History is full of warnings. Collapsed bridges, failed financial systems, wars sparked by pride, pandemics mishandled, environmental disasters ignored until too late. We document them. We build memorials. We write books titled “Lessons Learned.” And yet, decades later, a similar pattern unfolds again.

It is tempting to assume that human progress automatically prevents repetition. We have better technology, more data, and instant communication. We can analyze past catastrophes in microscopic detail. So why do we keep making the same fatal errors?

When news breaks about an animal attack, the language is almost always the same. “It came out of nowhere.” “There was no reason.” “The animal just snapped.” We instinctively search for motive the way we would in a human crime. Was it hungry? Was it provoked? Was it angry? And when none of those explanations seem obvious, we label the event as senseless.

But the idea of killing “without reason” is deeply human.

Carbon monoxide, commonly referred to as CO, is one of the most dangerous household gases precisely because it cannot be detected by human senses. It has no smell, no color, and no taste, yet it has the ability to kill within minutes under the right conditions. Carbon monoxide is produced whenever fuels such as gasoline, natural gas, propane, kerosene, wood, or charcoal are burned. This means it can be released by cars and trucks, small engines, stoves, fireplaces, furnaces, grills, and many other everyday appliances.