The Editors at Very Cool Facts

There is something almost irresistible about a fire. We pull our chairs closer, watch the flames rise and fall, and find ourselves staring into the embers long after the flames have flickered out. Scientists have found that our fascination with fire goes beyond its warmth and beauty. Watching and listening to crackling flames can lower our blood pressure. And the ancient custom of gathering around flames may have helped shape how humans share stories, exchange ideas and build relationships....

In 1432, centuries before photography existed, a Flemish artist painted the reflection of a real window inside a tiny blue gemstone. Detail from The Singing Angels panel of the Ghent Altarpiece | Jan van Eyck, 1432 The window belonged to the Vijd Chapel, where the finished work would hang. Nearly 600 years later, the illusion is still convincing. The artist was Jan van Eyck, and the jewel appears in the Ghent Altarpiece, one of the great masterpieces of European art. Think about when he...

“Mine.” It is one of those words toddlers discover with impressive enthusiasm. By around age two, children are beginning to understand that some things belong to them and other things belong to someone else. A toy can be mine. A cup can be yours. Remove the wrong object from the wrong two-year-old and the distinction can become very clear. What is interesting is how much follows from that simple idea. Once we think something belongs to us, we begin to treat it differently. Psychologists call...