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
Sun contains nearly all mass in our solar system
Jupiter is the solar system’s heavyweight planet, yet it contains less than one-thousandth as much mass as the Sun. Add up the planets and other smaller…
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Turboprop planes burn less fuel over short distances
On short commuter routes, turbine-driven propellers use much less fuel than jet engines, making them a cheaper choice for regional operators.
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Why event confetti has to resist fire
Fire-safety codes can require confetti to be treated with flame retardants, a costly step prompted by fires involving combustible decorations.
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The soda recipe change that sparked a revolt
When Coca-Cola made its classic recipe sweeter in 1985, customers protested and hoarded bottles of the original. The company brought the old recipe back,…
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In time banking, every hour is worth the same
A time bank gives one credit for one hour of help, no matter who provided it. An hour from a neurosurgeon buys the same credit as an hour from a dog walker.
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Weight loss can change the energy budget you started with
A smaller body generally uses less energy, and additional metabolic adaptations can reduce expenditure during weight loss. That helps explain why progress can…
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Times Square discount ticket booth began in a trailer
When TKTS opened in the 1970s, its home was a rented construction trailer in Times Square—not the familiar booth with its red steps.
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Why ATM PINs have four digits
John Shepherd-Barron first suggested six digits for the ATM PIN. His wife said that was too many to remember, so he cut it to four.
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Virgo carries supplies for highly unlikely events
Astrology casts Virgo as the prepared one: the person with safety pins, wipes, and obscure tools ready for an emergency no one else anticipated.
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How a tax rule created the 401(k)
Benefits consultant Ted Benna saw a way to use section 401(k) of the U.S. tax code for employee retirement savings. Workers could defer part of their pay, and…
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Where your payment-app balance really sits
When you leave money sitting in a payment app, it may be pooled with other users' balances in a bank account. The company can earn interest on that money…
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The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began as a joke
Their grim, gritty look began as a sarcastic jab at the overly serious superhero comics of the time.
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Molecules bouncing off walls in tight spaces
In a very narrow passage, gas molecules hit the walls more than they hit one another. The walls become the traffic, so flow slows and depends on those tiny…
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Mutable signs adapt to basic stress by utterly panicking
In astrology, mutable signs are associated with adapting to transitions because they fall at the ends of seasons. That flexibility is sometimes caricatured as…
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How theme parks make long lines feel shorter
Serpentine switchbacks and pre-show rooms hide how much queue remains, making the wait feel shorter.
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John of Ruusbroec wrote mystical masterpieces in the woods
The 14th-century Flemish mystic John of Ruusbroec often wrote in the woods, sitting beneath trees with a wax tablet to compose complex works about the soul.
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Starets are spiritual directors who mostly just listen
A starets is a revered spiritual elder people seek for guidance; the role often centers on listening and counsel rather than giving elaborate instructions.
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Sonic can survive a hit with just one ring
An ordinary damaging hit scatters the rings Sonic is carrying instead of immediately costing a life. Reclaiming even one can restore that protection for…
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Venetian blinds tilt their slats using hidden strings
Pulling the tilt rod turns a small gear in the top rail, twisting a ladder of cords that flips the slats together.
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Round ligaments physically stretch to support pregnancy
The uterus does not grow alone: the round ligaments that help support it stretch as it expands. They take on more tension, which can make a sudden movement…
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Yawning primarily acts as a bizarre jaw stretching motion
During a yawn, the jaw opens far wider than it does for ordinary speech, stretching muscles and tissues around the face. The movement may also help shift…
Discover moreWhat happens when a computer process is orphaned
When a parent process exits while its child tasks are still running, those tasks become orphan processes. The operating system reassigns them to a system…
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Gravitational waves actively distort spacetime fabrics
A passing gravitational wave stretches space in one direction and squeezes it in another, changing distances by less than an atom across a detector's arms.…
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Why riffle shuffling slowly destroys playing cards
Repeatedly bending the cards backward breaks down the fibers inside the pasteboard, weakening its stiffness.
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