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
Evolutionary psychologists argue that human language evolved primarily not to coordinate hunting or build tools, but to gossip about other members of our social group.
Evolutionary psychologists argue that human language evolved primarily not to coordinate hunting or build tools, but to gossip about other members of our…
Discover more
An elevator mirror can be a rearview mirror for a wheelchair user.
An elevator mirror can be a rearview mirror for a wheelchair user. A small elevator may not have enough space to turn a wheelchair around. A mirror lets the…
Discover more
An early architect of national-income statistics warned that output is not welfare.
An early architect of national-income statistics warned that output is not welfare. In his 1934 report, Simon Kuznets cautioned against reading a nation's…
Discover more
A no-smoking airplane still needs an ashtray under U.S.
A no-smoking airplane still needs an ashtray under U.S. safety rules. The regulation requires removable ashtrays on or near the entry side of lavatory doors…
Discover more
A bad purchase can make you want to spend even more.
A bad purchase can make you want to spend even more. The sunk-cost effect appears when money or effort already spent influences whether you continue. Quitting…
Discover more
Japanese railway workers consistently employ a safety technique called "shisa kanko," which involves physically pointing at objects and verbally calling out their status to make checks more deliberate.
Japanese railway workers consistently employ a safety technique called "shisa kanko," which involves physically pointing at objects and verbally calling out…
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.
A woodpecker's head works like a hammer, not a cushion.
A woodpecker's head works like a hammer, not a cushion. High-speed measurements and models in a 2022 study found that woodpecker skulls transmit the impact…
Discover more
Tristan da Cunha has no airport to shorten the journey.
Tristan da Cunha has no airport to shorten the journey. Reaching the inhabited South Atlantic island usually means several days at sea from Cape Town. Even…
Discover more
Star Wars found its rhythm in the editing room.
Star Wars found its rhythm in the editing room. Marcia Lucas, Richard Chew and Paul Hirsch shared the film's editing Oscar. Their work helped turn separate…
Discover more
Switzerland still prints a 1,000-franc banknote.
Switzerland still prints a 1,000-franc banknote. A large denomination packs substantial purchasing power into a single piece of paper, making it useful for…
Discover more
One Venezuelan lake became the world's lightning hotspot.
One Venezuelan lake became the world's lightning hotspot. A NASA-supported study of 16 years of satellite observations found about 233 lightning flashes per…
Discover more
NASA's rocket taxi weighs about 6.65 million pounds.
NASA's rocket taxi weighs about 6.65 million pounds. Crawler Transporter 2 earned a Guinness record for heaviest self-powered vehicle in 2023. Its tracks…
Discover more
Producers of the legendary sitcom The Golden Girls originally included a live-in gay housekeeper named Coco in the pilot episode, played by actor Charles Levin.
Producers of the legendary sitcom The Golden Girls originally included a live-in gay housekeeper named Coco in the pilot episode, played by actor Charles…
Discover more
Australia boasts the longest golf course on the entire planet, an absolute monstrosity called the Nullarbor Links that spans a staggering 850 miles across the desolate southern coast of the continent.
Australia boasts the longest golf course on the entire planet, an absolute monstrosity called the Nullarbor Links that spans a staggering 850 miles across the…
Discover more
A 1932 proposal would have put expiration dates on possessions.
A 1932 proposal would have put expiration dates on possessions. Bernard London suggested legally limiting products' useful lives to stimulate replacement…
Discover more
Your left lung makes room for a neighbor.
Your left lung makes room for a neighbor. The left lung has two lobes rather than the right lung's three, and an indentation accommodates the heart. Both…
Discover more
Wörgl's 1932 local currency made holding cash cost money.
Wörgl's 1932 local currency made holding cash cost money. To keep a note valid, its holder had to buy a monthly stamp worth 1% of the note's value. Spending…
Discover more
Koalas have fingerprints with ridges strikingly similar to human ones.
Koalas have fingerprints with ridges strikingly similar to human ones. These patterns evolved independently in the two lineages, showing how gripping surfaces…
Discover more
Japanese railway engineers redesigned the bullet train in the 1990s because the original models created a massive, deafening sonic boom every time they exited a tunnel.
Japanese railway engineers redesigned the bullet train in the 1990s because the original models created a massive, deafening sonic boom every time they exited…
Discover more
Losing body fat usually empties fat cells rather than removing them.
Losing body fat usually empties fat cells rather than removing them. As stored fat is broken down, the cells shrink; if more is stored later, they can expand…
Discover more
In 2011, Apple briefly had a larger cash-and-investments balance than the U.S.
In 2011, Apple briefly had a larger cash-and-investments balance than the U.S. Treasury’s operating cash balance. The comparison emerged during a debt-ceiling…
Discover more
Swallowing chewing gum does not result in it remaining in your digestive tract for seven years, as the human body simply passes the indigestible synthetic rubber base through the…
Swallowing chewing gum does not result in it remaining in your digestive tract for seven years, as the human body simply passes the indigestible synthetic…
Discover more
Paul McCartney and John Lennon never actually learned how to read or write standard sheet music, despite composing some of the most influential and commercially successful pop…
Paul McCartney and John Lennon never actually learned how to read or write standard sheet music, despite composing some of the most influential and…
Discover more
A toilet malfunction forced German submarine U-1206 to surface during World War II.
A toilet malfunction forced German submarine U-1206 to surface during World War II. Its deep-water flushing system used a sequence of valves to work against…
Discover more