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Ryan Sandes shocked the running world when he won the 2017 Western States 100 - this is what it took to win one of the gnarliest races in the world.

Plants are constantly under attack. They face threats ranging from microscopic fungi to small herbivores like caterpillars, up to large herbivores like elephants. But plants are ready, with a whole series of internal and external defenses that make them a less appealing meal - or even a deadly one. Valentin Hammoudi explains some of the fascinating ways that plants defend themselves.

The top ten countries on the World Giving Index, determined by a worldwide poll of three factors: helping a stranger, donating money, and volunteering.

On July 26, 1943, Los Angeles was blanketed by a thick gas that stung people's eyes and blocked out the Sun. Panicked residents believed their city had been attacked using chemical warfare. But the cloud wasn't an act of war. It was smog. So what is this thick gray haze actually made of? And why does it affect some cities and not others? Kim Preshoff details the science behind smog.

How you take selfies is all to do with evolution, according to a study by an evolutionary psychologist.

Many of humanity's greatest problems stem not from a shortfall of technical or financial intelligence, but what we term emotional intelligence. It is through the acquisition of Emotional Intelligence that we stand to become better lovers, workers, friends and citizens. We are rarely systematically taught Emotional Intelligence and pay a heavy price for this gap in learning. The School of Life is dedicated to fostering Emotional Intelligence.

When most people think of fishing, we imagine relaxing in a boat and patiently reeling in the day's catch. But modern industrial fishing -- the kind that stocks our grocery shelves -- looks more like warfare. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Jennifer Jacquet explain overfishing and its effects on ecosystems, food security, jobs, economies, and coastal cultures.

We've known for a while that ancient humans got busy with Neanderthals, but how exactly did that Neanderthal DNA affect modern humans?

For most jobs, it's understood that you can be fired - whether for crime, incompetence, or just poor performance. But what if your job happens to be the most powerful position in the country - or the world? That's where impeachment comes in. But how does it work? Alex Gendler details the process of impeachment.

On August 13, 1961, construction workers began tearing up streets and erecting barriers in Berlin. This night marked the beginning of one of history's most infamous dividing lines: the Berlin Wall. Construction continued for a decade as the wall cut through neighborhoods, separated families, and divided not just Germany, but the world. Konrad H. Jarausch details the history of the Berlin Wall.

We had a panel of kids prepare and taste test 100 years of sandwiches from 1900 to today. Here's what they thought about PBJs, po' boys, paninis, and everything in between.

Pre-order my first cookbook, Eat What You Watch: A Cleverly-Titled Romp Through the Fanciful Fetes of Fiction! Really it's just called Eat What You Watch, but I totally should have called it that instead.

A 31-year-old woman has turned her back on expensive rents and property prices - by living full time in a van. With an interior measuring just 13ft 2in long, 5ft 8in wide and 6ft 2in high, Eileah Ohning's home is her Freightliner Sprinter High Top van. The photographic producer from Columbus, Ohio, has lived in her compact four-wheel home since May 2017. Complete with a memory foam mattress, storage compartments, a desk and a camping stove, she even has plans to add in a shower, toilet and fridge. Eileah parks her van close enough to her workplace that she never needs to worry about the morning commute and showers at her local gym.

Bullied at school for her skin tone, 11-year-old Kheris Rogers is demonstrating why beauty isn't just skin deep -- through fashion. She designed her own clothing line, Flexin' in My Complexion, to empower others to love their differences, and with support from her family and friends, is making steps down the runway towards change.

Trains require a lot of people to operate.

When he was aged just nine years old, Lewis was gravely ill and in desperate need of a kidney transplant. His mum Su, didn't hesitate to donate one of hers. Eight years later, Lewis is competing at the Transplant Games in Lanarkshire, determined to win a gold medal for his mum.

Mosquitoes kill more people annually than any other animal on earth. But several research companies are looking to tame this issue.

Dhaka, Bangladesh - the capital of the most densely populated major country in the world - is also the planet's fastest growing city.

Psyche was born so beautiful that she was worshipped as a new incarnation of Venus, the goddess of love. But human lovers were too intimidated to approach her, and Apollo recommended her father abandon her on a crag where she would marry "a cruel and savage, serpent-like winged evil." But Psyche's story ended up being much more interesting. Brendan Pelsue shares the myth of Cupid and Psyche.

Water is refreshing, hydrating, and invaluable to your survival. But clean water remains a precious and often scarce commodity - there are nearly 800 million people who still don't have regular access to it. Why is that? And how can you tell whether the water you have access to - whether from a tap or otherwise - is drinkable? Mia Nacamulli examines water contamination and treatment.

Most people make their voices higher pitched when talking to their pets. But does this Pet-Directed Speech have any influence on animals?