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Chewing gum can affect different kinds of attention differently.
Chewing gum can affect different kinds of attention differently. One experiment compared ordinary gum, tasteless gum, mimed chewing, and no chewing. Sustained…
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Walter White's audition began years earlier on The X-Files.
Walter White's audition began years earlier on The X-Files. Vince Gilligan had worked with Bryan Cranston on a 1998 episode and later championed him for…
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In mice, stress depleted the cells that keep hair colored.
In mice, stress depleted the cells that keep hair colored. Researchers found that intense stress activated nerves that released norepinephrine around hair…
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A bus-tire ritual became part of Soyuz launch folklore.
A bus-tire ritual became part of Soyuz launch folklore. Male crew members have repeated a stop associated with Yuri Gagarin: urinating against a rear tire on…
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Overseas bribes became a problem for America's accountants.
Overseas bribes became a problem for America's accountants. A 1977 GAO review described companies paying foreign officials for business advantages, alongside…
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Bright light can set off a sneeze in some people.
Bright light can set off a sneeze in some people. The photic sneeze reflex links a sudden change in light with a response usually associated with irritation…
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France's longest land border is with Brazil.
France's longest land border is with Brazil. French Guiana is part of France, so its roughly 730-kilometer border with Brazil is a French international…
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Airbus engineers designed a bizarrely shaped cargo plane known as the Beluga solely because they needed a vehicle large enough to transport entire sections of other airplanes across Europe.
Airbus engineers designed a bizarrely shaped cargo plane known as the Beluga solely because they needed a vehicle large enough to transport entire sections of…
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Air Koryo's European restriction singled out two exceptions.
Air Koryo's European restriction singled out two exceptions. The EU's 2024 air-safety list restricted the North Korean airline's fleet while exempting two…
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Honda designed a tiny scooter to travel inside a tiny car.
Honda designed a tiny scooter to travel inside a tiny car. The 1981 Motocompo was made to fit in the Honda City's luggage area. Its handlebars and seat folded…
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Chicago engineers spent the mid-nineteenth century physically lifting entire brick buildings, streets, and sidewalks up to fourteen feet in the air using thousands of manual jackscrews.
Chicago engineers spent the mid-nineteenth century physically lifting entire brick buildings, streets, and sidewalks up to fourteen feet in the air using…
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An Arizona developer bought London's old bridge in 1968 to attract visitors to Lake Havasu City.
An Arizona developer bought London's old bridge in 1968 to attract visitors to Lake Havasu City. Its granite facing stones were numbered, shipped overseas,…
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Hong Kong gave a steep neighborhood an outdoor escalator commute.
Hong Kong gave a steep neighborhood an outdoor escalator commute. The Central–Mid-Levels system links covered escalators and moving walkways over roughly 800…
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Sears once mailed customers the pieces of a house.
Sears once mailed customers the pieces of a house. Between 1908 and 1940, its Modern Homes program sold house kits ordered from a catalog. Lumber and other…
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Wuppertal’s passenger trains hang below their track instead of riding on top.
Wuppertal’s passenger trains hang below their track instead of riding on top. The wheels run on an overhead rail, while the cabins remain upright beneath it.…
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Japanese railways can give you paperwork for being late.
Japanese railways can give you paperwork for being late. JR East publishes delay certificates for services running roughly five minutes or more behind…
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Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, insisted that the games should feature competitions in architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture,…
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, insisted that the games should feature competitions in architecture, literature, music,…
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Landing at Paro requires a route through the mountains.
Landing at Paro requires a route through the mountains. Bhutan's airport sits in a deep valley surrounded by Himalayan peaks. Its approaches require specially…
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Thomas Crapper's real business was selling better plumbing.
Thomas Crapper's real business was selling better plumbing. The Victorian plumber built a successful sanitary-ware company and put his conspicuous name on…
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Hungary experienced the worst case of hyperinflation in recorded human history following the end of the second world war in 1946.
Hungary experienced the worst case of hyperinflation in recorded human history following the end of the second world war in 1946. At that pace, a price could…
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A long day awake can impair you like alcohol on performance tests.
A long day awake can impair you like alcohol on performance tests. Studies summarized by NIOSH compare about 17 hours awake with impairment seen around a…
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Teratomas are horrifying, albeit fascinating, types of tumors that can spontaneously grow hair, muscle tissue, bone, and even fully formed teeth inside your body.
Teratomas are horrifying, albeit fascinating, types of tumors that can spontaneously grow hair, muscle tissue, bone, and even fully formed teeth inside your…
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Wartime Britain turned carrots into a night-vision sales pitch.
Wartime Britain turned carrots into a night-vision sales pitch. Government publicity promoted the vegetable while stories credited carrots with helping pilots…
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One hiccup theory reaches back to gill breathing.
One hiccup theory reaches back to gill breathing. A hiccup combines an involuntary breathing-muscle contraction with a sudden closure at the voice box.…
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