Culture & Traditions

The myth of the ninja has intrigued the world for centuries. A new Japanese research center is out to solve it.

By Dave Roos

There's more to the samurai blade than its cinematic drama, and the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast digs into the history and science behind the sword.

By Laurie L. Dove

Despite what you might think, everyone has an accent. It just becomes noticeable when it's different from others in the same community. How do accents develop and why is it so hard to lose one?

By Alia Hoyt

Surely a level of Hell is reserved for inconsiderate parkers. But can the police actually write them a ticket? Well, it depends...

By Patrick J. Kiger

The Church of Scientology has a short but strange history. What is it all about, and what path are Scientologists following?

By Oisin Curran

What's a Celiac or gluten-intolerant Christian supposed to do?

By Laurie L. Dove

Sure, we all want to see a picture of the guy with the longest fingernails, but Guinness World Records actually serve a greater purpose.

By Alia Hoyt

The United States flag fetish can seem surprising, confusing or even just quaint to outsiders. Where does it come from?

By John Donovan

Motivational speakers like Tony Robbins charge exorbitant sums for fans to hear them speak. What draws people to them and how do they keep the attention of thousands?

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

How do you keep 75,000 metalheads sufficiently beered? A pipeline, naturally.

By Jesslyn Shields

Scientists have finally sequenced the genome of ancient Egyptians using mummy DNA, and unexpected data show significant differences from modern Egyptians.

By Jesslyn Shields

Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy that is now enjoying a renaissance. And practitioners aren't trying to be like Mr. Spock. Stoicism means far more than not showing emotion.

By John Donovan

While anti-miscegenation laws weren't unique to the United States, they also weren't common.

By Jesslyn Shields

There's no 'U' in Charles or 'B' in William, so how did those get to be the nicknames?

By Dave Roos

Critics worry that when you send your DNA to Ancestry.com for personal analysis it can be used for nefarious purposes.

By Dave Roos

Some have seen benefits in their treatment of children, but scientific evidence remains short.

By Alia Hoyt

Much mystery surrounds the Georgia Guidestones, including the true identity of the man who commissioned them to be built and the identity of their destroyer.

By Jesslyn Shields & Diana Brown

A disappearing sport survives in a handful of mud-caked South Asian gyms specializing in a unique style of wrestling.

By Christopher Hassiotis

From nail polish to lipstick, cosmetics have long been markers of social standing.

By Kate Kershner

Nope, it has nothing to do with the health department.

By Dave Roos

There are two main factors that influence the development of unique accents within a language: human nature and isolation.

By Laurie L. Dove

Did ancient humans eat neighbors for nutrition? One archaeologist calculated just how much energy different human body parts contain.

By Laurie L. Dove

Rumors abound about Satanism. Its adherents are often portrayed as evil, bloodthirsty deviants in popular culture. But that's a mischaracterization of the philosophy of Satanists.

By Ed Grabianowski & Talon Homer

In the late 17th century, wearing wigs became a common practice in law. But why has it endured for so long?

By Laurie L. Dove

There's a term for a vanishing letter like that in spoken American English's Wednesday. But first, some history about ancient gods.

By Laurie L. Dove