It might seem like a ludicrous idea, completely insane especially if this were to be done today. But the idea of putting a dead pope's body on trial has some meaning to it when we look at the context of when this was done. It was 897, and Pope Stephen VI had insisted on bringing his predecessor, Formosus, to court for usurpation. Was it fair? Absolutely not, on any standard. How can a man who was long gone defend himself? So what was this for?

Back in those days, people revered those in authority whether they were alive or not. When they have passed on, what they leave behind becomes a relic which people still venerated. In that sense, though the physical body and spirit has died, their "essence" still lives on. This was what Stephen VI wanted to deny Formosus of having. Of course, he won that trial. But a few months later, Stephen would soon find himself dead as well.

(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Going to space is a particularly challenging endeavor. Aspiring astronauts need to go through intensive training and tests before they can suit up and be launched into space. But who exactly can become astronauts? What are the guidelines and selection criteria to be an astronaut? And more than that, shouldn't we be considering accommodating all sorts of people to go on space missions, especially those who have already experienced the kind of situations astronauts would encounter when they are in space?

We're talking about people with disabilities becoming astronauts. As of yet, NASA has a policy that makes it difficult for PWDs to be sent to space. It's not really a surprise since most of the spacecraft that we have are designed not specifically with PWDs in mind. But tests and training procedures have shown how PWDs would have a big advantage if they become astronauts. One such example would be someone who is deaf. In 1961, NASA recruited 11 people who were deaf in order to conduct an experiment to see "what might happen to people in places where the inner ear can't sense up and down." They were called the Gallaudet Eleven. Read more on Wired.

(Image credit: Adam Miller/Unsplash)

Belief has nothing to do with facts. Whether we believe in a concept, an idea, or in a phenomena that naturally occurs does not change the existence or non-existence of such. But most of the time, a lot of our actions are driven by belief, no matter how irrational or strange they may be. That is the psychology of belief.

You may have encountered people who hold onto certain convictions despite the lack of evidence to support them. No matter how contrary to reality, whether they are able to tangibly witness or perceive the idea, they will continue believing in it. And that's because our brains can distort our perception of reality to support our own convictions, despite the presence or absence of a physical evidence or an occurrence that proves the contrary.

(Image credit: Rawpixel/Unsplash)

Music has the ability to comfort, soothe, or even heal a wounded heart or a broken soul. It helps people with dementia to cope with their condition. It taps into a part of our memory and consciousness connected with certain experiences that we had. All music, no matter what genre they may be have that kind of power. But back then, people thought differently of jazz music.

In 1923, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld a ruling shutting down a dance hall that featured jazz music. The opinion, shared by many in polite society, made clear that jazz was considered not just a mere nuisance, but a danger to health and public safety.

The court stated that the music "is not only disagreeable but it also wears upon the nervous system and produces that feeling which we call “tired.” That the subjection of a human being to a continued hearing of loud noises tends to shorten life . . . is beyond all doubt."

(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)

If you want to know how the periodic table began, how changes were made onto it, until it has become what it is now, then you should probably check this brief visual history presented on Science Mag.

(Image credit: Holger Link/Unsplash)

Scientists believe they have uncovered the paint recipe that Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn used to create the impasto effect on his paintings. Using a high-energy X-ray, they were able to analyze and find out what ingredients the maestro included to formulate his paint mixture. Apparently, it was a mineral not commonly used in paints.

(Image credit: Public Domain)

Though black holes have been enigmatic things to say the least, we are not completely in the dark about them. In fact, black holes aren't really as terrifying as we would think them to be.

Despite their moniker, black holes aren't always black. As a black hole consumes an object, gas and dust spins around the maw of the gravitational behemoth, and friction can heat the material on the edges to searing temperatures.

This violent process creates lighthouse-like beams of charged particles that travel outward at near light speed, emitting radiation that can shine brighter than an entire galaxy.

In fact, other illustrations show a spinning black hole with streams of light circling around it.

(Image credit: Kyle Parfrey et. al./Berkeley Lab)

There have been two space shuttle accidents in NASA's history, both lost all the astronauts aboard the spacecraft. The first one was Challenger in 1986. The second one was Columbia in 2003.

Often these types of accidents occur because of a simple oversight. In Columbia's case, it was a foam strike. But it wasn't as simple as that.

Besides the physical cause – the foam – CAIB had a damning assessment about the culture at NASA that led to the foam problem and other safety issues being minimized over the years.

"Cultural traits and organizational practices detrimental to safety were allowed to develop," the board wrote, citing "reliance on past success as a substitute for sound engineering practices" and "organizational barriers that prevented effective communication of critical safety information" among the problems found.

