Survival

The will to survive is ingrained in all of us, but some have had that will tested to the extremes. What would you do to stay alive if you were stranded in the desert or thrown overboard at sea? Find out what these 10 people did.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Fight or flight aren't the only possible responses to an emergency situation. Flight can actually sometimes make the problem worse. When is trying to run a really bad idea?

By Chris Opfer

When a pandemic or disaster strikes, you may be stranded at home for a while. How will you manage? The good news is that there's already a wide range of useful survival tools right there in your kitchen or garage.

By Chris Opfer & Kathryn Whitbourne

You're stranded on a boat at sea, no substantial food or water for days, living off collected rain and already having lustily consumed the leather brim of your hat. That's when you realize there's a huge chunk of meat sitting right next to you.

By Kate Kershner

Help when you're lost at sea or in the woods could be as close your credit card, cell phone innards or anything else that can make a reflective surface and let you flash a signal. Here's how.

By Patrick J. Kiger

It may not look like much, but this little piece of wristwear is very useful in a bind. Unlike other jewelry, it can help you get dinner, stop blood or make a shelter.

By Chris Opfer

Long before GPS, before radar, indeed before the compass, people used the stars in the sky to figure out their destinations. You can do it, too. Here's how.

By Julia Layton

PVC pipe is not only useful in building and transporting water. It has a whole 'nother life as a tool for surviving after a natural disaster. We'll look at some of the unusual uses of PVC.

By Laurie L. Dove

The desert is a place of extremes. And camping in such an unforgiving environment requires a good deal of preparation, and above all, a lot of respect.

By Mark Boyer

You need to treat a bat bite, but don't know how to do it. Learn about how to treat a bat bite in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

If you live in a disaster-prone area, you probably know how to prepare your home and what to stock up on in case a hurricane or tornado strikes. But have you thought about what to do with your pet? That's a part of disaster preparedness, too.

By Sarah Grace McCandless

When two thrill-seeking snowboarders decide to take a chance on a slope that's marked off-limits, it's the tax payers who ultimately pay for their rescue. Or, do the rule-breaking skiers foot the bill?

By Charles W. Bryant

Well, we can. But why don't we do more of it? With oceans and oceans of seawater, you'd think we could make enough freshwater to never go thirsty again

By Nicholas Gerbis

Blackberries, raspberries and cranberries are all found in the wild, but you'd better be sure you've got the right berry before you eat one off the vine. There are plenty of berries in the woods that could kill you.

By Patrick J. Kiger

They look like aluminum foil and they're quite thin. But you'd be surprised how much this blanket will help you out when you're in a very cold or very hot situation.

By Debra Ronca

There are 23 deserts all over the world — Europe is the only continent without one — and some are hotter than others. Do you know which five are the hottest?

By Jesslyn Shields

There's one element to any wilderness kit that proves itself useful over and over -- the survival knife. What qualities should you look for in your blade and handle, and why is a rugged knife so important in the first place?

By Jessika Toothman

Packing one of these firearms could save you at sea, so don't forget to bring one before you set off on any maritime adventures. And it might help to know how to use it before you set out.

By Jacob Silverman

It's cold and dark. Your car is upside down in a snow-covered ditch and you're miles from civilization. How can you make help come to you?

By Charles W. Bryant

Let's say you're adrift at sea. There's water everywhere, but you can't drink any of it because it's salty. If only you had a contraption to turn seawater into freshwater.

By Sarah Winkler

If you own a GPS device, then gone are the days of getting lost. This little device can lead you out of the jungle or around a crowded city. How do you put one to work?

By Charles W. Bryant

It doesn't seem murderous, but that bright burning ball of gas in the sky can do your body some serious damage. What kind of ill can come from the sun?

By Charles W. Bryant

When you hear a rumble of thunder, you head indoors. It's common sense. But what if you're in the forest, and there is no indoors? Where do head then?

By Sarah Winkler

When your camping trip turns life-or-death because you've lost your way in a vast, unpopulated wilderness, you'll want to have these gadgets on your person.

By Sarah Winkler

Superman, Spider-Man and Batman use supernatural powers to save people in distress. But regular old humans and animals have some tricks up their sleeves as well. What are they?

By Sarah Winkler