The world is more interesting than you think.
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South node represents your previous baggage
As the Moon travels around Earth, it crosses the plane of Earth’s orbit twice. The southbound crossing is the South Node; “past baggage” is an astrological…
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Why novelty can revive sexual desire
The same familiar cues can lose their charge through repetition. A new setting or experience gives partners something unexpected to respond to, pulling…
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The Australian trees that bloom after wildfires
Some Australian grass trees keep their growing point tucked beneath leaves, where it can survive a wildfire even as the outside is charred. After the flames…
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A yawn can open the passage behind your ear's pop
Yawning or swallowing briefly opens the Eustachian tube between the middle ear and the back of the throat. Air can then equalize pressure across the eardrum.…
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Spiritual fullness requires totally ignoring physical reality
Gnostic thinkers called this spiritual fullness the Pleroma and believed it could be reached only by rejecting the earthly realm.
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Why comics once banned zombies
The Comics Code Authority banned zombies, vampires, and ghouls during a moral panic over comics and juvenile delinquency. Writers spent years fighting for the…
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Leo personalities demand applause for basic achievements
In astrology, Leos are said to crave recognition so much that even ordinary accomplishments can feel like they deserve a parade.
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Unicode defines an emoji. Companies own their drawings of it
The eggplant emoji isn’t one universal drawing. Unicode defines the character, but each company can create its own artwork—and copyright that specific version.
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Some ziplines make a gloved hand part of the braking system
On courses designed for hand braking, a reinforced glove applies friction to the cable to slow the rider. Other systems brake automatically or use different…
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Sprouting onions determine the best life path
In cromniomancy, each onion represents a different choice, and the first to sprout is taken as a sign to choose that path.
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Splash chart shape scatters your core energies
Astrologers call this a splash pattern: the chart’s energies are spread across many areas, making it harder to focus deeply on one.
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Thirty seconds per Louvre artwork adds up to twelve days
With around 35,000 works on display, even a half-minute glance at each adds up to more than 291 hours. That is over twelve days without sleep, meals, walking…
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Shared dreaming was tested in sterile lab environments
Researchers have tried to synchronize the brain waves of sleeping participants, but the attempts have been unreliable.
Discover moreEmma Thompson transformed into a hideous nanny
For “Nanny McPhee,” Thompson spent hours in makeup having facial warts applied, a bulbous prosthetic nose fitted and a unibrow glued on.
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Internal body temperature varies vastly throughout the day
When you move, working muscles release heat; when you are inactive, they make less. That helps explain why body temperature rises and falls during the day…
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Rasputin weaponized his severe body odor
His odor was so strong that some people took it as a sign of mystical power.
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Why security agents swab some books for explosives
A swab collects traces from an object's surface, and a detector checks the sample for substances associated with explosives. Books, bags, and other ordinary…
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Silla's ally became its next opponent
Silla joined Tang China to defeat Baekje and Goguryeo in the seventh century. It then fought Tang forces over control of the conquered territory, eventually…
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Symmetric connections provide equal transmission speeds
They offer equal download and upload speeds, so sending a large file can be as fast as downloading one.
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An escalator's handrail has to keep pace with your feet
The moving rail and the steps use separate mechanisms, but their speeds must stay closely matched. Technical specifications allow only a small difference, and…
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Why fitness trackers keep needing replacement
A fitness tracker’s replacement clock may be set by its battery, not its features. As the battery holds less charge, the wearable may need replacing after…
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Specialized pens are purchased just to draw squiggles
Some doodling enthusiasts buy imported ink pens specifically to draw intricate, hard-to-decipher shapes in notebook margins.
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Cobblestones turn suitcase wheels into tiny obstacles
The jagged, uneven stones turn rolling a suitcase into a loud, rattling ride.
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When almanacs became taxable luxuries
A planting calendar was useful enough to ordinary readers, but stamp acts taxed printed almanacs and pushed their price up. Even a book for planning the crops…
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