The world is more interesting than you think.
Unexpected facts, big ideas, and little discoveries. Find something that sparks your curiosity today.
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Rolling across the ground replaces walking for some
Some ascetics covered long distances by rolling sideways instead of walking, leaving themselves muddy and bruised.
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A horse cannot use mouth-breathing as a backup
Its airway anatomy makes it an obligate nasal breather: the soft palate and larynx maintain the breathing passage through the nose. That is why the nostrils…
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Why British TV anchors keep black suits ready
They keep them ready so anchors can change into black suits and ties and adopt a somber tone when a monarch dies.
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Why colleges charge families different prices
A college may quote one price and then offer one family more aid than another. Because the school weighs family finances, two students can get the same…
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Hoover moved from horse equipment to a janitor's invention
William Hoover bought the business behind James Spangler's suction sweeper after his wife tried the device. Spangler had built it to reduce the dust he…
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Exclusivity windows dictate when movies jump to streaming
Studios give theaters a head start, then bring the movie to digital platforms. The number of days in between is a bet on how much ticket revenue is worth…
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Folding wooden luggage racks keep suitcases off the bed
The straps keep a suitcase off the bedspread, helping prevent dirt from wheels that have rolled over wet or muddy ground from getting on the bedding.
Discover moreElvis made 'Are You Lonesome Tonight?' with the studio lights out
Engineer Bill Porter recalled being unable to see what was happening as Elvis recorded. When the song shifted into spoken lines, Porter worried that the vocal…
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Apollo astronauts said Moon dust smelled like gunpowder
Moon dust had no smell in the vacuum outside; astronauts noticed the gunpowder-like odor after dusty suits came back into the cabin. The grit brought a little…
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When fear of work is more than Monday blues
When the thought of work brings persistent fear, panic, or dread that disrupts daily life, it may be more than the ordinary dislike of Monday. Your mind can…
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Why three-legged races are so difficult
The tied legs have to move as one while both runners balance and coordinate their free steps. The race is less about speed than negotiating a walking treaty…
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Why shower curtains cling to your legs
Hot water sets air moving inside the shower, creating a pressure difference that can pull the curtain inward against your legs.
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A jet ski steers by aiming the water it throws backward
A pump draws in water and forces it out through a nozzle at the rear. Turning the handlebars redirects that jet, changing the force pushing the craft. The…
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Rubik's cube corners display exactly three colors
Each corner is a single piece with three colors, so those colors stay together no matter how you twist the cube.
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Why London has so many empty luxury homes
A luxury home can sit empty because its owner is using it to store wealth, not looking for a place to live. Some tycoons buy through anonymous shell companies…
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Table tennis once came in a box labeled Gossima
Jaques marketed Gossima in 1891, among the early attempts to bring lawn tennis indoors. Early sets used equipment such as drumlike rackets and cork balls;…
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Epic Games was once called Potomac Computer Systems
Tim Sweeney started the company from his parents’ Maryland home and renamed it Epic MegaGames because “Potomac Computer Systems” sounded too small for an…
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Some transparent candy wrappers start as cellulose
Cellophane is made by processing cellulose into a thin, clear film. The same broad class of material that gives plant tissues structure can become a…
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Ape Escape made the old PlayStation controller useless
The 1999 game required a DualShock: one analog stick moved the character, while the other operated gadgets such as the monkey-catching net. A D-pad could not…
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Street Fighter profiles include fighters’ blood types
The profiles reflect a popular Japanese belief that blood type is linked to personality, so even fictional fighters get one.
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The tools designed not to spark
Beryllium-copper tools are less likely than steel to throw hot sparks when struck, which can lower ignition risk in places with explosive hazards. But “less…
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Bananas produce tiny bursts of antimatter
A little of a banana’s potassium is potassium-40, a naturally radioactive form that sometimes decays by releasing a positron. A positron is an electron’s…
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Strait of Gibraltar passenger ferries connect two continents
The Strait of Gibraltar separates Europe and Africa, and passenger ferries shuttle across it between Spain and Morocco. Two continents, one boat…
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Parts of Mexico City are sinking by about half a meter a year
Long-term measurements found subsidence reaching roughly 50 centimeters annually in some areas. Water loss lets the soft sediments beneath the city compact,…
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