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The Rat Snake Is More Essential Than You Realize The Rat Snake Is More Essential Than You Realize

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In the News

The Copperhead Snake Is Seldom Lethal But Always Venomous Sept. 30By Zach Taras, John Perritano Why the Corn Snake Is the Perfect Pet For Reptile Enthusiasts Sept. 24By Mark Mancini Bougie Slang: How Did 'Bourgeoisie' Become a Bad Word? Sept. 18By Dave Roos The Cheetah Is a Rare Daytime Hunter Among Big Cats Aug. 28By Zach Taras, Jesslyn Shields What Is Zionism and Is It Fueling the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict? Aug. 28By Dave Roos 10 Most Dangerous Countries in the World Aug. 27By Marie Look, Sascha Bos

Holland vs. Netherlands: Tricky Naming for Different Places What Are the Books of the Bible in Order? Who Chose Them?

Did You Hear?

What Does 'Shana Tova' Mean? Why Were the Pharisees the 'Bad Guys' in the Bible? The Bull Snake Is All Bark and No (Venomous) Bite The Enduring Allure of Iconic Trios: Exploring the Magic of Threesomes in Pop Culture Unlocking the Secrets of the Nine of Cups: A Tarot Journey of Fulfillment and Abundance

Science

Petrified Wood: A Journey From Tree to Stone 5 Common Causes of Wildfires What Is the Greenhouse Effect? Is It Inherently Bad? 10 Scientific Laws and Theories You Really Should Know

Culture

Martha Mitchell: The Woman Who Knew Too Much About Watergate The French Resistance Took Many Forms During WWII Stardust and Scandal: The Hollywood Sign Turns 100 5 Events in Hispanic History You Never Learned in School

Animals

Real Life 'Jurassic Park'? Scientists Work to Bring Back Extinct Thylacine Why Were So Many Prehistoric Animals So Big? This Tiny Swift Bird Can Fly for 10 Months Without Landing The Blue-tongued Skink Has a Heart of Gold

Auto

Can Your Truck Do the Carolina Squat? Should It? How Speedometers Work What Does a Catalytic Converter Do and Why Do People Steal Them? How Old Do You Need to Be to Rent a Car in the U.S.?

Why Is There a Crack in the Liberty Bell? How American Exceptionalism Works Black Loyalists Fought for Their Freedom During the American Revolution

A River Runs Through It

The 9 Longest Rivers in the World: From the Nile to the Congo When it comes to rivers, longest doesn't necessarily mean biggest, and length can be difficult to determine, so the top spot will always be debated.

Eco Engineers: 5 Animals That Can Reshape Earth's Waterways

River-bottom Bones: The Strange World of Underwater Fossil Hunting

What Is the World’s Shortest River?

Mudlarkers Pull Historical Artifacts Out of Riverbank Muck

Get Your Garden On

Don't Toss That Joe! Use Diluted Coffee to Fertilize Plants

'Roly-poly' Bugs Are Great Garden Composters

How 'Lasagna Gardening' Helps Create Healthy Soil

How Composting Works

Companion Planting: The Do's and Don'ts of Growing Plants Together Learn which plants benefit each other — and which plants shouldn't be neighbors — to get the most out of your garden.

Deserts of the World

5 of Earth's Highest Deserts Not all deserts have sand and they're certainly not all hot. They're just extremely dry and have little vegetation. That means deserts are located all over the planet, including at super-high elevations.

10 Largest Deserts in the World

Hunting for Martians in the Most Extreme Desert on Earth

The Sahara Desert Is Getting Bigger

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