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
One of the most explosive forces in world history was not gunpowder or oil, but salt.
One of the most explosive forces in world history was not gunpowder or oil, but salt. British control of salt made an everyday necessity a symbol of colonial…
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Quantum experiments can hide a pattern inside apparently random dots.
Quantum experiments can hide a pattern inside apparently random dots. In quantum-eraser experiments, a detector's full record does not simply show an…
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Bad harvests helped turn weather into a witchcraft accusation.
Bad harvests helped turn weather into a witchcraft accusation. Researchers have linked colder periods and economic hardship with some waves of European witch…
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In parts of the Philippines, people leaving a wake will deliberately stop at a brightly lit store or fast food place, not because they are hungry, but to shake off the dead.
In parts of the Philippines, people leaving a wake will deliberately stop at a brightly lit store or fast food place, not because they are hungry, but to…
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Some families in rural China still hold weddings where one or both partners are dead, and the strangest part is that the living treat it as a way to calm the restless.
Some families in rural China still hold weddings where one or both partners are dead, and the strangest part is that the living treat it as a way to calm the…
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A binge hit can lose the subscription it helped sell.
A binge hit can lose the subscription it helped sell. A viewer may join for one series, finish it in a weekend, and cancel before the next bill. A weekly…
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In 2024, one of the year's most talked-about blockbusters came from a studio that had never released a major console game before.
In 2024, one of the year's most talked-about blockbusters came from a studio that had never released a major console game before. Built by Chinese developer…
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In some Philippine villages, people still lower their voices at night because the aswang might be listening from the trees.
In some Philippine villages, people still lower their voices at night because the aswang might be listening from the trees. According to the stories, her…
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A passport carries the consequences of agreements you never negotiated.
A passport carries the consequences of agreements you never negotiated. Visa access depends on nationality and the policies and reciprocal arrangements…
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Boccaccio gave plague refugees a hundred stories to tell.
Boccaccio gave plague refugees a hundred stories to tell. The Decameron imagines ten young people leaving plague-stricken Florence and organizing their days…
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In 1835, thousands of New Yorkers believed that bat winged humans were dancing on the Moon, and their most trusted newspaper swore it was true.
In 1835, thousands of New Yorkers believed that bat winged humans were dancing on the Moon, and their most trusted newspaper swore it was true. The New York…
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In some Japanese villages, children are warned about a woman so tall she has to fold herself in half just to peer through your window.
In some Japanese villages, children are warned about a woman so tall she has to fold herself in half just to peer through your window. They call her…
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Millions of TikTok videos went silently dead in early 2024, not because of censorship, but because the music industry slammed the door.
Millions of TikTok videos went silently dead in early 2024, not because of censorship, but because the music industry slammed the door. The licensing talks…
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One of the biggest crime drops in modern history may have started with something as boring as changing gasoline.
One of the biggest crime drops in modern history may have started with something as boring as changing gasoline. Researchers connected the timing of the 1990s…
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Malcom McLean helped make the cargo box more important than the cargo inside it.
Malcom McLean helped make the cargo box more important than the cargo inside it. His container-shipping venture let goods travel in large units that could be…
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You can watch the sky explode in green light for less than the cost of a new phone, if you know when to book.
You can watch the sky explode in green light for less than the cost of a new phone, if you know when to book. Late February or early March can bring lower…
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Unpredictable attention can be hard to stop thinking about.
Unpredictable attention can be hard to stop thinking about. When someone alternates warmth with distance, each message can feel like a clue to where you…
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Your phone is not a tool; it is a remote control for your attention operated by people you have never met. Its apps exploit uncertainty, social proof, and loss aversion to keep you tapping.
Your phone is not a tool; it is a remote control for your attention operated by people you have never met. Its apps exploit uncertainty, social proof, and…
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Some homes keep a saint in the living room and Death herself in the closet.
Some homes keep a saint in the living room and Death herself in the closet. The statue is often a life-sized robed skeleton holding a globe and scythe,…
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A telescope sitting a million miles from Earth is quietly breaking the story of how the universe built itself.
A telescope sitting a million miles from Earth is quietly breaking the story of how the universe built itself. Webb collects light that has traveled across…
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San Francisco had an Anti-Mask League in January 1919.
San Francisco had an Anti-Mask League in January 1919. The city had enforced mask rules during the 1918 influenza outbreak, then imposed them again as illness…
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Two of 2024's wildest hits, Helldivers 2 and Palworld, were not just games; they were chaotic social experiments in how loud communities can steer development.
Two of 2024's wildest hits, Helldivers 2 and Palworld, were not just games; they were chaotic social experiments in how loud communities can steer…
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There is a midnight game in Japan that people swear you should never play twice, because the second time the doll already knows where you hide.
There is a midnight game in Japan that people swear you should never play twice, because the second time the doll already knows where you hide. Players sew…
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Your body starts aging like a retired athlete the moment your daily steps drop below about 3,000, long before you feel truly unfit.
Your body starts aging like a retired athlete the moment your daily steps drop below about 3,000, long before you feel truly unfit. Sitting keeps joints in a…
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