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
A neuron and a liver cell read different pages of the same DNA
A neuron and a liver cell carry the same DNA, but they use different instructions. Each cell controls which genes are accessible: a neuron keeps the pages it…
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Lalon Shah rejected all organized religions to find the divine entirely inside bodily fluids
For Lalon Shah and the Bauls of Bengal, Dehatattva—the “truth of the body”—made human physiology, sexuality, and breath sacred texts. They believed the divine…
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The cylinders that make microwaves bend around objects
The cylinders steer microwaves around an object rather than making it vanish. Arranged carefully, they guide the waves around the sides and bring them back…
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Why mangroves can outdo rainforests at storing carbon
The key is what happens after mangrove leaves fall: roots and plant debris get buried in flooded mud. Because little oxygen gets into that soil, decomposers…
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Investors can bet on how badly a hurricane hits
Insurers sell catastrophe bonds to investors, who collect interest as long as a specified disaster trigger is not met. If it is, the investors can lose their…
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An Arctic mining town became a Soviet time capsule
Pyramiden, on Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, was abandoned as a mining settlement in 1998. Its cultural center, swimming pool, and Soviet-era interiors…
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Cold War spy balloons had a navigation problem: the wind
Project GENETRIX launched 516 camera-carrying balloons in 1956, hoping to photograph the Soviet Union and China. Many drifted away from target areas,…
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London houseboats must keep moving every two weeks
Without a permanent mooring, continuous cruisers must move to a new place every 14 days or risk fines. That means planning around available moorings and…
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Abhinavagupta assigned highly specific Sanskrit syllables to literally install deities into flesh
In the tantric ritual of nyāsa, practitioners touch specific parts of the body while chanting Sanskrit syllables, ritually placing deities there and mapping…
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Spelunky 2 puts a ghost behind the treasure hunt
On a normal level, taking three minutes summons a ghost that passes through walls and kills on contact. Smashing a curse pot can bring it out sooner. The…
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Elvis impersonators have a wardrobe industry of their own
Reproducing the stage look means matching jumpsuits, capes, embellishments, and the details fans associate with particular performances. Specialist costume…
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An emperor sent armies shopping for horses
Han emperor Wu wanted the powerful horses of Ferghana to strengthen his cavalry. When diplomacy failed, military expeditions followed, culminating in a siege…
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The material that sends light around sharp corners
A carefully patterned crystal can steer light along its edges, where the material’s structure helps it keep going past certain flaws instead of scattering…
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Scientists turned locusts into bomb-sniffing detectors
Researchers recorded activity in locusts' brains as the insects smelled explosive vapors. Different chemicals produced recognizable patterns within about half…
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Australia's Ghan sleeper train takes three days to slice through the red dirt of the Outback from Adelaide to Darwin
Named for the Afghan cameleers who pioneered the route, the luxury sleeper train crosses about 1,800 miles of Outback between the two cities.
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How ships stop invasive species from crossing oceans
Ballast water steadies a ship, but it also scoops up small organisms and carries them to a new coastline. Ships treat or exchange that water before discharge,…
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How Serial turned listeners into armchair investigators
After Sarah Koenig’s 2014 series, Reddit users scrutinized old architectural blueprints and cellphone tower data, turning true-crime listening into…
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How scientists see SARS-CoV-2 proteins in 3D
Rapid freezing locks the virus sample in glasslike ice before ice crystals can distort it. Researchers tilt the frozen sample inside a microscope to capture…
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A pacemaker-like implant can treat treatment-resistant depression
A device placed in the chest delivers pulses to the vagus nerve, which carries signals between the body and the brainstem. The stimulation can affect brain…
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When the boss fight becomes the entire game
Shadow of the Colossus replaces ordinary levels and enemies with 16 giant bosses that double as moving terrain. Climbing their fur and using the surroundings…
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An immune response can send signals beyond the infection
In mouse studies, influenza infection during pregnancy affected offspring development even when researchers could not detect the virus in fetal brains. That…
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The Cowboys' business kept growing without another Super Bowl win
Dallas's last Super Bowl victory came in January 1996, but its brand, stadium business and commercial partnerships remained powerful. Sporting performance and…
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A treasure hunt destroyed part of Meroë's royal heritage
In 1834, Giuseppe Ferlini damaged Nubian pyramids while searching for valuables and found jewelry associated with Queen Amanishakheto. Pieces eventually…
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The grim history hidden in Parks and Recreation
To give their fictional Indiana town a sense of history, the Parks and Recreation writers created centuries of grim pioneer lore for the murals in city hall.
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