Maria Trimarchi has written over 350 articles for HowStuffWorks on topics ranging from climate refugees to training your cat. She is also a cohost of the podcast "Criminalia."
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Can you spot the prescription drug names among Elf names from J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium? Test your Elven race IQ with this HowStuffWorks quiz.
Aspics and gelatin salads used to be more common foods on Western menus, but they have largely vanished from the table. Could savory gelatin make a comeback?
You've probably experienced that moment where you're driving, get lost, turn down the radio, and then think, "Why did I just do that?"
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From tobacco smoke enemas to whirling chairs, doctors have tried almost everything to cure human disease.
We all eat things we probably shouldn't, and that's OK from time to time. But there are some foods that are such nutrition bombs that even occasional indulgence isn't exactly wise.
Some truly bizarre and troubling things have been done through the ages in the quest for scientific knowledge. The 10 experiments on this list all made humans into lab rats.
Without a doubt, plastic is useful. It's also everywhere - filling up landfills and recycling bins. These 10 twists on the common polymer are trying to change that reality.
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Sure, the Emerald City looked green, but you won't need green-tinted glasses to see how environmentally friendly the cities on this list are. What makes a city amazingly green?
Let the sun shine in with these window cleaning tips for apartment dwellers.
As high-yield oil supplies become harder to find, energy companies are turning to oil sands: mixtures of bitumen, sand and water. How do you extract oil from mucky, viscous soil?
Ball lightning can float through the air, pass through walls and even kill you. What could it be, and why are scientists finally accepting this strange meteorological phenomenon?
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Many cultures have a flood myth -- an ancient story of a deluge that swallowed the Earth. So could a great flood really have happened, and how would we be able to tell?
What if the land you relied upon simply blew away? In the 1930s, poor stewardship and crushing drought created black blizzards and an internal American exodus known as the Dust Bowl.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust -- unless of course you've been embalmed, buried in a steel and hardwood coffin and interred in a concrete vault. For some people, the luxurious excess that accompanies traditional burial is no longer appealing.
Usually we're focused on our personal power consumption -- wondering why our gas bill went up or took a dip. But what if we added up everybody's power consumption? How much would it be?
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Can you walk to restaurants from your home? Or do you have to hop in the car for every outing? How do you determine your neighborhood's walkability without taking to the streets yourself?
Ever wish the lawn would just mow itself? Well, the Husqvarna Automower is about as close as you'll get to that dream -- with the added bonus of using the sun for power.
There are many myths and stigmas associated with leprosy, almost all completely incorrect. It's not a very contagious disease, and it's easily treatable. What else is wrong in the common beliefs about Hansen's disease?
Moving all your credit card debt to one card may see like a great deal, and sometimes it is. How do you decide whether consolidation is the best approach to tackling your unsecured debt?
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Human bodies are wonderlands of grossness. You might be shocked to know some of the nastiest things your body is harboring right this minute.
You toss your clothes and detergent in, let the cycle run and then pop that laundry in the dryer. Easy peasy. But there are some nuances to laundromat manners you may not be privy to.
Think you can't train a cat? Think again. Cats of any age can learn to do tricks, and the training will strengthen your bond with your feline friend.
Do you run a space heater in your office, even in August? Can you not warm up no matter how many layers you wear? The culprit could be a vitamin deficiency.
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Is one gallon of paint the same as the next? Not really. Find out if you can use that interior latex you fell in love with on the outside of your house, too.
Masked crime fighters aren't just the stuff of Marvel and DC comics and films. These characters may not have superpowers, but they feel the call to keep citizens safe and serve their communities.