The space shuttle program was eventually retired in 2011. The seven astronauts aboard Columbia were also given several tributes.

(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Apart from global warming, scientists from NASA have found that there is an underground cavern in a glacier that is almost as big as Manhattan.

The data comes from NASA’s Operation IceBridge, a program that flies radar-equipped planes over the poles to map out glaciers and ice sheets in three dimensions. These radar images are even capable of seeing through the ice to get a clear model of the glacier down to the bedrock.

In Thwaites’ case, that radar uncovered a gigantic cavern between the glacier itself and the bedrock below it. That cavern is likely filled with air much warmer than the surrounding ice, triggering faster melting of the glacier than would happen otherwise. Thanks to this nearly Manhattan-size gap in the ice, the entire glacier along with the surrounding ice sheet will likely disappear much more quickly.

(Image credit: NASA/OIB/Jeremy Harbeck)

Astronomers have recently detected space debris that is moving erratically, almost randomly much like the nickname it was given, an 'empty trash bag' drifting in space. The object is called A10bMLz.

A10bMLz is far from run-of-the-mill space junk. Astronomer Daniel Bamberger from London’s Northolt Branch Observatories says he and his team initially had no clue whether the object was natural or artificial. As they tracked its movements, they realized it was defying predictions and moving around almost randomly.

But space is a vacuum—there’s no wind or air pressure to account for this sort of volatility. There are only a handful of forces that could simply bully an object out of a normal orbit. What exactly is A10bMLz, and what kind of forces could possibly shove it around as it blew through interstellar main street?

(Image credit: NASA)

Women are more sensitive to the cold than men. And there are various factors that contribute to this and here are five reasons, according to research, why women are colder than men.

Your wife is (probably) not shivering to be dramatic, asking for your coat to look fashionable, or messing with the thermostat to pick a fight. Studies suggest women legitimately feel colder than men, on average, for a combination of physiological, hormonal, and psychological reasons.

Whatever her reason may be at any given moment, the best thing to do is just to lend her your coat or maybe wrap her around your arms and share some of your body heat.

(Image credit: Spencer Backman/Unsplash)

The custom of waiting for everybody to be seated on the table and have their food served before eating is a deep part of Asian culture.

There are various reasons why such norms are considered sacred in different Asian cultures though it has always been thought that it is done to show respect and courtesy to others, giving off the impression of solidarity. Others have just become used to the tradition.

If you’re a human being who’s had lunch with another person on at least one occasion, you know exactly what I’m talking about: the unspoken, implied expectation to wait for your lunch buddy’s food to arrive before eating, as both of you engage in a pointless session of etiquette gymnastics.

Now, this doesn't apply to all situations and there are cases when it is fine to go ahead and dig in before everyone else. But, for the most part, we try to uphold that unspoken rule.

(Image credit: Avel Chuklanov/Unsplash)

Do you want to build a snowman? Or so sings the little girl. But up north on a mountain in Japan, nature takes its course and builds snowmen on its own. Well, the Japanese call them "juhyo" or snow monsters.

A specific combination of strong winds, low temperatures and snowfall on evergreen conifer trees is required for snow monsters to form. Juhyo forms at a few other places in Japan, but Mount Zaō is the most accessible and thus the easiest way to experience the snow monsters.

A phenomenon similar to juhyo is observed in Finland at the Riisitunturi National Park. The Finnish call it “tykky”.

(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Richard Klinkhamer grew up in a broken home, transferred from one foster home to another until his biological father took him in. He joined the French Foreign Legion, deserted, and got a job at the local pub.

He married at 25, divorced at 40, and lived with his girlfriend for 13 years. One day, they fought, she went missing, and for 10 years, nobody knew what happened. He wrote a novel about how he killed her, which people dismissed, until his girlfriend's remains were discovered in a hole in their backyard.

(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)

We have done much progress in the field of psychology and research has helped us uncover many disorders and imbalances that occur in our personality, our thought processes, and our overall mental state.

But back in its early stages, there were some controversial tests being conducted. And this one involved a child.

One such trailblazer was a behaviorist named John B. Watson. In 1919, his curiosity was aroused after observing a child who showed an irrational fear of dogs. Watson supposed that a shiny new human would not possess an inborn fear of domesticated animals, but if “one animal succeeds in arousing fear, any moving furry animal thereafter may arouse it.”

In order to satiate his scientific appetite, he undertook a series of experiments at Johns Hopkins University to determine whether an infant could indeed be conditioned to fear cute-and-cuddly animals by associating them with scary stimuli.

A couple decades earlier Pavlov’s notorious dogs had been conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell; Watson hoped to expand upon the concept.

(Image credit: Colin Maynard/Unsplash)