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The advance-fee scam was old before email existed.
The advance-fee scam was old before email existed. The Spanish Prisoner con promised a share of a hidden fortune if the victim first supplied money to free…
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Horseshoe crab blood turns a bacterial warning into a clot.
Horseshoe crab blood turns a bacterial warning into a clot. Cells in the crab’s blue blood react to endotoxins from certain bacteria, forming a clot around…
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Cardiac muscle contractions occur approximately one hundred thousand times per day, meaning your heart pumps roughly two thousand gallons of blood through sixty thousand miles of blood vessels.
Cardiac muscle contractions occur approximately one hundred thousand times per day, meaning your heart pumps roughly two thousand gallons of blood through…
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Harrison Ford helped with Star Wars auditions before becoming Han Solo.
Harrison Ford helped with Star Wars auditions before becoming Han Solo. Ford had already worked with George Lucas on American Graffiti and was also earning…
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Zheng Yi Sao negotiated her way out of a pirate empire.
Zheng Yi Sao negotiated her way out of a pirate empire. After her husband's death, she became a central leader of the Guangdong pirate confederation, which…
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A physicist won a prize for asking whether cats are liquid.
A physicist won a prize for asking whether cats are liquid. Marc-Antoine Fardin used cats settling into containers to playfully explore rheology, the study of…
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Alice Bailey wrote twenty-four massive, incredibly dense books on mysticism and esoteric philosophy, claiming she didn't actually write most of them but instead telepathically…
Alice Bailey wrote twenty-four massive, incredibly dense books on mysticism and esoteric philosophy, claiming she didn't actually write most of them but…
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Governments actively utilize Pigouvian taxes, commonly referred to as 'sin taxes', to artificially increase the retail cost of products deemed socially harmful, such as tobacco,…
Governments actively utilize Pigouvian taxes, commonly referred to as 'sin taxes', to artificially increase the retail cost of products deemed socially…
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Fallout was originally supposed to be based entirely on the highly popular GURPS tabletop role-playing system, but the creators of the system violently pulled their licensing…
Fallout was originally supposed to be based entirely on the highly popular GURPS tabletop role-playing system, but the creators of the system violently pulled…
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Flying east is often harder on your body clock than flying west.
Flying east is often harder on your body clock than flying west. The human circadian rhythm tends to run slightly longer than 24 hours, so staying up later is…
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Tutankhamun's curse grew around a real death and a much larger story.
Tutankhamun's curse grew around a real death and a much larger story. After Lord Carnarvon died in 1923, newspapers connected the expedition financier's death…
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The Oscar's nickname has an origin story worthy of Hollywood.
The Oscar's nickname has an origin story worthy of Hollywood. One famous account credits Academy librarian Margaret Herrick with saying the statuette…
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Satellites took aircraft tracking beyond the reach of ocean radar.
Satellites took aircraft tracking beyond the reach of ocean radar. Ground radar cannot cover the middle of an ocean, so controllers historically relied on…
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Your mouth makes roughly half a liter to 1.5 liters of saliva a day.
Your mouth makes roughly half a liter to 1.5 liters of saliva a day. Most is water, but dissolved substances help digest food, lubricate tissues, and buffer…
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Busy aircraft carpets give stains somewhere to hide.
Busy aircraft carpets give stains somewhere to hide. A coffee spot stands out on a plain floor; against a pattern of shifting colors and shapes, it is harder…
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R2-D2 began as a request for an American Graffiti sound reel.
R2-D2 began as a request for an American Graffiti sound reel. During a late-night mixing session, Walter Murch asked George Lucas for Reel 2, Dialog 2. Lucas…
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Cardboard orders can reveal activity before a product reaches a shelf.
Cardboard orders can reveal activity before a product reaches a shelf. Manufacturers and retailers need packaging to move many physical goods, so changes in…
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Heathrow Airport operates a highly secretive, ultra-exclusive VIP terminal called the Windsor Suite where royalty, diplomats, and insanely wealthy celebrities completely bypass the miserable reality of commercial flying.
Heathrow Airport operates a highly secretive, ultra-exclusive VIP terminal called the Windsor Suite where royalty, diplomats, and insanely wealthy celebrities…
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Some Like It Hot made a case against color.
Some Like It Hot made a case against color. Marilyn Monroe wanted color, but Billy Wilder's comedy ended up in black and white. Screen tests made the makeup…
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Your GPS receiver listens to a U.S.
Your GPS receiver listens to a U.S. government service. The Space Force operates the satellite constellation, while civilian users worldwide can receive its…
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A writer proposed judging a recession by restaurant hiring.
A writer proposed judging a recession by restaurant hiring. In 2009, Hugo Lindgren dubbed his observation the Hot Waitress Index. He suggested that a weak…
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Zoroastrianism involves a mystical burial practice where bodies are left on top of giant flat structures called Towers of Silence so that vultures can strip the bones clean.
Zoroastrianism involves a mystical burial practice where bodies are left on top of giant flat structures called Towers of Silence so that vultures can strip…
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Colobopsis explodens is a fascinating species of Southeast Asian ant whose minor workers possess specialized, oversized glands full of a toxic, sticky secretion that they deploy through suicidal altruism.
Colobopsis explodens is a fascinating species of Southeast Asian ant whose minor workers possess specialized, oversized glands full of a toxic, sticky…
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Australia's dingo barrier stretches for thousands of miles.
Australia's dingo barrier stretches for thousands of miles. Sections of fencing developed over time into a vast system intended to protect sheep country from…
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