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Sif Sif, goddess in Norse mythology known as the wife of the thunder god Thor. Her flaxen hair is thought to be connected to fertility and the harvest of grain. She is the mother of the god Ull (or Ullr), a deity of archery and skiing who is Thor’s stepson. Very little is said of Sif in the texts of... -
The River Between The River Between, novel by Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o, published in 1965. The River Between was Ngugi’s second novel to be published, though it was the first that he wrote, and it burnished his reputation as a major East African writer. The novel is set in the early 1930s in the two highland... -
The Postman Always Rings Twice The Postman Always Rings Twice, novel by American master of hard-boiled fiction James M. Cain, published in 1934. It was adapted as a classic 1946 film, starring John Garfield and Lana Turner, and again as a 1981 film, starring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. The Postman Always Rings Twice is... -
Boomerang kids: Managing an adult child’s return home When you were a kid, the concept of a boomerang may have seemed cool: You throw it and it flies right back to you. But there are some things in life you don’t want to return, like the memory of your first awkward kiss, a significant other who’s now quite insignificant, or even a bounced check. Then... -
Deutsche Welle Deutsche Welle is a German news and information broadcaster focused on the international market. It broadcasts programs in 32 languages through 5,000 regional partners on television, radio, and online. The company is headquartered in Bonn, Germany, with offices in Berlin and 16 other locations,... -
Long-term disability insurance explained: Coverage, costs, and eligibility Losing the ability to work due to an illness or injury can be financially devastating, especially if your income disappears overnight. Without a steady paycheck, it can quickly become a challenge to cover rent, bills, and other essentials. Long-term disability insurance helps protect your income by... -
How short-term disability can help you weather an injury or illness If you can’t work, you aren’t bringing in the income you need to pay your bills and buy groceries. For many workers, even a short period without a paycheck can be financially devastating. Short-term disability insurance helps bridge that gap by replacing a portion of your earnings when you can’t... -
election law in the United States Election law in the United States, the set of legal rules overseeing political institutions and activities in the United States, including electoral structure, election administration, campaigns, voting rights, redistricting, campaign finance, political parties, and ballot measures, such as... -
Hambantota port Hambantota port, inland port on Sri Lanka’s southern coast near the town of Hambantota. The port, which was intended to become a major hub in global shipping routes, came to represent the financial mismanagement and corruption of Sri Lankan Pres. Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family, who were removed... -
Shin Bet Shin Bet, one of the three major intelligence organizations of Israel, along with Aman (military intelligence) and Mossad (foreign intelligence). The Shin Bet is concerned with internal security and counterintelligence and focuses on potential sabotage, terrorist activities, and security matters of... -
Friedrich Merz Friedrich Merz is a German lawyer, lobbyist, and politician who has served as leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party since 2022. With the CDU’s win in Germany’s February 2025 election, Merz was expected to become the country’s next chancellor. Merz worked as a lawyer before... -
LeVar Burton LeVar Burton is an American actor best known for his long tenure hosting the popular educational TV show Reading Rainbow (1983–2006) and for playing Kunta Kinte in the TV miniseries Roots (1977) and Lieut. Comdr. Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–94) and several Star Trek... -
What is College Accreditation? Accreditation is a formal recognition that a college or university meets specific standards of quality and rigor. The process resulting in accreditation is carried out by independent or governmental agencies that evaluate institutions based on an appropriate set of criteria applied to academic... -
How Are Crystals Made? The crystallization process begins with nucleation, the initial step where a small number of particles (that is, ions, atoms, or molecules) come together to form a stable cluster of solid material. This cluster acts as a seed for further growth. There are two types of nucleation: heterogeneous... -
Do Cows Pollute as Much as Cars? Cows are notorious for their emissions of methane (CH4), a greenhouse gas. Cows produce methane through digestion, emitting the gas in burps, flatulence, and waste. In Denmark, for instance, cows have been such prolific methane producers that the government plans to tax their emissions starting in... -
What Are the Differences Between Hawks and Falcons? Hawks and falcons, while both being birds of prey, belong to different taxonomic families, and, according to a growing number of classifications, even different orders. Hawks are primarily part of the family Accipitridae, which includes a variety of birds such as kites, buzzards, and harriers.... -
What Language Did Jesus Speak? It is widely agreed among historians that Jesus primarily spoke Aramaic, the common language of Palestine and Syria. By the 6th century bce, Aramaic had largely replaced Hebrew as the everyday language of Jews, while Hebrew remained in use for religious and scholarly purposes. As a Galilean from... -
