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Humans have an oxygen-saving diving response.
Humans have an oxygen-saving diving response. During breath-holding and facial immersion, heart rate can slow while blood vessels in the limbs narrow,…
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One engineer helped develop both leaded gasoline and CFCs.
One engineer helped develop both leaded gasoline and CFCs. Thomas Midgley Jr. worked on two celebrated industrial fixes: an additive that reduced engine knock…
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Pigeons possess an incredible visual memory that allows them to distinguish between the paintings of Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet after undergoing behavioral conditioning.
Pigeons possess an incredible visual memory that allows them to distinguish between the paintings of Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet after undergoing…
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Tokyo's rush hour has needed staff to help the doors close.
Tokyo's rush hour has needed staff to help the doors close. At heavily crowded stations, attendants help passengers and belongings clear the doorway so a…
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The Lion King's stampede took more than two years to build.
The Lion King's stampede took more than two years to build. Disney's production notes describe five animators and technicians working on the…
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CPR buys time when the heart stops pumping.
CPR buys time when the heart stops pumping. Chest compressions keep some blood moving to the brain and heart while emergency help and a defibrillator are…
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Much of the mass of burned body fat leaves through your lungs.
Much of the mass of burned body fat leaves through your lungs. Breaking down stored fat produces carbon dioxide and water, so atoms that were part of your…
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Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the Indian mystic better known as Osho, amassed a fleet of ninety-three custom Rolls-Royce cars purchased exclusively by his devoted followers during his time running a commune in Oregon.
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the Indian mystic better known as Osho, amassed a fleet of ninety-three custom Rolls-Royce cars purchased exclusively by his devoted…
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Japanese traffic lights use blue instead of green to signal 'go' because historically the language used the same word, 'ao', for both colors, and when international laws dictated…
Japanese traffic lights use blue instead of green to signal 'go' because historically the language used the same word, 'ao', for both colors, and when…
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Nunavut brought back its bear-shaped license plates in 2025.
Nunavut brought back its bear-shaped license plates in 2025. The territory announced the return of the distinctive outline after years of public feedback. The…
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Neolithic humans managed to transport the massive bluestones of Stonehenge over one hundred and fifty miles from Wales to England without the use of the wheel or alien intervention.
Neolithic humans managed to transport the massive bluestones of Stonehenge over one hundred and fifty miles from Wales to England without the use of the wheel…
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An eight-mile-an-hour drive became a famous speeding case.
An eight-mile-an-hour drive became a famous speeding case. Walter Arnold was prosecuted in Kent in 1896 for driving at about 8 mph when the town limit was 2…
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One of the world's tiniest plants still makes a flower.
One of the world's tiniest plants still makes a flower. Wolffia consists of minute floating plants with an extremely reduced body. Some are around a…
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Your jaw turns a small space into a powerful crushing machine.
Your jaw turns a small space into a powerful crushing machine. The masseter and other jaw muscles pull through the leverage of the mandible, concentrating…
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IBM bought an operating system without making it exclusive.
IBM bought an operating system without making it exclusive. Microsoft supplied the software for IBM's PC while retaining the ability to license it to other…
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For years, the entire bustling metropolis of Paris contained exactly one single official stop sign within its city limits, and it was located at the exit of a random building…
For years, the entire bustling metropolis of Paris contained exactly one single official stop sign within its city limits, and it was located at the exit of a…
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Iconic sounds of the TARDIS materializing and dematerializing in the classic British sci-fi series Doctor Who were originally created by scraping a simple house key along the exposed bass strings of a dismantled piano.
Iconic sounds of the TARDIS materializing and dematerializing in the classic British sci-fi series Doctor Who were originally created by scraping a simple…
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Astronauts flying to the moon during the Apollo program were required to learn celestial navigation, using a highly sophisticated optical sextant to measure the angles of specific stars.
Astronauts flying to the moon during the Apollo program were required to learn celestial navigation, using a highly sophisticated optical sextant to measure…
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Sound designer Gary Rydstrom created the iconic velociraptor communication noises in the 1993 film Jurassic Park by recording tortoises having sex.
Sound designer Gary Rydstrom created the iconic velociraptor communication noises in the 1993 film Jurassic Park by recording tortoises having sex. He noticed…
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Forrest Gump's box-office success did not automatically produce net profits.
Forrest Gump's box-office success did not automatically produce net profits. Author Winston Groom's contract included a share of net profits, a figure…
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Mario's clouds moonlight as bushes.
Mario's clouds moonlight as bushes. In Super Mario Bros., the white clouds and green bushes reuse the same background tile shapes with different colors. The…
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The Sopranos logo uses one letter to warn you it isn't opera.
The Sopranos logo uses one letter to warn you it isn't opera. Designer Brett Wickens turned the title's r into a handgun. Before you see a character or hear a…
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Mary Stuart's execution failed to look dignified.
Mary Stuart's execution failed to look dignified. Accounts describe repeated blows before Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded in 1587. When the executioner…
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South Park's movie earned a profanity record and an Oscar nomination.
South Park's movie earned a profanity record and an Oscar nomination. Guinness counted 399 swear words in Bigger, Longer & Uncut, while Blame Canada was…
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