Trampe is the world's first bicycle lift intended for urban areas. The prototype was built in 1993. During its 15 years of operation, Trampe pushed more than 200.000 cyclists up the 130 m long hill Brubakken in Trondheim, Norway.

If you've ever been to the Netherlands, you probably noticed one of two things a) nearly everyone rides a bike or b) you're a lot shorter than everyone there. According to statistics, this countries population has gained an impressive 20 centimeters in the past 150 years and is now officially the tallest on the planet. While a rich diet and good health care is always a recipe for physical growth, a new study suggests something else is going on as well: The Dutch growth spurt may be an example of human evolution in action.

The study, published online today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows that tall Dutch men on average have more children than their shorter counterparts, and that more of their children survive. That suggests ge ...

Hippocrates (460–377 BC) postulated that the imbalance or excess of four fluids (called humors) within the body play a role in ones emotional and physical state. The chart below shows the four humors (row 1), the condition created by too much of each (row 2), and their respective emotions (row 3):


The Hippocratic theory of personality popularized the practice of bloodletting — opening a vein or applying leeches to "drain off" excessive amounts of the troublesome humor. In medieval Europe, it was common for barber-surgeons (whose professional practice relied on sharp instruments like knives and razors) to advertise their bloodletting services by posting a sign depicting a pale human arm traced with a crimson spiral of blood. (Remember that a ...

Smoking was compulsory for schoolboys in the 17th century at England's famous Eton school because it was thought to prevent the plague.

Known by tourists as the Eyes of God, the Prohodna cave is a typical karst cave in the north of Bulgaria and lies within one of the largest karst regions of the country. It is 262 meters long and easily accessible due to its two entrances on both sides of the cave. Prohodna cave is naturally lit because of these huge entrances and various holes in the ceiling.
Two of these holes are situated next to each other and their almond-like symmetrical shape gave them the striking resemblance to giant eyes. Seen from a certain angle they resemble a face looking down and during the rain it even seems as if the eyes were crying.

Not only is the cave a popular site for tourists and movie makers, it is also a good location for speleology (the scientific ...

Thermal springs in Laugarvatn, Iceland, are so hot that bread can be baked in the surrounding Earth!

On the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, you might be lucky to find a black flamingo. Normal flamingoes are born white and grey, and turn their iconic shade of pinky orange around the age of two, as a result of the high carotenoid content of the algae and crustaceans that they eat.

Experts believe that this individual (and potentially the other bird spotted in Israel) has a genetic condition that causes it to overproduce melanin, changing its feathers to black.

A new report has ranked the world’s 16 major economies according to their energy efficiency, and Germany - who set a world record in May for generating 74% of their power needs from renewable energy - came out on top.