How Long Was Anne Frank in Hiding? Anne Frank and her family hid from the Gestapo from July 6, 1942, when they entered a clandestine section of her father’s business in Amsterdam, until August 4, 1944, when their hiding place was discovered. In total Frank spent 761 days concealed in tight quarters with her family and four other... -
How Are Fossils Formed? Fossils are most often formed from organisms that have a solid and resistant skeleton. Hard parts, such as bones and teeth, are more likely to survive the ravages of time compared to their softer counterparts, which tend to decompose rapidly. When an organism with such hard parts dies and is... -
How Are Diamonds Made? In nature, diamonds are created deep within Earth’s mantle under extreme conditions. They form at depths exceeding 120 kilometers (75 miles) where temperatures soar and pressures are immense. Over billions of years, carbon atoms bond in a crystal structure that results in the hardest known natural... -
Are Penguins Monogamous? Penguins tend to be monogamous and many species form long-term pair bonds. For instance, macaroni penguins are mostly monogamous and engage in what researchers call an “ecstatic display,” which includes neck arching and beak thrusting, when reuniting with their partners. Galapagos penguins are also... -
Do Jellyfish Have Brains? Jellyfish, with their ethereal translucent bodies, seem otherworldly, and watching them move in the water like glowing apparitions inspires curiosity and raises questions, such as whether they possess a brain. The short answer is no, jellyfish do not have brains. They instead possess what is known... -
QVC, Inc. QVC, Inc. is an American television network and multimedia retailer; its name stands for quality, value, and convenience. QVC sells retail goods through three television networks (QVC, QVC2, and QVC3), a mobile app, and its website. The company is headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania. QVC... -
Jonathan Jonathan, who celebrated his 192nd birthday on December 4, 2024, is considered the oldest living land animal ever. A Seychelles giant tortoise, he is also the oldest living chelonian (turtles, tortoises, and terrapins) known to science. He lives and is cared for on the grounds of Plantation House,... -
Heikin-ashi candles: Making market trends easier to spot Heikin-ashi, roughly meaning “average bar” in Japanese, represents a modified version of traditional candlestick price charts. While standard candlesticks show raw price movements, heikin-ashi candles use averages to smooth out price action, making trends easier to spot and follow. This smoothing... -
sexual assault Sexual assault, illegal form of sexual contact initiated or performed without the appropriate consent of the victim. Acts of sexual assault may be undertaken or facilitated through physical force, psychological coercion or manipulation, deception, or the victim’s incapacity to give consent (e.g.,...
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Bill Ackman William Albert “Bill” Ackman (born May 11, 1966, Chappaqua, New York, U.S.), is an American billionaire hedge fund manager. Ackman is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Pershing Square Capital Management. Throughout his career, Ackman had a reputation as an activist investor—a... -
Do Fish Drink Water? Many marine fish, i.e., those that live in seawater, drink large quantities of water, while freshwater fish typically drink very little water. This difference is due to the process of osmoregulation—in this case, how a fish maintains its internal balance of water and salts. Seawater has a higher... -
Can Animals Predict the Weather? Animals cannot predict the weather in the ways that humans do. However, animals can sense changes in the weather that humans cannot. According to experts, animals possess an extraordinary ability to detect subtle shifts in their environment, from fluctuations in atmospheric pressure to seasonal and... -
Beyond the benchmarks: How the advance/decline line offers deeper insights Imagine for a minute that every trading day in the stock market is an election that offers investors one of two choices when they step into the voting booth: “I’m with the bull” (buy) or “I’m with the bear” (sell). The advance/decline (A/D) line, an old-school technical indicator, is one way to get... -
Where Did Columbus Land? Christopher Columbus’s first encounter with the New World occurred on October 12, 1492, when he landed on an island he called San Salvador. The exact location of this island is debated, but many scholars believe it to be present-day San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. However, some evidence... -
Did Elvis Presley Join the Army? Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock and Roll,” indeed traded his blue suede shoes for army boots when he was drafted into the U.S. Army in early 1958. This was a moment of true grief for his fans. Like much of what Presley did at the height of his success, his entry into the army was treated as a... -
The Namesake The Namesake, first novel by English-born American writer Jhumpa Lahiri, published in 2003. It explored similar themes to those in her debut work, a collection of short stories entitled Interpreter of Maladies (1999), which had earned her the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The story begins in an... -
The Poisonwood Bible The Poisonwood Bible, novel by the well-respected American writer Barbara Kingsolver. Published in 1998, it was the first of her novels to be set outside the United States. The Poisonwood Bible takes place in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is narrated by Orleanna Price and her... -
