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Can you grow a human bone outside the human body? The answer may soon be yes, but before we can understand how that’s possible, we need to look at how bones grow naturally inside the body. Most bones start in a growing fetus as a soft, flexible cartilage. Bone-forming cells replace the cartilage with a …
It’s often said that despite humanity’s many conflicts, we all bleed the same blood. It’s a nice thought but not quite accurate. In fact, our blood comes in a few different varieties. Our red blood cells contain a protein called hemoglobin that binds to oxygen, allowing the cells to transport it throughout the body. But …
He was one of the most fearsome warlords who ever lived, waging an unstoppable conquest across the Eurasian continent. But was Genghis Khan a vicious barbarian or a unifier who paved the way for the modern world? We’ll see in “History vs. Genghis Khan.” Who is Genghis Khan “Order, order. Now who’s the defendant today? …
We hear about calories all the time. How many calories are in this cookie? How many are burned by 100 jumping jacks, or long distance running, or fidgeting? But what is a calorie, really, and how many of them do we actually need? What is a calorie Calories are a way of keeping track of …
Your dog loves to curl up on the couch, but so do you, so you shoo him off and settle in for a cozy evening. After all, you’re the human around here. You’re an intelligent being, not a simple creature of instinct. You can plan and dream, and oh- Did your dog just outsmart you …
When we talk about English, we often think of it as a single language but what do the dialects spoken in dozens of countries around the world have in common with each other, or with the writings of Chaucer? And how are any of them related to the strange words in Beowulf? The answer is …
If you lined up all the blood vessels in your body, they’d be 95,000 kilometers long and everyday, they carry the equivalent of over 7,500 liters of blood, though that’s actually the same four or five liters recycled over and over, delivering oxygen, and precious nutrients like glucose and amino acids to the body’s tissues. …
Has anyone ever told you, “Stand up straight!” or scolded you for slouching at a family dinner? Comments like that might be annoying, but they’re not wrong. Your posture, the way you hold your body when you’re sitting or standing, is the foundation for every movement your body makes, and can determine how well your …
You’re swimming in the ocean when something brushes your leg. When the tingling sets in, you realize you’ve been stung by a jellyfish. How do these beautiful, gelatinous creatures pack such a painful punch? Jellyfish are soft because they are 95% water and are mostly made of a translucent gel-like substance called mesoglea. With such …
Throughout the history of mankind, three little words have sent poets to the blank page, philosophers to the Agora, and seekers to the oracles: “Who am I?” From the ancient Greek aphorism inscribed on the Temple of Apollo, “Know thyself,” to The Who’s rock anthem, “Who Are You?” philosophers, psychologists, academics, scientists, artists, theologians and …
