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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

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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

Who Invented the Refrigerator? Uncover the Fridge's Chill History When Will We Run Out of Oil, and What Happens Then? 5 Common Causes of Wildfires How Long Does It Take to Get to the Moon?

Culture

What People Get Wrong About Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott The Many Lives of the Mysterious Queen of Sheba Who Are the Sanctioned Russian Oligarchs? Sorcery, Sex and Murder: The Parisian 'Affair of the Poisons' Had It All

Animals

How to Tell if Your Cat Is Sick Dogs Need to Wear Seat Belts, Too. Here's Why Yes, the Bobbit Worm Is Real and Somewhat Terrifying How Long Do Squirrels Live?

Auto

How Torque Converters Work Rivian Aims to Change the EV Industry One Pickup at a Time How to Test Brake Lights Why Syncing Traffic Lights May Not Reduce Congestion

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

Saharan Dust: The Good, the Bad and the Gritty