Why Are Plants Green? Plants are green because of a pigment found in the chloroplasts of plant cells called chlorophyll. It plays a crucial role in photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert light into chemical energy. Chlorophyll absorbs light most efficiently in the blue and red parts of the electromagnetic... -
Do Male Seahorses Give Birth? In the world of seahorses it is the males who carry their developing young. After an elaborate courtship dance the female uses her ovipositor to deposit eggs into a special brood pouch located at the base of the male’s tail. This pouch is where the eggs are fertilized. The fertilized eggs remain in... -
Reuben sandwich Reuben sandwich, grilled sandwich made with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian or Thousand Island dressing, typically on rye or pumpernickel bread. The Reuben is a staple menu item in Jewish delicatessens but strictly speaking is not kosher, as it combines meat and cheese. Several... -
What’s the Difference Between Hornets and Wasps? In short: hornets are wasps, but not all wasps are hornets. Wasps are a diverse group of insects with over 100,000 species, many of which are solitary rather than social. They can be found in a variety of habitats and have a wide range of behaviors. Some wasps are parasitoids, laying their eggs in... -
Do Bees Die After Stinging? The answer: it depends on the bee. There are more than 20,000 species of bees, with quite a bit of diversity when it comes to stinging. The most familiar bee is the western honeybee, the females of which do indeed die after stinging. Stingers are modified ovipositors (egg-laying organs), meaning... -
forest societies in India Forest societies in India, groups of people in the country who live in or near forests and rely at least partly on them for such resources as food, fuel, and commercial forest products, such as timber. As of 2019 about 300 million people in India—more than a fifth of its population—depended on its... -
U.S. Forest Service U.S. Forest Service (USFS), federal agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) charged with oversight, conservation, and stewardship of the nation’s grasslands and national forests. The agency operates with the mission of sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of the... -
Why Can’t Muslims Eat Pork? The Qurʾān states that the consumption of pork is not allowed, as it is considered impure, and pork is therefore considered to be haram (expressly forbidden). This prohibition is part of a broader set of dietary laws that aims to maintain ritual purity and cleanliness, which are central to Islamic... -
Doug Ford Doug Ford is a Canadian politician and businessman. He has served as the premier of Ontario and the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario since 2018. From 2010 to 2014, Ford was a Toronto city councillor while his younger brother, Rob Ford, was the city’s mayor. Doug Ford, Jr.,... -
Why Is a Marathon 26.2 Miles? The marathon’s origin traces back to ancient Greece, where a legendary Greek soldier ran from Marathon to Athens, covering about 25 miles (40 km), to announce a military victory. This heroic run inspired the marathon race, which was first introduced in the modern Olympic Games in 1896. Initially,... -
What Is the Statue of Liberty Made Of? The Statue of Liberty is constructed of 31 tons of 0.1-inch- (2.4-mm-) thick copper sheets that were hammered into shape by hand and assembled over a framework of iron and steel supports. When combined with its concrete and granite base, the massive statue stands 305 feet (93 meters) tall and is... -
Do Animals Dream? The answer is “probably.” Research has shown that many animals experience a sleep phase similar to humans known as REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which is closely associated with dreaming. This phase is characterized by increased brain activity and is when most vivid dreams occur. Studies have... -
Why Are Gymnasts So Short? The average female gymnast is about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall. That is about 4 inches (10 cm) less than the average American woman. Why are gymnasts so short? Because their smaller frames provide significant advantages in the sport, including a better power-to-weight ratio. This enables gymnasts to... -
Do Kangaroos Really Box? Kangaroo boxing is an actual behavior observed in these Australian marsupials. Male kangaroos box with other males primarily to establish dominance and gain access to females during the mating season. These matches involve not only boxing but also biting and kicking. With their agile arms,... -
Why Did Vincent van Gogh Cut Off His Ear? Vincent van Gogh is well known to have cut off a part of his own ear, but the circumstances of the incident are not fully understood. The event occurred on Christmas Eve in 1888, when van Gogh was living in Arles, in the south of France. He had been sharing a house with fellow artist Paul Gauguin,... -
Karoline Leavitt Karoline Leavitt is an American government official who serves as White House press secretary (2025– ) in the Republican administration of Pres. Donald Trump; she is the youngest person to hold the post. Leavitt was an assistant press secretary (2019–21) during Trump’s first term. Leavitt grew up... -
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), leading development bank in India, established in July 1982 to promote rural and agricultural development primarily through financial assistance, credit planning, supervision of financial institutions, and policy support. In the 1970s...
