Human Behavior, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 13, 2020

Antique vampire-slaying kit up for auction. Bible, crucifix and pistol included.

An antique, brass-trimmed wooden box holds all the tools that you might require in order to slay a vampire, including a 19th-century bible, crucifixes and a pistol. This vampire-slaying kit is estimated to be worth about $2,500 to $3,700 (£2,000 to £3,000) according to Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire, England, which...

Oct 15, 2020

Bill Nye to flat Earthers and science deniers: 'It affects all of us'

Bill Nye has had it with flat-earthers and other science deniers. While humanity is landing robots on Mars and breaking open the mysteries of the universe, there continues a social trend of science denialism. From opposition to handwashing in the 1800s to modern climate deniers, anti-maskers and flat-Earthers, or people...

Nov 22, 2020

JFK conspiracy theory is debunked in Mexico 57 years after Kennedy assassination

Most conspiracy theories surrounding President John F. Kennedy’s assassination have been disproven. Kennedy was not killed by a gas-powered device triggered by aliens or by actor Woody Harrelson’s dad. But speculation about Kennedy’s Nov. 22, 1963 murder in Dallas continues, fueled by unreleased classified documents, bizarre ballistics and the claim...

Jan 28, 2021

Russia's 'Dyatlov Pass' conspiracy theory may finally be solved 60 years later

In January 1959, a group of nine young hikers — seven men and two women — trudged through Russia's snowy Ural Mountains toward a peak locally known as Dead Mountain. The hikers pitched their tents at the base of a small slope, as an intensifying blizzard chilled the night air...

Apr 12, 2021

Yuri Gagarin: How the first man in space sparked a conspiracy theory

Everybody knows that Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon. Most are also aware that he wasn't the first to go into space. After all, Alan Shepard paved the way for American astronauts on May 5, 1961, while Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin stole a march...

May 10, 2021

Wartime submarine 'HMS Urge' identified, quashing conspiracy theories of sub's secret mission

Divers have confirmed the identity of the wreck of a British submarine that was sunk by a German mine near Malta in 1942, putting an end to controversial claims that the sub was sunk by Italian warplanes during a secret mission off the coast of Libya. University of Malta maritime...

Jul 23, 2021

8 ways life would get weird on a flat Earth

Earth — the blue marble — is our spherical home. But what if Earth were flat? After all, some people, called flat-earthers, truly believe in this retrograde idea. How would everyday life function? Would it function at all? We explore how much of an oddball, or oddslice Earth would be...

Aug 30, 2021

What is ESP?

Extrasensory perception (ESP) is an unproven paranormal phenomenon in which people allegedly receive information about, or exert control over, their environment in ways that don't use the five senses. Also known as the sixth sense or psi, ESP refers to a wide range of purported abilities, including telepathy (mind reading),...

Oct 19, 2021

Siege of top-secret Area 51 began as a joke. Officials prepared to use deadly force in response.

When a UFO enthusiast posted an event on Facebook about storming the military base known as Area 51, he meant it as a joke. However, it was no laughing matter to federal and state law enforcement, who readied a lethal response to prevent revelers from breaching the off-limits area, records...

Oct 31, 2021

Were any 'witches' burned at Salem?

Between 1692 and 1693, accusations of witchcraft were made in and around the town of Salem in Massachusetts, leading to the arrests of about 150 people. These charges were taken seriously, and the ensuing trials resulted in the executions of 19 people. But how were these witches executed? Were any...

Dec 4, 2021

Are jackalopes real?

The jackalope, an animal with the body of a jackrabbit and the antlers of an antelope or deer, is a cultural icon of the American West. The image of the creature is sold on all sorts of knickknacks in the region, from postcards to shot glasses. At one point, tourists...

Dec 15, 2021

Vlad the Impaler: The real Dracula

Legends of vampires go back centuries, but few names have cast more terror into the human heart than Dracula. However the fictional character, created by author Bram Stoker, was in fact based on a real historical figure called Vlad the Impaler. Vlad the Impaler, also known as Vlad III, Prince...

Jan 18, 2022

Dragons: A brief history of the mythical, fire-breathing beasts

Dragons are among the most popular and enduring of the world's mythological creatures, believed to have been real for centuries. Dragon tales are known in many cultures, from the Americas to Europe, and from India to China. They have a long and rich history in many forms and continue to...

Jan 24, 2022

Evil eye: History of the ancient curse

The evil eye is a human look believed to cause harm to someone or something. The supernatural harm may come in the form of a minor misfortune, or more serious disease, injury — even death. Folklorist Alan Dundes, in his edited volume The Evil Eye: A Casebook (University of Wisconsin...

Jan 31, 2022

What is the grandfather paradox?

The grandfather paradox is a self-contradictory situation that arises in some time travel scenarios that is illustrated by the impossible scenario in which a person travels back in time only to kill their grandfather (who could no longer go on to produce one's parent, and hence where does that leave...