Jennifer Walker-Journey is a lifelong writer of most anything, including travel destinations, psychedelic and prescription medicines, public health issues and exotic foods. Aside from HowStuffWorks, her work has been featured in USA Today, Psychedelic Spotlight, PlanetSHINE, Better Homes and Gardens, Health, Shape, and Sea Island Life and Omni magazines. When she is not writing, she is running toward her last best time in hopes she'll be foolish enough to attempt another marathon.
Recent Contributions
Adrenochrome has been linked to schizophrenia and the LSD counterculture movement. Now QAnon conspiracy theorists say it's part of a child sex-trafficking cult. So what's the truth behind this chemical compound?
Tarrare's unending hunger led him to consume anything—from live animals to inedible objects—making his life a medical mystery in 18th-century France.
Black widow spider venom can be deadly but how likely are you to be bitten? It might surprise you that these arachnids are on the shy side.
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Ever find yourself momentarily disoriented in a familiar place or encounter a friend who looks like a stranger? You could be experiencing jamais vu.
Does searching through the mud of a riverbank for treasures of old sound like a fun way to spend a day? If so, you may just be a true mudlarker at heart.
Haboobs are giant walls of dust that can come seemingly out of nowhere. How are they created and are they different from sandstorms?
Think of goosebumps as 'skin orgasms' that are caused by unexpected and pleasant experiences. You know you get them when you're cold, but what is going on in our brains that triggers them?
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If you think chainsaws were first invented to take down a swath of trees, think again. The real story is much more cringe-worthy and involves cutting bones during childbirth.
Trovants, found only in a small town in Romania, are stones that actually seem to move and grow. But are they alive?
The list of superstar athletes accused of - and admitting to - taking performance-enhancing drugs is almost as impressive as the number of sports that they compete in. And we're not just talking about steroids.
By William Harris, Jennifer Walker-Journey & Austin Henderson
You might be surprised at how little of the world's oceans scientists have investigated.
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The Kola Superdeep Borehole in Russia is the deepest hole in the world. It's deeper than the Mariana Trench and deeper than Mt. Everest is tall. Why did the Russians dig this deep, and why did they stop?
Phrenology, the belief that you could determine personality from the shape of someone's skull, was so popular in the Victorian era that phrenology parlors sprang up all over Europe and America. But the trend was soon debunked.
Crinkle crankle walls undulate, mimicking the shape of a snake's slither. But what's the purpose of these wavy walls?
There are eight major blood types and some are more common than others. But what's the rarest of them all?
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Craft beer is big business. And breweries are banking on non-alcoholic beer as their new cash cow. But how do they brew beer without alcohol?
Saliva is not exactly the most appetizing of subjects, but it plays an important role in everything from how food tastes to how it is digested.
Every December 23rd in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico, radishes come to life, as carvers compete for cash and bragging rights in this veggie-style Christmas tradition.
Remember when seven strangers were picked to live in a house to work together and have their lives taped? We did find out people stop being polite and these 11 reality TV shows helped prove it.
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Pipes have a long history for Native Americans, and they're still revered and powerful. Just please don't call them peace pipes.
Nearly every cell in your body has the same DNA. It's the hereditary material located your cells' nucleus. But what does it do and why is it so important to all living beings?
We all know what Viagra does and why men use it - not to mention how much money this particular prescription drug has made over the years. But does it improve sexual health for women, too?
You may have heard of kava, or kava kava, and its calming effects, but how much do you know about its history and the risks associated with taking it?
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Is polio making a comeback in the United States and, if so, are you at risk? We talk to a doctor, who says that vaccination is key.
Believe it or snot, almost every living creature has some kind of mucus - because mucus does so many things. A study found mucus was so beneficial to mammals, it evolved independently in species.