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, pair of toll bridges over Lake Pontchartrain in southeastern Louisiana that are jointly recognized as the world’s longest continuous bridge over water. The causeway extends 38.42 kilometers (23.87 miles) from its southern terminus in the city of Metairie, Louisiana, to... -
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), combination of surface and deep ocean currents in the Atlantic Ocean that conveys warm surface water northward and cold deep water southward while also circulating nutrients. It is the Atlantic component of thermohaline circulation, and, as such,... -
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is a politician who became the president of Namibia in March 2025 after having won the country’s November 2024 presidential election. She is the first woman to serve as Namibia’s president. She has held several government posts, including deputy prime minister and vice... -
Fani Willis Fani Willis is an American lawyer who currently serves as the district attorney of Fulton county, Georgia. The county’s seat is located in Atlanta, the state’s capital and largest city. Willis gained a nationwide reputation as a bold prosecutor in August 2023, when she secured an indictment of then... -
Afrofuturism Afrofuturism, cultural movement blending art, science, and technology with African and African diasporic history and culture, reimagining the Black experience and envisioning alternate empowered futures through speculative and innovative lenses in art, film, television, writing, and music.... -
kratom Kratom, (Mitragyna speciosa), large evergreen tree of the coffee or madder family, the leaves of which function as a drug when ingested. Native to Southeast Asia, kratom has been used for centuries in traditional medicine and recreationally. Kratom is reported to produce stimulant-like effects when... -
Dutch disease and the resource curse: Paradoxes of plenty In the late 1950s, petroleum geologists who were searching for oil ended up discovering a huge natural gas field in the north part of the Netherlands. At the time, the bonanza was the largest find of the fuel in the world, and it was so influential that heating and cooking appliances in the... -
Modernist literature Modernist literature, the body of written works produced during Modernism, a period of experimentation in the arts from the late 19th to the mid-20th century, particularly in the years following World War I (1914–18). Modernist literature developed throughout Europe, the United States, and Latin... -
Long-term care insurance costs, from traditional to hybrid policies If you’re thinking about who will care for you later in life or how to support an aging parent or relative, long-term care insurance is one way to plan. Sometimes called elder-care insurance, these policies cover expenses that Medicare doesn’t, such as assisted living, nursing home care, and... -
Romantic literature Romantic literature, the body of written works produced during Romanticism, an attitude or intellectual orientation that characterized many artistic and scholarly works in Western civilization from the late 18th to the mid-19th century. Romantic literature developed throughout Europe and flourished... -
Mixue Mixue Bingcheng, commonly known as Mixue, is a Chinese fast-food company specializing in ice cream, tea-based drinks, and other inexpensive menu items. Founded in Zhengzhou, China, Mixue has grown from a small local business into a large franchise with thousands of locations. Its rapid expansion,... -
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, novel by British author of detective stories Agatha Christie. Published in 1926, it was her third novel featuring Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. This novel was the first to bring Christie great recognition and is regarded by many critics as her best novel. The Murder... -
Life & Times of Michael K Life & Times of Michael K, novel by South African author J.M. Coetzee, who was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize for Literature. Published in 1983, Life & Times of Michael K won the Booker Prize for fiction. Life & Times of Michael K uses the enduring South African pastoral ideal to challenge the myths... -
Fargo Fargo, American dark comedy crime thriller, released in 1996 and set mostly in the dead of winter in Minnesota, that revolves around a debt-ridden car salesman, a botched kidnapping, a triple homicide, and the pregnant small-town police chief who investigates the murders. Written, directed, and... -
Bombay Presidency Association Bombay Presidency Association, political organization founded in January 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, by Pherozeshah Mehta, Badruddin Tyabji, and Kashinath Trimbak Telang. It was one of the key political precursors to the Indian National Congress (Congress Party), which was founded in... -
