Also known as: anomalous health incidents (Show more) Havana syndrome, largely discredited medical condition reported among U.S. diplomats and other government employees stationed internationally. Havana syndrome was first publicized in 2016 following reports of an unidentified condition in officials at the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba. Reported symptoms of Havana syndrome include tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and headaches, often...

　　All modern domestic cattle are believed to belong to the species Bos taurus (European breeds such as Shorthorn and Jersey) or Bos indicus (Zebu breeds such as Brahman) or to be crosses of these two (such as Santa Gertrudis). Beef cattle breeds as they are known today did not always exist, and many are of recent origin to meet an...

　　Cattle, at the initial stages of their domestication, produced a relatively small amount of milk, sufficient only to rear their calves. Early cattle breeding focused largely on meat production, and the development of high milk yield in cows was a later development. Dairy cattle breeds were eventually established by years of careful selection and mating of animals to attain desired...

　　Birkin bag, handbag produced by French luxury retailer Hermès and named after English model, actress, and singer Jane Birkin. First debuting in 1984, the Birkin bag (or simply “Birkin”) became a status symbol in the 1990s and has become known for its sizable price tag and its difficulty to purchase. The origin story of the Birkin bag has gained many...

QUICK FACTSName: Fairy Chimneys Location: Cappadocia, Central Anatolia, Turkey Coordinates: 38.660576078243686, 34.81971335767199 Why it's incredible: Both the place and its name are straight out of a fairy tale Turkey's fairy chimneys are natural yet surreal-looking spires up to 130 feet (40 meters) tall that were carved out of soft volcanic rock by the elements over millions of years. Thousands of...

An odd earthquake swarm on the border of Germany and the Czech Republic may hint at magma moving deep below the surface. The quakes are in Vogtland, a region known for regular, low-level earthquake swarms. These swarms tend to last several weeks and lead to mostly mild shaking. The largest known quakes from the area are around magnitude 4.5, said...

Strange blobs deep in Earth's middle layer may be chunks of ancient continental crust that have been dragged down by tectonic forces, new research suggests. These blobs, known as ultra-low velocity zones (ULVZs), have long puzzled scientists. They're deep in the mantle, near the boundary with Earth's core, so researchers can only glimpse them by studying earthquake waves as they...

　　Sheep were first domesticated from wild species by at least 5000 bce and are raised for their fleece (wool), milk, and meat. The flesh of mature sheep is called mutton while that of immature animals is called lamb. Of more than 200 breeds of sheep in existence in the world, the majority are of limited interest except in the localities...

　　In full: non-rapid eye movement sleep (Show more) Also called: non-REM sleep (Show more) NREM sleep, one of two phases in the sleep cycle, considered the restful or quiet sleep phase. The other phase of the human sleep cycle is known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. A single sleep cycle, with both NREM and REM phases, lasts about 90...

A near collapse of Earth's magnetic field may have paved the way for life to evolve past the microscopic stage. New research on ancient rocks from South Africa and Brazil suggests that Earth's magnetic field underwent a major weakening about 591 million years ago. This corresponds to a time period called the Ediacaran (about 635 million to 541 million years...

Fifteen years ago, scientists discovered a new species of deadly, drug-resistant fungus: Candida auris. It is now considered one of the most dangerous fungal pathogens on Earth. In this excerpt from What if Fungi Win? (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024), author Arturo Casadevall looks at the rise of this deadly fungus, which could be the first to have emerged as...

　　paramilitary, group or organization that operates outside a country’s formal military structure. Paramilitaries are typically modeled after military organizations and may have similar training and equipment. These groups often have political or ideological aims and may be involved in activities such as counterinsurgency, anti-terrorism, or internal security. They are often associated with governments but can also be used by non-state...