Article of the Day

In Greek mythology, the Moirae, also known as the Fates, are the three goddesses who control human lives. They are usually depicted as old women: Clotho, who spins the web of life; Lachesis, who measures its length; and Atropos, who cuts it. Together they determine the length of each person's life as well as its share of suffering. Their Roman equivalents are Nona, Decuma, and M...

Though the origin of birds has long been a contentious topic, the current scientific consensus is that they evolved from maniraptors, dinosaurs with which they share many anatomical features. One issue that has yet to be resolved, however, is whether the capacity for flight arose in tree-living dinosaurs that glided from branch to branch—the "trees-down" hypothesis—or in fast-ru...

The sophisticated sanitation system in ancient Rome has been the subject of study by historians and archeologists for centuries. Antiquity's largest city, imperial Rome counted well over a million inhabitants at its height. The city was supplied with water—from as far as 57 miles (92 km) away—by its many aqueducts, most of which were underground conduits. Some of the more famous...

Iron is the fourth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and likely a major component of its core, but it is rarely found in a readily usable form in nature except in meteorites. For that reason, it is likely that the use of iron in its free state began in prehistory with iron taken from meteorites—a fact supported by ancient words for iron referring to gods or a metal that...

A dango is a Japanese dumpling made from rice flour. Three or four of these dumplings are often served on a skewer accompanied with green tea. Savory, sweet, or both, they are flavored with a number of different ingredients, including eggs, green tea, sesame, soy sauce, and the especially popular anko—a red bean paste. The dish is so popular that it even inspired a...