Madras Native Association Madras Native Association, anti-colonial organization founded in 1852 in Madras (now Chennai, India) by businessman and political activist Gazulu Lakshiminarasu Chetty. The first Indian political organization of the Madras Presidency, it consisted mostly of merchants, landowners, and educated... -
Demonetization through the years: A history of making money worthless Most paper money today is fiat currency, meaning it has value because users have faith in the government backing it—not in the material it’s made from. And just as the government can giveth, it can taketh away. That’s right: Governments can use a process called demonetization to render bills or... -
Deferred interest: How zero-interest credit cards and promotional rates can cost you No-interest financing, often advertised as a 0% annual percentage rate (APR), is a common credit card promotion that lets you make a purchase now and pay it off over time without interest—as long as you qualify and meet the terms. It sounds like a great deal. You avoid interest charges, and... -
The emergency fund ratio: How much should you save for a rainy day? Build an emergency fund, they say. It’s one of the basic bits of personal finance advice almost every expert offers. But how much do you need in your emergency fund? As with all things personal finance, how much you should set aside for a rainy day is, well, personal. The short answer is that you... -
common ion effect Common ion effect, in chemistry, phenomenon in which the addition of an ion that is already present in a solution reduces the solubility of a weak electrolyte or suppresses the ionization of a weak acid or base. It is a direct application of Le Chatelier’s principle, an underlying concept of...
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White House Chief of Staff The role of chief of staff to the U.S. president is widely considered one of the most demanding and fraught jobs in the White House. The chief of staff is often one of the president’s closest advisers on policy and politics, but at times the person must also be a ruthless gatekeeper in determining... -
Filmfare Awards Filmfare Awards, annual awards that recognize artistic and technical achievements in Indian cinema. The awards originally honored Bollywood, the Hindi-language film industry of India, but are now presented to films made in several regional languages. Winners receive a black statuette made of bronze... -
Long-term care insurance: Costs, coverage, and policy types Paying for costly health care in retirement can add financial stress when you least expect it. Although Medicare covers many health needs, individuals who need assistance with daily living due to aging, a chronic illness, or disability may require additional care. Long-term care insurance is... -
Menendez brothers On August 20, 1989, brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez brutally murdered their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, shooting each of them multiple times in the family’s mansion in Beverly Hills, California. In the decades since there has been little dispute about those facts. But were the killings... -
Why Do Salmon Die After Spawning? Salmon are biologically programmed to die after spawning, a phenomenon known as semelparity. This is a reproductive strategy where an organism expends all its energy in a single, massive effort to reproduce. For Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus), this means they invest everything into their journey... -
What Causes Allergies? Allergic reactions are caused by substances known as allergens. These substances can be found in a variety of sources such as pollen, mold spores, dust, animal dander, and certain foods. These substances induce the hypersensitive state of allergy and stimulate the formation of reaginic antibodies,... -
What Are the Phases of the Moon? The Moon goes through a cycle of eight distinct phases as it orbits Earth, each offering a unique view of its illuminated surface. The cycle kicks off with the new moon, when the Moon is positioned between Earth and the Sun, leaving its illuminated side hidden from our view. As it moves along its... -
Why Are There Different Blood Types? Different blood groups are the result of genetic variations that determine the presence or absence of specific antigens on the surface of red blood cells. These variations arise due to differences in genes that are inherited from parents, and they have evolved over time to serve various biological... -
Does It Rain on Other Planets? Unlike Earth, where water falls as rain, other planets in our solar system experience vastly different precipitation. On Venus, the atmosphere is thick with carbon dioxide, and the clouds are composed of sulfuric acid. This means that instead of water, Venus experiences sulfuric acid rain. However,... -
What Causes Acid Rain? The main contributors to acid rain are sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx; the combination of NO and NO2), which are released into the air primarily through the combustion of such fossil fuels as coal, oil, and natural gas. These pollutants are emitted by power plants, vehicles, and... -
