HowStuffWorks Newsletter
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.
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.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the challenge to the restrictive Mississippi abortion ban Dec. 1, 2021. What does it mean for Roe v. Wade? Could the landmark case be overturned?
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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You've undoubtedly heard about heirloom tomatoes, but what's so different about them, and why do they taste so good?
Water is just hydrogen and oxygen, so why can't we do what nature does and combine the two? Unfortunately, it's not that simple, and the results can be rather ... explosive.
Some pains should never be ignored because they could put our health — or worse — our life at risk. But how do you know which is just a little discomfort and which is a sign of more?
Demand for potassium iodide pills has surged since Russia attacked Ukraine and threats of nuclear war loom. But why these pills, and what do they have to do with nuclear radiation?
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Do the sewers hold the answers to the next COVID-19 surge? And what else can testing samples of untreated wastewater tell us about the health of our communities?
We talked to Deepak Chopra about how to deal with the stress of 2022 and another year of COVID-19, and whether meditation can relieve the weight that goes along with it.
Ever find yourself momentarily disoriented in a familiar place or encounter a friend who looks like a stranger? You could be experiencing jamais vu.
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
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Christmas wouldn't be the same without a bunch of candy canes. But how did these sticky, striped treats become synonymous with the holiday anyway?
Recovering from any surgery is never as easy as you hope. But putting in some time to get fit before it could make healing a lot easier. Here's how.
The FDA fully approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for those 16 and older, but that still leaves children under age 12 ineligible to get vaccinated. Should off-label use be considered to protect them?
Dr. Anthony Fauci has famously said he hopes the handshake never comes back. If it doesn't, is the elbow bump the most logical greeting to replace it? If it's not, what is?
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The list of U.S. employers mandating vaccines is growing by the day. Is it even legal for your workplace to force you to take a medication to come to work? And what happens if you don't comply?
Parosmia is a post-COVID-19 side effect that distorts your sense of taste and smell. But smell training (you read that right) can help most people get things back on track.
The wildly contagious delta coronavirus variant now accounts for more than 80 percent of cases in the United States. Does it pose a threat to eliminating COVID-19 across the globe?
We have mRNA technology to thank for remarkably successful COVID-19 vaccines. Can that same mRNA technology be used to help prevent or even eradicate other diseases as well?
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The brief and disturbing life of Tarrare is a fascinating study of perhaps the most bizarre and disgusting eating disorder ever known, and one that remains a medical mystery some 250 years later.
Recently, there's been a spike in UFO sightings — officially UAP, or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena — all over the world and nobody seems to know why or what the objects we're seeing might be.
Runner's high is often attributed to a burst of endorphins our bodies release during a long run or even vigorous exercise. But is that feeling of euphoria we experience from a rush of endorphins or something else?
Deaths from cases of the flu have dropped a staggering amount during the 2020-2021 flu season, even while cases of COVID-19 soared. What does that mean and what can we learn for the future?
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A perfect storm of circumstances combined to create what one pool industry expert is calling "poolmageddon." Why? Because there's a major lack of chlorine in the U.S. right now. How will it affect the pool season?
The marshmallow test is all about delayed gratification in children, but can other animals pass it too? And why would they?
