A reputed nymphomaniac, Russian Empress Catherine the Great has inspired a wealth of wild rumors — including that she built a “cabinet” filled with X-rated furniture next to her suite of rooms.

Ronit Freeman, a physical sciences researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has successfully manipulated peptides and repurposed genetic material to create synthetic cells that operate like living ones for the first time.

A tomb built to honor an ancient king in modern-day Turkey, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was so ornate that it inspired the widespread use of the term “mausoleum.”

Vasuki indicus may have reached lengths of up to 50 feet, rivaling the fearsome Titanoboa as the largest snake to ever exist.

Newly transcribed ancient texts reveal that Plato was likely buried under a garden at Plato's Academy in Athens, Greece.

Jimmy Keene was serving a 10-year prison sentence on drug charges in 1998 when the FBI asked him to go undercover and get Larry Hall to admit to murder.

The University of Tokyo believes that the excavation will not only enrich the historical record, but also reveal more information about how structures can better withstand natural disasters.

Érika de Souza Vieira Nunes has been charged with theft by fraud and abuse of a corpse after allegedly wheeling her deceased uncle into a bank to sign for a loan.

The presence of skull elongations among three Viking Age women in Gotland, Sweden reveals interesting insights about Viking relationships with other Europeans.

The oldest son of a New York City real estate magnate, Robert Durst became a suspect in three murder cases — but it took decades before he faced justice.

Researchers believe that the 6,000-year-old ax may have been used as a gift for the gods.