Why Is The Ocean Blue? When sunlight hits the ocean, the different colors of the solar spectrum are either absorbed or scattered by water molecules and other particles. Water absorbs colors in the red part of the light spectrum and reflects the blue part, which is why we perceive the ocean as blue. The depth and clarity... -
How Are Mountains Formed? The most common and visible way mountains are formed is through the convergence of Earth’s tectonic plates. When two lithospheric plates collide, the immense pressure causes the crust to crumple and fold, creating mountain ranges. This process, called orogeny, results in the formation of long,... -
Why Is Summer Warmer Than Winter? The temperature people feel outside is largely based on the absorption of radiant energy from the Sun. Differing seasonal temperatures are caused by the tilt of Earth’s axis, which is at an angle of about 23.4 degrees relative to its orbit around the Sun. Summer occurs when a part of Earth is... -
How Do Clouds Form? Cloud formation, a key part of the water cycle, begins as moist air ascends into the atmosphere. This occurs because, in most climates, moist air is less dense than dry air. As the air rises, it encounters lower pressures, causing it to expand and cool. The resulting cooling process is crucial... -
Why Do Humans Have Eyebrows? Eyebrows are like the unsung heroes of the face, quietly doing their job of protecting the eyes from the glare of the sun and from small hazards like dust, dirt, sweat, and rain. Eyebrows act as a barrier, diverting moisture away from the eyes toward the sides of the face through their shape and... -
What Is Dark Matter? Despite its elusive nature, dark matter is a crucial component of the cosmos. Because it is electromagnetically neutral, dark matter does not interact with light and is thus impossible to see directly. Although it is invisible, we infer its existence from its gravitational effects on visible... -
Why Do Stars Twinkle? Light emitted from stars does not actually twinkle but only appears to twinkle when viewed from Earth. As starlight passes through the different layers of Earth’s atmosphere, turbulence causes the starlight to bend. This distortion of the starlight makes the star appear as if twinkling. Technically... -
Can Salamanders Regrow Body Parts? Salamanders are renowned for their remarkable ability to regenerate lost limbs. When a salamander loses a limb, the tissues at the stump undergo a fascinating transformation. They dedifferentiate, meaning they lose their specialized characteristics and revert to a more embryonic state. This process... -
Why Do Snakes Shed Their Skin? As snakes grow, their skin does not grow with them. Instead, they periodically shed their outer layer of skin to accommodate their increasing size. This process, known as molting, or ecdysis, involves the formation of a new layer of skin beneath the old one. Once the new skin is ready, the old skin... -
How Was the Grand Canyon Formed? The short answer is the hard work of the Colorado River, but the real answer is more complex. About six million years ago, the river began carving its way through the rock layers of the Colorado Plateau. The river’s rapid flow, combined with its load of mud, sand, and gravel, acted like a natural... -
What’s the Difference Between Planets and Stars? Stars are essentially cosmic furnaces, burning bright and hot due to nuclear fusion reactions occurring in their cores. This process involves the fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium, releasing a tremendous amount of energy in the form of light and heat. Stars, such as the Sun, are the celestial... -
Why Do Giraffes Have Long Necks? The long neck of a giraffe (genus Giraffa) is a classic example of adaptation, which is the process by which a species becomes better suited to its environment. Giraffes use their long necks to browse foliage that is as high as six meters (20 feet) off the ground, primarily from thorny acacia... -
Why Is Chicago Called the Windy City? While the wind might blow off Lake Michigan, the nickname “Windy City” is rooted in Chicago’s reputation for verbose political speeches. In the late 19th century, the city was known for its blustering politicians—New York City’s The Sun newspaper accused them of being “full of hot air”—and they... -
Why Is Mars Called the Red Planet? The distinct reddish color of Mars is primarily due to the presence of iron oxide (commonly called “rust”) in the dust and rocks that cover the planet’s surface. Mars has been associated with the color red for centuries. In various historical cultures and mythologies, Mars has been linked to death,... -
Why Do Cats Purr? While purring is often associated with a cat’s contentment, such as when they are being petted or snuggled up in a cozy spot, it can also occur in less happy circumstances. Cats may purr when they are frightened, in pain, or when they are sick. This suggests that purring might serve as a... -
