medicine

The Gruesome Death Of Eben Byers, The Early 1900s Golfer Who Drank Radium Until His Jaw Fell Off

Eben Byers began drinking radium-infused water that his doctor prescribed for an arm injury in 1927 — but within three years, his bones were disintegrating.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • Jul 11, 2022

The Gruesome Death Of Eben Byers, The Early 1900s Golfer Who Drank Radium Until His Jaw Fell Off

Eben Byers began drinking radium-infused water that his doctor prescribed for an arm injury in 1927 — but within three years, his bones were disintegrating.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • July 11, 2022

Inside The Legend Of The Candiru, The Amazon Fish That Allegedly Targets Men’s Penises

The candiru is a tiny parasitic fish that lives in South America — and supposedly has a penchant for swimming into the human penis.

By Katie Serena • Jun 15, 2022

Inside The Legend Of The Candiru, The Amazon Fish That Allegedly Targets Men’s Penises

The candiru is a tiny parasitic fish that lives in South America — and supposedly has a penchant for swimming into the human penis.

By Katie Serena • June 15, 2022

The Gruesome Reason Why Chainsaws Were Invented

The chainsaw was invented to more safely perform a brutal surgery known as a symphysiotomy on laboring women, during which the birth canal was widened with a hand-cranked, rotating blade.

By Genevieve Carlton • May 24, 2022

The Gruesome Reason Why Chainsaws Were Invented

The chainsaw was invented to more safely perform a brutal surgery known as a symphysiotomy on laboring women, during which the birth canal was widened with a hand-cranked, rotating blade.

By Genevieve Carlton • May 24, 2022

Inside Poveglia Island’s History Of Death And Madness

Venice's Poveglia Island was a quarantine center and mass grave for victims of bubonic plague, earning it the nickname the "Island of Ghosts."

By Genevieve Carlton • May 14, 2022

Inside Poveglia Island’s History Of Death And Madness

Venice's Poveglia Island was a quarantine center and mass grave for victims of bubonic plague, earning it the nickname the "Island of Ghosts."

By Genevieve Carlton • May 14, 2022

Meet The Cone Snail, The One-Inch Sea Creature With Enough Deadly Toxin To Kill 700 People

Revered by collectors for its beautiful shell, the cone snail is not just a pretty prize — as one venomous sting from the animal could be enough to induce paralysis and even death.

By William DeLong • May 7, 2022

Meet The Cone Snail, The One-Inch Sea Creature With Enough Deadly Toxin To Kill 700 People

Revered by collectors for its beautiful shell, the cone snail is not just a pretty prize — as one venomous sting from the animal could be enough to induce paralysis and even death.

By William DeLong • May 7, 2022

How Harvesting Horseshoe Crab Blood Became The Multimillion-Dollar Industry You’ve Never Heard Of

Horseshoe crab blood has helped humans fight disease since the 1970s, but if we keep over-harvesting it, there may be none of these crabs left to save us.

By Natasha Ishak • Apr 13, 2022

How Harvesting Horseshoe Crab Blood Became The Multimillion-Dollar Industry You’ve Never Heard Of

Horseshoe crab blood has helped humans fight disease since the 1970s, but if we keep over-harvesting it, there may be none of these crabs left to save us.

By Natasha Ishak • April 13, 2022

The Shocking History Of Aqua Tofana, The 17th-Century ‘Blemish Serum’ That Killed Hundreds Of Unwanted Husbands

In the 1600s, many Italian housewives had no hope of escaping bad marriages. So hundreds of them turned to poison to kill their husbands — and collect their inheritance.

By Kaleena Fraga • Mar 28, 2022

The Shocking History Of Aqua Tofana, The 17th-Century ‘Blemish Serum’ That Killed Hundreds Of Unwanted Husbands

In the 1600s, many Italian housewives had no hope of escaping bad marriages. So hundreds of them turned to poison to kill their husbands — and collect their inheritance.

By Kaleena Fraga • March 28, 2022

Inside The Jane Collective, The Underground Abortion Network That Helped Thousands Of Chicago Women Before Roe V. Wade

The Jane Collective helped more than 10,000 Chicago-area women get safe, affordable abortions between 1969 and 1973 while dodging law enforcement along the way.

By Genevieve Carlton • Mar 18, 2022

Inside The Jane Collective, The Underground Abortion Network That Helped Thousands Of Chicago Women Before Roe V. Wade

The Jane Collective helped more than 10,000 Chicago-area women get safe, affordable abortions between 1969 and 1973 while dodging law enforcement along the way.

By Genevieve Carlton • March 18, 2022

An Indian Medical Student Was Caught Cheating On An Exam With A Surgically Implanted Bluetooth Device In His Ear

The student at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College was caught during a surprise frisk before the exam and may face charges

By Marco Margaritoff • Mar 16, 2022

News

An Indian Medical Student Was Caught Cheating On An Exam With A Surgically Implanted Bluetooth Device In His Ear

The student at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College was caught during a surprise frisk before the exam and may face charges

By Marco Margaritoff • March 16, 2022

This Man’s Tongue Turned Black And Hairy Following A Paralyzing Stroke That Forced Him To Change His Diet

Known as lingua villosa nigra or "black hairy tongue," the condition is caused by a failure to scrape away the dead skin cells from the top of the tongue.

By Marco Margaritoff • Mar 15, 2022

News

This Man’s Tongue Turned Black And Hairy Following A Paralyzing Stroke That Forced Him To Change His Diet

Known as lingua villosa nigra or "black hairy tongue," the condition is caused by a failure to scrape away the dead skin cells from the top of the tongue.

By Marco Margaritoff • March 15, 2022