As a contributing writer and true generalist freelancer, Julia researched and wrote more than 600 articles for HowStuffWorks on topics ranging from how polar bears work to how police interrogations work. Julia received her B.A. in English Literature from Duke University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Miami.

Recent Contributions

Green, clean energy sounds good at first: Harness the power of the wind to run our creature comforts. But could the sounds people hear (and don't hear) from wind turbines endanger their health?

By Julia Layton & Austin Henderson

Plants produce energy so perfectly: converting sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into power and emitting nothing harmful in the process. Can we imitate such an elegant system?

By Julia Layton & Yara Simón

Three weeks of hard work. Is that all it takes to kick your smoking habit, taste for junk food or serial inability to stop hitting the snooze button? Sounds almost too good to be true, doesn't it?

By Julia Layton

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Auroras themselves aren't rare, but spotting one can be tricky: You need a clear, dark sky within one of the auroral zones. What are 10 spots that up the odds a bit?

By Julia Layton

If you've seen the movie "The Exorcist," you have some idea of what exorcism is. But is it real, or are there other explanations for what some people call "possession"? Learn why a priest might perform an exorcism and more.

By Julia Layton

While most psychologists believe that brainwashing is possible under the right conditions, some see it as improbable or at least as a less severe form of influence than the media portrays it to be. So how does someone get brainwashed?

By Julia Layton & Alia Hoyt

Gravity is a force that we experience every minute of our lives, but hardly notice or give a passing thought to in our daily routines. Have you ever wondered what gravity is and how it works? Learn about the force of gravity in this article.

By Julia Layton & Austin Henderson

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When absinthe was banned in many countries in the early 1900s, it had really fallen out of favor. How does absinthe affect those who drink it?

By Julia Layton

The sun warms our planet every day, provides the light by which we see and is necessary for life on Earth. But what is it exactly, and what will happen when it burns itself out?

By Julia Layton & Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

Because of the murkiness of maritime law, it's hard to pursue crimes committed on cruise ships. What makes it so easy to get away with a crime on the high seas?

By Julia Layton

Hazardous waste disposal is an ongoing struggle that's monitored by the EPA. How is meant to be disposed of, and what happens when something goes wrong?

By Julia Layton

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Scientific studies are showing that lefties are quicker and more adroit in some activities than their right-handed counterparts. How true is this idea?

By Julia Layton

Psychopaths can commit horrible crimes without feeling any guilt at all. A recent study of psychopathic brains may shed some light on what's going on -- or not going on -- in these people's heads.

By Julia Layton

Solar energy is clean and plentiful. There's one big problem, though: The sun doesn't shine all the time. Is there a way to keep solar plants powered up through the night?

By Julia Layton

We've been warned plenty about the mercury content of fish. And most of us know our new high-efficiency CFLs also contain the shiny neurotoxin. So which source should cause us more concern?

By Julia Layton

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You traded in your old car for a hybrid, bought organic sheets and even offset your last flight's carbon emissions. But is going green really all about what you buy?

By Julia Layton

When Thomas Malthus warned that the human population would eventually outpace Earth's resources, he wasn't anticipating the green revolution. So why do rising food costs have some folks worried we're running at capacity?

By Julia Layton

To achieve stability despite quick eye movements, the eyes take before and after shots of an image and compare them. Now, scientists may have finally discovered how.

By Julia Layton

At the Carnegie Mellon debut, a Crusher prototype rolled over and crushed piles of cars that would have most monster trucks backing up with their tails between their legs. Crusher is no typical truck. It can drive right over a 4-foot vertical wall while carrying 8,000 pounds of cargo – and no people.

By Julia Layton

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The Kim Jong Un regime continues to demonstrate its desire to threaten the U.S. and its allies with nuclear-armed ICBMs. But can any of these missiles actually reach the U.S. mainland?

By Julia Layton & Sarah Gleim

What if your net power usage was zero? Some homes combine energy efficiency with their own power plants to end up consuming no energy at all.

By Julia Layton

The ozone layer prevents much of the sun's ultraviolet light from reaching the Earth. But there's a problem: a gaping hole the size of Antarctica. What can we do about it?

By Tracy V. Wilson & Julia Layton

If the Earth is struck by calamity, will survivors find salvation in the proposed Doomsday Ark? The lunar-based vault will contain information that could help jumpstart a new civilization.

By Julia Layton

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Sometimes a lightning storm heralds sightings of St. Elmo's Fire. What causes the mysterious glow sailors interpreted as a sign of salvation?

By Julia Layton

Radiation is a serious occupational risk for astronauts. An active shielding approach currently being developed for spacecraft could greatly diminish that risk.

By Julia Layton