How Do Electric Cars Work? At the core of an electric car is its battery, which stores the electrical energy needed to power the vehicle. These batteries are typically made of lithium-ion cells, similar to those found in a laptop or smartphone, but on a much larger scale. The energy stored in an electric car’s batteries... -
How Does Sound Travel? Sound travels in waves that are essentially disturbances that move through a medium by causing particles to vibrate back and forth in the direction of the wave’s travel. Imagine a Slinky toy or a coiled spring: when you pull back one end and release it, a wave of compression and expansion of the... -
The Rocky Horror Picture Show The Rocky Horror Picture Show, musical comedy-horror film released in 1975 that has gained a cult following. It was directed by Jim Sharman and written by Sharman and Richard O’Brien. The film, and the stage musical on which it is based, is a tribute to B-movies of the 1930s–60s in the horror and... -
Maggie Nelson With such books as Bluets (2009) and The Argonauts (2015), American writer Maggie Nelson is known for works that defy simple categorization by blending poetry, criticism, and autobiography. Her intensely confessional work has addressed motherhood, childbirth, violence, family, identity, and... -
Deewaar Deewaar, 1975Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan in the Bollywood film Deewaar (“Wall”).© Dinodia Photos/Alamy Deewaar, Bollywood film, released in 1975, that is considered to be a masterpiece in Indian cinema. It was directed by Yash Chopra, written by Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan (Salim-Javed), and... -
Tết Tết, celebration of the Lunar New Year in Vietnam. The holiday likely has its origins in the observance of the Chinese New Year but has taken on its own unique meanings and observances in Vietnam. The festival follows a lunar-solar calendar and occurs at the end of January or in early February. For... -
Indian time zone Indian time zone, time zone in India observing Indian Standard Time (IST)—five and a half hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)—based on the Indian standard meridian (82°30′ E), which passes through Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. IST is the sole time zone observed in India across its vast...
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Baisakhi Baisakhi, spring harvest festival celebrated primarily by Punjabis in India and around the world. Also spelled Vaisakhi, it is traditionally observed on the first day of the month of Vaishakha in the Hindu solar calendar, which falls in April. The annual festival is observed on April 13 or 14.... -
consumer affairs in India Consumer affairs in India, economic and legal policies concerned with protecting the rights and interests of consumers in the marketplace. These policies involve laws, standards, and institutions designed to ensure fair business practices, product safety, and the resolution of complaints. In India...
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Government of India Government of India, political authority by which the Republic of India is administered on the basis of the principles of democracy and federalism. The functions of the government are to enact and enforce legislation, formulate and implement policies, and maintain law and order. The Constitution of... -
pastoral communities in India Greener pasturesA Raika pastoral shepherd walking with his goats near Jawai Bandh in Rajasthan, India.© Sandeep Bisht/Alamy pastoral communities in India, groups of people in that country whose livelihoods depend primarily on herding and rearing livestock, such as sheep, goats, cows, buffalo,... -
The Inheritance of Loss The Inheritance of Loss, second novel written by Indian-born American author Kiran Desai. Published in 2006, it was hailed by critics and readers and was awarded the Booker Prize. The Inheritance of Loss is set in the mid-1980s both in India and in New York City, with the British colonial past... -
The Hours The Hours, novel by American writer Michael Cunningham, published in 1998. It won a Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award, and it was adapted as a 2002 film starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and Julianne Moore. An intricate reworking of Virginia Woolf’s classic 1925 stream-of-consciousness... -
water infrastructure in India Water infrastructure in India, infrastructure for the holistic management of the water resources of India. The infrastructure includes dams, irrigation systems, and reservoirs and ensures the collection, storage, and distribution of water to agriculture, industries, and households. Vital for... -
fetal personhood Fetal personhood, aspect of legal personhood that designates human fetuses as entities that have rights and protections in the legal system. Laws that grant fetuses legal personhood may also apply to embryos or fertilized eggs, stages that occur before the fetal stage. The fetal personhood issue... -
Laudato si’ Laudato si’, papal encyclical issued by Pope Francis on May 24, 2015. It was the second encyclical of Francis’s papacy (2013– ) and his first social encyclical (i.e., it specifically addresses moral issues). Also known as “On Care for Our Common Home,” Laudato si’ (“Praise Be to You”) is the first... -
