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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…
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Building managers introduced mirrors inside passenger elevators during the mid-twentieth century as a psychological trick to distract riders from the agonizingly slow mechanical ascent of early skyscraper designs.
Building managers introduced mirrors inside passenger elevators during the mid-twentieth century as a psychological trick to distract riders from the…
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Simon Kuznets created the foundational concept of Gross Domestic Product in the 1930s but explicitly warned the US Congress that it should never be used as a standalone measure…
Simon Kuznets created the foundational concept of Gross Domestic Product in the 1930s but explicitly warned the US Congress that it should never be used as a…
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Federal aviation regulations strictly require all commercial airplanes to have a functioning ashtray in the lavatory door, even though smoking on flights has been globally banned since the late 1990s.
Federal aviation regulations strictly require all commercial airplanes to have a functioning ashtray in the lavatory door, even though smoking on flights has…
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Humans will irrationally continue to invest time, money, and effort into a failing endeavor simply because they have already invested resources into it.
Humans will irrationally continue to invest time, money, and effort into a failing endeavor simply because they have already invested resources into it. This…
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Japanese railway workers consistently employ a safety technique called "shisa kanko," which involves physically pointing at objects and verbally calling out their status to ensure absolute focus.
Japanese railway workers consistently employ a safety technique called "shisa kanko," which involves physically pointing at objects and verbally calling out…
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Woodpeckers have incredibly long tongues that wrap entirely around their own skulls to act as a shock absorber when they violently slam their faces into trees, because hammering…
Woodpeckers have incredibly long tongues that wrap entirely around their own skulls to act as a shock absorber when they violently slam their faces into…
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Tristan da Cunha holds the impressive title of being the most remote inhabited archipelago on Earth, sitting stubbornly in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean about 1,500…
Tristan da Cunha holds the impressive title of being the most remote inhabited archipelago on Earth, sitting stubbornly in the middle of the South Atlantic…
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George Lucas showed an early, unedited cut of the original 1977 Star Wars to his filmmaker friends, and they universally agreed it was an incomprehensible, pacing-free disaster.
George Lucas showed an early, unedited cut of the original 1977 Star Wars to his filmmaker friends, and they universally agreed it was an incomprehensible,…
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Switzerland issues a one-thousand-franc banknote that is among the highest-value circulating bills in the world, accounting for over sixty percent of all physical Swiss cash…
Switzerland issues a one-thousand-franc banknote that is among the highest-value circulating bills in the world, accounting for over sixty percent of all…
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Venezuela is home to the Catatumbo lightning phenomenon, where thunderstorms rage over Lake Maracaibo for up to 300 nights a year, producing roughly 250 lightning strikes per square kilometer annually.
Venezuela is home to the Catatumbo lightning phenomenon, where thunderstorms rage over Lake Maracaibo for up to 300 nights a year, producing roughly 250…
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Crawler-transporters built by NASA to carry the Saturn V rockets and Space Shuttles to the launch pad are still the largest self-powered land vehicles in the world.
Crawler-transporters built by NASA to carry the Saturn V rockets and Space Shuttles to the launch pad are still the largest self-powered land vehicles in the…
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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…
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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…
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Real estate broker Bernard London published a paper in 1932 formally proposing the concept of planned obsolescence, arguing the government should legally require consumer goods…
Real estate broker Bernard London published a paper in 1932 formally proposing the concept of planned obsolescence, arguing the government should legally…
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Human left lungs are approximately ten percent smaller than their right counterparts and only have two lobes instead of three, an evolutionary concession made entirely to accommodate the heart.
Human left lungs are approximately ten percent smaller than their right counterparts and only have two lobes instead of three, an evolutionary concession made…
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Austrian town officials in Wörgl printed their own localized currency in 1932 that was designed to lose one percent of its value every month, forcing residents to spend it immediately rather than hoarding it.
Austrian town officials in Wörgl printed their own localized currency in 1932 that was designed to lose one percent of its value every month, forcing…
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Koalas possess fingerprints that are so nearly identical to human ones that Australian police have actually confused the prints of these marsupials with human suspects at crime scenes.
Koalas possess fingerprints that are so nearly identical to human ones that Australian police have actually confused the prints of these marsupials with human…
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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…
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Weight loss does not actually destroy adipocytes, otherwise known as fat cells, but rather merely shrinks them down as the stored triglycerides are burned for energy through exercise and a caloric deficit.
Weight loss does not actually destroy adipocytes, otherwise known as fat cells, but rather merely shrinks them down as the stored triglycerides are burned for…
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Apple frequently holds more liquid cash on hand than the actual operating balance of the United States Treasury.
Apple frequently holds more liquid cash on hand than the actual operating balance of the United States Treasury. During the summer of 2011, the tech behemoth…
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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…
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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…
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German submarine U-1206 sank during World War II after the captain improperly operated its highly complex deep-water flushing toilet, causing pressurized seawater and human waste…
German submarine U-1206 sank during World War II after the captain improperly operated its highly complex deep-water flushing toilet, causing pressurized…
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