The average human liver weighs just three and a half pounds, but it performs several functions that are vital for good health.  Located on the right side of the upper abdomen to the right of the stomach, the liver is both the largest organ in the body and the largest gland.  Below are some of [...]

Albert Einstein was the most notable physicist of the 20th century.  Born in Ulm, Germany on March 14, 1879, he attended schools in Germany and Switzerland.   He renounced his German citizenship in 1933, and moved to the United States.   He accepted a professorship at Princeton University and obtained his U.S. citizenship in 1940.  He received numerous [...]

Internet savvy people know that a boolean search allows users to widen or narrow their internet search by combining or excluding words by including terms such as “AND”, “NOT” and “OR” in their search criteria.   What many may not know is how the search method got such a funny sounding name.  George Boole was a 19th [...]

Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio on February 11, 1847.  He was born in the home designed by his father, Samuel.  The family sold the house in 1854, but after Edison’s death members of his family purchased the home with the intention of turning it into a museum.  Today, the Edison Birthplace Museum [...]

Gunpowder was invented around 85o A.D. in China.  This mixture of potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal was not invented by men seeking to make a more effective weapon.  It is thought that instead it was discovered accidentally by Chinese alchemists seeking a much different invention.   The experts are split as to what that was.  Some [...]

Scientists hail stem cell research as one of the most promising ways to find treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, juvenile diabetes, cancer and a host of other ailments.   Stem cells can be harvested in five ways. 

Embryonic stem cells are harvested from embryos within 7-10 days after fertilization. 
Fetal stem cells are harvested from tissue of aborted fetuses.
Umbilical [...]

Although it is not the planet closest to the sun, Venus is the hottest planet in the Solar System – it is so hot because of its thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide.
You can read more on the hottest planet at PhysLink.

Typically, Pluto was the farthest planet from the sun (when it moved past Neptune, that is), but now Pluto’s been booted from our Solar System’s lineup of planets, making Neptune the farthest planet from the sun.