Oisin Curran is a freelance writer, editor and researcher, as well as regular contributor to HowStuffWorks. He writes on subjects ranging from the Antikythera Mechanism and the Fermi Paradox to Tardigrades and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Oisin also is the author of two novels, including his debut novel, Mopus.
RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS
Title IX opened up access to collegiate sports for American girls and women when it was signed into law in 1972. But what has changed since then and what does the future hold for Title IX?
Crayons are steeped in the artwork of our childhoods. So how did these incredibly popular little sticks of wax and color actually come about? And who decides the color names?
The Church of Scientology has a short but strange history. What is it all about, and what path are Scientologists following?
The United States has impeached just two presidents, though other federal officers have had the dishonor. Find out how this constitutional mandate works in the U.S. and other countries.
The origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls have baffled scholars since their discovery in 1947. Who wrote these ancient texts and what do they mean about the history of Judaism?
Stuttering is linked to a disconnection between language processing and motor function, but its true cause is still unknown.
No, a tardigrade's not a type of time-traveling police box on "Doctor Who." It's an ancient water bear, of course!
Are all the aliens hanging out without us?
The powers wielded by the U.S. president have waxed and waned over the years.
Are patients actually developing a foreign accent, or has something else gone haywire?
Millions of people have figured out how to get by without a bank account, whether by choice or force of circumstance.
How — and why — do martial arts practitioners bust those boards without hurting themselves?
So-called sin taxes, excise taxes on things the government deems dangerous, can discourage bad behavior, but can they be too effective?
They're not hallucinations, but they're not just regular nightmares, either.
The life of a feral child isn't all swashbuckling Tarzan-and-Jane, but for some children, it's a better alternative than the lives they left behind.
It takes more than frustration with the government and endless optimism to make your new country's independence stick.
Who cares if it's an elaborate marketing scheme if it's fun? In alternate reality gaming, the line between fiction and reality is blurred, and players enter a world filled with rabbit holes and mysteries.
Don't worry, you'll grow out of it – unless you're among the tiny percent of adults who still experience horrific sleep visions. Learn all about night terrors at HowStuffWorks.
Animal testing has a long, gruesome history, but it's also saved countless human lives.
Is adding up the inflation and unemployment rates the most effective way to judge our misery?
