The world is more interesting than you think.
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Esoteric scholars considered the human heart a literal sun
Some early philosophical traditions treated the heart as the body's sun: its central, fiery source of animation, mirroring the star's role in the cosmos.
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Object-oriented programming neatly bundles data together
An object lets the rest of a program use its data through a small set of actions, while keeping the storage details tucked away. Change how the information is…
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The insulin patent was assigned for a dollar
The University of Toronto archive preserves the 1923 assignment by Banting, Best, and Collip. The researchers' stated aim was to prevent others from…
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Sixth house governs all co-worker drama
In astrology, the sixth house covers daily routines as well as the workplace and coworkers, extending its reach from chores to office friction.
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Merging opposites in the grand chemical wedding
Alchemists used reactions between volatile acids and stable bases as a metaphor for uniting cosmic opposites; the violent reactions themselves became part of…
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Samsung's name promised stars before it sold electronics
Lee Byung-chul founded Samsung in 1938; its Korean name means three stars and expresses an ambition for enduring strength. The business began in trading…
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Neanderthal genes may affect your hair texture
Hair texture is partly guided by genes that influence how follicles produce each strand. Some Neanderthal-derived variants still found in people today may…
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Neon lights made their debut at a Paris expo
The trick was to seal gas in a glass tube and run an electric current through it, producing a brilliant red glow. A laboratory effect became a public…
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Backgammon doubling cubes exist solely to multiply stakes
The doubling cube doesn't move pieces; it raises the stakes. When offered, your opponent must accept the higher stakes or concede the game.
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Planetary magnetic fields deflect dangerous solar winds
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles, and a planet’s magnetic field turns many of them aside. The field stretches into a protective bubble around…
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Nyan Cat was based on a real cat
The creator modeled the pixelated cat on his own Russian Blue, Marty.
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Driving a slow tractor on a highway infuriates other drivers
When farm equipment has to travel between fields on a public road, its low top speed can leave cars crawling behind it.
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Changing your first name alters your destiny
Numerology consultants may calculate the value of your name or signature and recommend a new spelling, claiming it can shift your financial fortunes.
Discover moreWhy sea level isn't the same everywhere
Gravity and massive underwater ridges make the ocean's surface uneven, so water piles higher in some regions than in others.
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Supersonic wind tunnels test aerodynamics of moving vehicles
Engineers test vehicle models in wind tunnels by blasting them with air and using smoke or dye to trace airflow over their shapes.
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Halle Berry accepted her Razzie with an Oscar in hand
Berry showed up at the Golden Raspberry Awards with her Best Actress Oscar and gave a tearful, sarcastic speech thanking Warner Bros. for putting her in a…
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How Wells Fargo employees created millions of fake accounts
Wells Fargo workers faced aggressive targets to sell existing customers more products. Some met those targets by opening accounts customers had never…
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Racecar drivers founded entire alien worshipping cults
Former race-car driver Claude Vorilhon said extraterrestrials told him they had cloned humanity in a laboratory; he went on to found a movement based on that…
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Why game shows gave landlocked winners boats
A huge boat makes a more dramatic stage prize than a practical one, so some shows awarded them even to winners who lived far from the water.
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The Roman travel guides that listed every stop
Roman itineraries listed road stops and the distances between them, giving travelers a practical route plan rather than a modern map. Think less “you are…
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Why game studios spend millions on one skin
A studio can spend millions making one cosmetic skin, then sell it for $20. If players buy enough of the digital outfit, it can be a more lucrative bet than…
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Electrical ground wires physically connect to the earth
The wire can run to a metal stake driven into the soil outside the building.
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Meister Eckhart told peasants to empty their heads
He urged them to empty their minds as a path to salvation.
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Rene Guenon worked as a high school philosophy teacher
Before moving to Cairo, he earned a living teaching philosophy in French provincial public schools, where his students were teenagers.
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