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It’s hard to feel sorry for Bill Koch. The billionaire brother of conservative political donors Charles and David Koch sold his share in the family energy business years ago and dedicated his enviable nest egg — how big of a nest do you need for $4 billion — to the aristocratic hobby of collecting rare…

Uncle Sam isn’t such a bad guy. Yes, a shocking amount of federal taxes are withheld from every hard-earned paycheck you collect, and you might even owe more when April 15 rolls around. But hidden among the 4 million words of the U.S. tax code is a gem of generosity from Uncle Sam called deductions. Deductions are…

Whether you’re in Kansas anymore or not, these are all sure signs that a tornado is in the offing. Tornadoes are not only destructive — along with hail, high winds and heavy rain — they’re often deadly results of severe supercell thunderstorms that can pop up anywhere with very little warning. So whether you live in a region like…

It’s winter. The sky is clear, the air crisp, the temperature has dipped below freezing. You’re rolling down the interstate at 70 miles (112 kilometers) per hour, not a care in the world. It’s practically a winter wonderland. But have you ever heard of a snow squall? If you have, then you should know the…

­In the­ lead-up to the 2008 Summer Olympics, the People’s Republic of China garnered a lot of press for all its housecleaning efforts. The country made strides toward cleaning up pollution, revamping public transportation and generally tidying up the city of Beijing. After all, the event promised to be the biggest party of the year, with…

As summer in the Northern Hemisphere approaches, forecasters begin watching every bout of rainy weather between the Gulf of Mexico and Africa. Each counterclockwise swirl of wind or burst of puffy clouds there has the potential to organize into a life-threatening tropical storm. About half of the tropical storms that formed over the past two decades grew…

Being a natural phenomenon, tornadoes have likely plagued humankind for as long as we’ve dwelt on the planet. But it wasn’t until the 11th century that the earliest acco­unt of a tornado was recorded. On April 30, 1054, a twister struck the village of Rosdalla, Ireland [source: TORRO]. That twister was later described by one observer as a…

At an isolated weather station in the central United States, a technician emerges from a small brick shed grasping a balloon. It’s not just any birthday party balloon, mind you, but a massive, white sphere more than 5 feet (1.5 meters) in diameter. Filled with more than 300 cubic feet (8.5 cubic meters) of helium…

Air has water vapor — or humidity — we are sensitive to, our skin especially. We sweat to stay cool, but when the air’s relative humidity is super high, our sweat won’t evaporate. You know that sticky feeling when you’re saturated with sweat. As a result, it feels much hotter than it actually is when humidity is high.…

As you watch a setting sun, you see the sky go darker. Some people call that period “dusk,” while others may call it “twilight.” But these words aren’t arbitrary in the astronomical world. They have specific meanings. In fact, astronomers have classified three types of twilight, dusk and dawn. Here’s what they are and how you can tell them…

High above the North Pole, solar winds whipped through the ionosphere in a gargantuan storm that rained electric precipitation. The entire thing happened over several hours, and satellites passing over the area were disrupted by the unexpected changes in the geomagnetic field. Meanwhile, the world moved on below, unaware of the tumultuous events occurring at the edge…

Discussions about climate change tend to focus on low-lying areas, like coastal cities. Yet people who live at higher elevations also feel its negative effects — including fresh water shortages. To help these folks get by, a Ladakhi inventor named Sonam Wangchuk has created a line of artificial glaciers. Called “ice stupas,” they’re storing frozen water so it can…

We’ve all seen the intrepid TV weatherman, hanging on to a wind-whipped lamppost for dear life — and, perhaps, for dear ratings — during a hurricane. But as we’ve probably all heard, it’s not the wind that’ll get you when a high-category storm heads your way: It’s the water. As residents of along the coast of the United…

If you believe what you see on TV, women are inscrutable, conniving, hysterical and apt to change their minds without reason or warning. Some women’s magazines perpetuate these stereotypes by offering advice on how to entrap men or keep them guessing. And some of the basic differences between men and women can seem a little confusing, depending on…

If you’ve ever gone hiking or backpacking east of the Mississippi River, you might’ve seen a little amphibian called Notophthalmus viridescens, or the eastern newt. “Little” is the operative word here. About 3 to 5 inches (7.6 to 12.7 centimeters) long, the eastern newt could curl up on the palm of your hand. Eastern newts start out as larvae. At…

­In his last years of life, Albert Einstein knew he was ill and refused operations that would save his life. He made his wishes clear: “I want to be cremated so people won’t come to worship at my bones” [source: Paterniti]. Einstein died on April 18, 1955, at the age of 76 of a ruptured abdominal…

­While apes and monkeys are both primates, and are part of the same primate suborder, there are lots of differences between them. There are also lots of other sorts of primates. The distinction between different primate groups is­ based on physical characteristics and evolutionary ancestry. The order of primates is characterized by animals with forward-facing eyes and highly flexible arms, legs and fingers. This body…

Both the English major and the frustrated high school student are likely familiar with this passage during the Witches scene from Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”: “Fillet of a fenny snake, In the cauldron boil and bake; Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting, Lizard’s leg…

Many people think of a monkey as a cute, brown, fuzzy primate that uses vines to swing from tree to tree. But I bet you didn’t know that there are actually more than 250 different species of monkeys in the world. They are divided into two groups: Old World monkeys that are native to Africa and Asia (like langurs),…

We like to think that men and women are fundamentally the same, excepting their reproductive organs. We all want the same rights and opportunities, and for some things, such as women’s suffrage, it was a long, hard fight to achieve equal footing. As a result, we’re often appalled at stereotypical suggestions that the sexes might be different. Witness the…

Every animal you can think of — mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians — has a brain. But the human brain is unique. Although it’s not the largest, it gives us the power to speak, imagine and problem solve. It is truly an amazing organ. The brain performs an incredible number of tasks including the following:…

We all know the type. Certain people treat every conversation about bad or extreme weather like it’s some kind of contest. Maybe their hometown is snowier than yours. Maybe they’ve lived through more blizzards. In any case, these charming folks can’t resist a little meteorological one-upmanship. This got us thinking about superlatives. How cold can the surface…

Each year, the internet freaks out about a different animal. In 2011, the honey badger captured the imagination of millions of people looking at screens. In 2012, everybody went wild for Grumpy Cat (RIP). The internet has lost it over blobfish, sneezing pandas, hand-holding otters, a Shiba Inu called Doge and more, but in 2013, everybody loved the quokka. The great thing about quokkas…

For many, people talked about the Bermuda Triangle with a mix of curiosity and fear. This is because it is one of the most mysterious places on Earth. Located in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean, between Bermuda, and Puerto Rico, it has become a hotbed of unsolved mysteries. No one keeps track, but in…

Hamburgers are sandwiches that are popular all over the world. It has a ground meat patty placed inside a bun or a sliced bread. The patties are usually from ground beef, but there are also other variations such as turkey meat. It is also served with condiments like mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, and relish. You may also…