The world is more interesting than you think.
Unexpected facts, big ideas, and little discoveries. Find something that sparks your curiosity today.
A little more wonder
Why porcupines can float
Air trapped among a porcupine’s quills helps keep it afloat, much like little built-in float pockets. The quills don’t row, though: its limbs do the paddling…
Discover more
Polymerase chain reactions copy DNA millions of times
A thermal cycler repeatedly heats and cools a DNA sample, prompting enzymes to copy it. That can turn a tiny crime-scene sample into billions of copies for…
Discover more
Why the five-second rule does not work
Germs can move from a surface to food the instant the two touch; the clock does not make that transfer wait. Moist food may pick up contaminants readily, so…
Discover more
Retirement once helped employers replace older workers
Older workers often earned more, so some efficiency-minded executives saw pensions and retirement ages as a tidy way to get them to leave. Their jobs could…
Discover more
Prop diaries are filled with completely random gibberish
Prop makers may write one readable paragraph for the page shown on camera, then fill the rest of a diary with gibberish or public-domain poetry.
Discover more
Bananas grow on giant herbs
Look at the base of a banana plant and you may spot its successors already sprouting. The “trunk” is a bundle of wrapped leaves, and after it grows a bunch,…
Discover more
STACKY FOR IPHONEA bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.
Keep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.
The mark 8 has to be learned before it means eight
Nothing in the shape contains eight objects. Reading it as a quantity depends on a learned link between a visual symbol, a word, and a number. A familiar…
Discover more
The Heavy Rain glitch that won't let a father stop crying out
During a tragic scene, repeatedly pressing one prompt can make the father interrupt later cutscenes with panicked cries about his missing son.
Discover more
Why movie glasses often have no lenses
Real lenses can reflect studio lights and obscure actors’ eyes, so prop glasses often have empty frames. Actors risk poking themselves if they forget there…
Discover more
Why fast-food seats are so uncomfortable
Hard seats and bright lights can make diners less inclined to linger, so a restaurant may clear a table sooner and seat the next group. That matters because…
Discover more
Sperm whales sleep standing upright
A resting sperm whale may point its head upward and hang still in the water. When several do it together, the pod looks like a set of floating columns—until…
Discover more
Tasmanian devils store fat in their tails
A Tasmanian devil’s tail can act as a small reserve tank: the animal stores some surplus fat there. A fuller tail can signal that it has built up energy…
Discover more
Modern greenhouses use enriched carbon dioxide atmospheres
They pump extra carbon dioxide into enclosed growing spaces because plants use it to grow, creating an atmosphere richer in CO₂ than ordinary air.
Discover more
Not everyone thinks in an inner voice
Some minds do their thinking without a running voice-over. They may use images, spatial patterns, or a wordless sense of what comes next; language is one tool…
Discover more
Batman developers hid a sequel behind a fake wall
In Batman: Arkham Asylum, a breakable wall in the warden’s office concealed plans for Arkham City. The room did not announce itself as an ordinary…
Discover more
Automatic pinsetters changed the business of bowling
Before machines reset the pins, workers had to clear fallen pins and put the next rack in place. Automatic equipment made that repeated job mechanical,…
Discover more
The silent ape family hidden in Halo
In a jungle mission, developers tucked away a low-resolution family of unblinking ape-like figures holding a teddy bear. They have no role in the story; they…
Discover more
Why toll roads were once blocked by spears
Guards once blocked roads with sharp pikes, turning the barrier aside only after travelers paid.
Discover more
Golden ratio exists purely as logarithmic geometry
A golden spiral is a logarithmic spiral whose dimensions expand by the golden ratio, but many natural spirals don’t match that proportion.
Discover more
Prop firearms are heavily plugged to prevent actual firing
Some real firearms used as non-firing props have barrels permanently blocked with steel pins or lead, making them unable to fire live ammunition.
Discover more
Why travel has torture in its roots
“Travel” traces back to “trepalium,” the name of an ancient instrument of torture.
Discover more
Farmers buy ladybugs by the gallon
Farmers buy ladybugs by the gallon and release them onto crops. The beetles eat aphids, doing pest-control work without a chemical spray.
Discover more
Milkshakes were once alcoholic
The early milkshake was often a shaken mix of whiskey and egg, closer to eggnog than a diner treat. Over time, the name stuck while the recipe changed into…
Discover more
A movie room can need huge lights to look naturally lit
Cameras must handle the contrast between a bright window and a much darker interior. Film crews add and shape light so faces remain readable while the scene…
Discover more