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A space toilet has to replace the one part of plumbing Earth supplies free.
A space toilet has to replace the one part of plumbing Earth supplies free. Without ordinary gravity pulling waste down, spacecraft toilets use airflow to…
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Kissing the Blarney Stone requires a backward lean.
Kissing the Blarney Stone requires a backward lean. The famous stone sits in the castle's battlements, so visitors lie back and lean toward it with…
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The Taj Mahal gets clay treatments to lift dirt from its marble.
The Taj Mahal gets clay treatments to lift dirt from its marble. Conservators apply a material known as Fuller's earth, let it dry, and remove it with the…
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Early Christian Gnostics believed that the physical universe was not created by the supreme, loving God, but rather by an ignorant, deeply flawed middle-management deity known as the Demiurge.
Early Christian Gnostics believed that the physical universe was not created by the supreme, loving God, but rather by an ignorant, deeply flawed…
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A bee helped break Skyrim's opening cart ride.
A bee helped break Skyrim's opening cart ride. During development, the insect had collision enabled and could obstruct the scripted cart. When the two met,…
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Paramount Pictures had to spend an estimated five million dollars to completely redesign the CGI model of Sonic the Hedgehog after the internet collectively dry-heaved at the…
Paramount Pictures had to spend an estimated five million dollars to completely redesign the CGI model of Sonic the Hedgehog after the internet collectively…
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Russian Soyuz space capsules were routinely equipped with a specialized triple-barreled survival shotgun designed to fend off angry bears upon landing in the remote Siberian wilderness.
Russian Soyuz space capsules were routinely equipped with a specialized triple-barreled survival shotgun designed to fend off angry bears upon landing in the…
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Your phone can turn a short toilet visit into a much longer sit, and prolonged toilet sitting is a risk factor for hemorrhoids.
Your phone can turn a short toilet visit into a much longer sit, and prolonged toilet sitting is a risk factor for hemorrhoids. Straining adds pressure to the…
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A cloud can hold a million pounds of water without falling like a stone.
A cloud can hold a million pounds of water without falling like a stone. For a cumulus cloud a kilometer across, a typical droplet concentration gives a water…
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North Sentinel's protected boundary extends into the sea.
North Sentinel's protected boundary extends into the sea. India designated the island and surrounding coastal waters out to five kilometers as a tribal…
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Machu Picchu was constructed with such advanced ashlar masonry that the stones are tightly packed without mortar, allowing them to bounce and settle perfectly back into place during earthquakes.
Machu Picchu was constructed with such advanced ashlar masonry that the stones are tightly packed without mortar, allowing them to bounce and settle perfectly…
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Cornelis Drebbel built the world's first working submarine in 1620 and successfully tested it by rowing a modified, leather-covered wooden rowboat submerged under the River Thames for three hours.
Cornelis Drebbel built the world's first working submarine in 1620 and successfully tested it by rowing a modified, leather-covered wooden rowboat submerged…
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Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, was a real-life marine biologist and science teacher who originally developed the iconic characters as an educational…
Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, was a real-life marine biologist and science teacher who originally developed the iconic characters…
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Software engineer Jim Reekes created the iconic Apple Macintosh trash can crunch sound by recording the noise of his own messy real-life garbage being aggressively packed down.
Software engineer Jim Reekes created the iconic Apple Macintosh trash can crunch sound by recording the noise of his own messy real-life garbage being…
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During World War II, the United States military built an entire fleet of cargo ships out of reinforced concrete because traditional steel was in extremely short supply.
During World War II, the United States military built an entire fleet of cargo ships out of reinforced concrete because traditional steel was in extremely…
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Simlish, the iconic gibberish language spoken by characters in The Sims franchise, was created because developers knew that players would get incredibly annoyed hearing the same…
Simlish, the iconic gibberish language spoken by characters in The Sims franchise, was created because developers knew that players would get incredibly…
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Wikipedia's helpful bots have spent years undoing one another's work.
Wikipedia's helpful bots have spent years undoing one another's work. Researchers studying edits from 2001 to 2010 found automated accounts repeatedly…
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Friends spent its development trying out other names.
Friends spent its development trying out other names. Insomnia Cafe, Six of One, and Friends Like Us were among the titles considered as the sitcom took…
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Italian spiritualist Eusapia Palladino became a global sensation in the late nineteenth century for her ability to levitate tables and materialize spectral hands during seances.
Italian spiritualist Eusapia Palladino became a global sensation in the late nineteenth century for her ability to levitate tables and materialize spectral…
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An octopus sends its blue blood through three hearts.
An octopus sends its blue blood through three hearts. Two hearts pump blood through the gills, and a third sends it around the body. Its oxygen-carrying…
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An old limestone mine became a giant refrigerated warehouse.
An old limestone mine became a giant refrigerated warehouse. Missouri's Springfield Underground uses the surrounding rock's thermal mass to help keep storage…
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Automotive manufacturers in Sweden developed a highly specific driving evaluation known as the moose test to ensure their vehicles could successfully dodge massive woodland creatures without flipping over.
Automotive manufacturers in Sweden developed a highly specific driving evaluation known as the moose test to ensure their vehicles could successfully dodge…
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An unresponsive patient’s brain can still react to sound.
An unresponsive patient’s brain can still react to sound. A small 2020 hospice study detected responses to changing tones in some patients who were…
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Elevators are statistically the safest and most heavily used form of public transportation in the entire world, carrying billions of passengers every single day without incident;…
Elevators are statistically the safest and most heavily used form of public transportation in the entire world, carrying billions of passengers every single…
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