Cafe

"War and Peace." A tome. A slog. The sort of book you shouldn't read in bed because if you fall asleep it could give you a concussion. Right? Only partly. "War and Peace" is a long book, sure, but it's also a thrilling examination of history populated with some of the deepest, most realistic characters you'll find anywhere. Brendan Pelsue shares everything you need to know to read this classic book.

It's a good day to be a pirate. Amaro and his four mateys - Bart, Charlotte, Daniel, and Eliza have struck gold - a chest with 100 coins. But now, they must divvy up the booty according to the pirate code - and pirate code is notoriously complicated. Can you help come up with the distribution that Amaro should propose to make sure he lives to tell the tale? Alex Gendler shows how.

We've heard it. We get it. We know! Drink more water! But it's not just overplayed advice from fitness magazines and your mother. When we get dehydrated our bodies send out clear warning signs that we need to check our fluid levels. If that happens, it's important to do everything to get your hydration level back on track. Here are some of the symptoms associated with not drinking enough water...

For the microscopic lab worm C. elegans, life equates to just a few short weeks on Earth. The bowhead whale, on the other hand, can live over two hundred years. Why are these lifespans so different? And what does it really mean to 'age' anyway? Joao Pedro de Magalhaes explains why the pace of aging varies greatly across animals.

Today, 96% of American consumers own at least one pair of jeans. But where did these durable duds come from? And how did they get so popular? Jessica Oreck shares the humble origins of blue jeans.

Children who develop remarkable skills at an early age are often knowns at prodigies, but what happens to these kids once they grow up?

Love is a beautiful thing, but what causes it? Well, it might all just be in your head.

Take a (well-heeled) walk down memory lane and peep at the peep-toes, pumps, platforms, and other shoes that have kept us in step for the past century.

Laughter may be contagious, but did you know rudeness is too? Is there a way to stop bad attitudes from spreading?

We all know that acne is caused by things we face in our everyday lives. Sweat, dirty pillowcases, and rogue hair product are just a few of the culprits of random breakouts. And wrinkles, of course, are an inevitable side effect of aging. But it's not only what touches our skin on the outside that can cause it to flare up. In fact, the food you put inside your body is just as important. If you have an expert skincare regimen but your skin still isn't top-notch, you could be consuming all the wrong things. Here are a few of the surprising foods that can wreak havoc on your complexion...

Everyone suffers a little in the winter, be it human or animal, but how does cold climate actually change your body?

Why working out is great for health, but not for weight loss, explained in five minutes.

Some people in high school engage in risky behavior, such as drinking and smoking, in an attempt to be cool. Does this pay off long term? Join Tara as she reports on new research showing that being popular in high school might be bad in your adulthood!

Going green does not need to be a sacrifice, either for us as individuals or for businesses, governments and the economy.

2016 has been a record-setting year for terrible movie sequels.

Human hair comes in a variety of colors; including brown, blonde, and black. Why doesn't it grow blue or green?

All mammals share certain characteristics, like warm blood and backbones. But despite their similarities, these creatures also have many biological differences - and one of the most remarkable differences is how they give birth. Kate Slabosky details the placental, marsupial, and monotreme methods of giving birth.

Karl Marx remains deeply important today not as the man who told us what to replace capitalism with, but as someone who brilliantly pointed out certain of its problems. The School of Life, a pro-Capitalist institution, takes a look.

Why are some people racist, but others are not?

The biggest problem for the climate change fight isn't technology - it's human psychology.

Lissa Rankin, MD is an OB/GYN physician, author, keynote speaker, consultant to health care visionaries, professional artist, and founder of the women's health and wellness community OwningPink.com. Discouraged by the broken, patriarchal health care system, she left her medical practice in 2007 only to realize that you can quit your job, but you can't quit your calling. This epiphany launched her on a journey of discovery that led her to become a leader in the field of mind/body medicine, which she blogs about at OwningPink.com and is writing about in her third book Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof You Can Heal Yourself (Hay House, 2013).