Linda McMahon Linda McMahon is an American business executive and politician who serves as secretary of the U.S. Department of Education in the Republican administration of U.S. Pres. Donald Trump. During Trump’s first term in office, McMahon was administrator of the Small Business Administration (2017–19).... -
nakshatra Nakshatra, term for lunar mansion in Hindu astrology (jyotisha). The Sanskrit word nakshatra refers to both individual stars as well as constellations of stars. Since approximately 1000 bce the Hindu calendar system has divided the year into 12 lunar months, each with 27 (or in some sources 28)... -
Baltic Germans Baltic Germans, members of an ethnic group (known in German as Deutschbalten or Baltendeutsche) that mostly lived in what are now Estonia and Latvia from the 13th to the 20th centuries. They comprised most of the nobility, as well as the merchant and administrative classes, of these territories... -
Formula One racing Formula One (F1) is the most prestigious international open-wheel, single-seat automobile racing competition in the world. At the heart of the allure of F1 is speed. Cars travel in excess of 200 miles per hour (almost 322 kilometers per hour). Need for speedMax Verstappen's (33) car leads the field... -
Jen Psaki Jen Psaki is a political communications expert and commentator who served as White House press secretary during the first two years of the administration of Pres. Joe Biden. Her poised press briefings attracted considerable attention during the volatile period after the January 6 U.S. Capitol... -
conference of the parties Conference of the parties (COP), a generic term that refers to the governing body of an international treaty or framework convention, bringing together its members to review and update the treaty’s implementation. Although the United Nations hosts several such conferences on various topics,... -
sanctuary city Sanctuary city, municipality in the United States that limits local enforcement of federal immigration laws to protect undocumented immigrants. Such policies are established at a city, state, or county level and may be formally enforced or a de facto practice. Although there is no official... -
Nostra aetate Nostra aetate, Roman Catholic declaration that was proclaimed by Pope Paul VI on October 28, 1965, during the final session of the Second Vatican Council (1962–65; commonly called Vatican II). Vatican II was an ecumenical council convened to foster spiritual renewal for the Roman Catholic Church... -
Salim-Javed Salim-Javed are a legendary Indian scriptwriting duo who collaborated on more than 20 films, including the landmark movies Sholay (1975; “Embers”) and Deewaar (1975; “Wall”). They achieved a level of stardom and influence in Bollywood that no other writers have. Salim-Javed are: Khan moved to... -
Sovereign wealth funds: How nations invest for the future A sovereign wealth fund (SWF) is a state-owned investment fund that governments use to invest surplus revenues and other financial reserves. Countries establish these funds to stabilize their economies, grow national wealth, and generate long-term financial returns. Some SWFs manage hundreds of... -
Morena Morena, major political party in Mexico. It was founded in 2014 when populist Mexican political leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador mobilized politicians from across the political spectrum in Mexico to form a new political party. The platform of Morena emphasizes an anti-corruption agenda, supports... -
Symbols on a U.S. Dollar Bill A U.S. $1 bill is one of the world’s most recognizable currencies, but how closely have you looked at it? The bill features a number of unusual symbols, including an unfinished pyramid and an all-seeing eye. Although they may seem random, these motifs have deep meanings. They tell the story of the... -
How housing inflation is measured: Prices, rent, and construction costs Housing inflation refers to the rising cost of living in or purchasing a home, and it’s a tricky and often misunderstood topic. Contributing to the confusion are numerous reports that measure different aspects of the housing market—home values, rent prices, and material costs, among others—with no... -
Umbrella insurance: An all-weather financial tool to protect your assets If you’re concerned that your current auto or homeowner’s policy doesn’t have a high enough liability limit to cover the risks you’re exposed to, you might consider umbrella insurance. An umbrella liability policy comes with higher limits than most standard insurance policies, offering additional... -
Senior living options: Finding the right fit for your needs As you or your family members age, living options may become an important consideration. Although many older adults prefer to stay in their own homes for as long as possible, others look for living arrangements that offer greater support or a sense of community. Senior living options range from...