP Real?
People have claimed to possess extra-sensory perception throughout human history. A 2005 Gallup poll found that over 40% of Americans believed in ESP, but is there any scientific evidence to back this?
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Vampirism in Nature
Did you know that vampires exists outside bats and fiction? Bloodsuckers can be found among birds, ants, fish and moths - and many are highly adapted for their chosen role.