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
Projection bias triggers hot cocoa hoarding in winter
In a blizzard, people can act as if the cold will last forever and stock up on hot cocoa. By July, those winter supplies may still be sitting in the cupboard.
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Skin comprises exactly fifteen percent of total body weight
The skin's outer surface is just one layer of a larger organ, with substantial tissue underneath. Together, skin weighs roughly 15% of the body—far more than…
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A hotel-room study found a surprising hotspot: the remote
Researchers surveying hotel surfaces found television remotes and bedside switches among those with high bacterial contamination. Frequently touched objects…
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Wolverine was almost a literal wolverine
In an early concept, Wolverine was an animal transformed into a humanoid by the High Evolutionary. The character became the gruff Canadian mutant instead.
Discover moreNicolas Cage had healthy teeth pulled for a role
For the 1984 film *Birdy*, Cage had two healthy teeth pulled to better understand physical pain. He did it without anesthesia.
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The Beetle used its spare tire to wash the windshield
The Beetle used compressed air from its spare tire to push washer fluid onto the windshield. No electric pump needed: the tire did double duty as emergency…
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Why escalator handrails never quite match the steps
The steps and handrail run on separate loops, and the rubber rail stretches and wears as it travels. That tiny difference lets your hand drift ahead of—or lag…
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Most people aboard the Hindenburg survived
Despite the fire, 62 of the 97 passengers and crew aboard the airship survived the crash.
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The tiny brain region that controls your hormones
The hypothalamus monitors clues such as body temperature and water balance, then helps choose a response. It can prompt thirst or shivering and direct the…
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Libra placements stare at wall paint swatches endlessly
They can agonize over the difference between eggshell and cream until the hardware store kicks them out.
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Catherine the Great had a professional foot tickler
Her foot ticklers soothed her feet and sang erotic ballads as she fell asleep—a royal bedtime routine with a surprisingly specific job description.
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Under the sunbeams means getting slightly roasted alive
Even outside the hottest zone, the glare leaves it blinded and exhausted, like trying to work through metaphorical heatstroke.
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A poker hand carries Wild Bill Hickok's death story
The Dead Man's Hand is traditionally identified as two black aces and two black eights, linked to the cards Hickok held when he was shot in 1876. The precise…
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Biliary gallstones form as solid cholesterol rocks
Bile normally keeps cholesterol mixed into digestive fluid, but if its chemical balance shifts, some cholesterol can come out of solution and form crystals.…
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Flossing saves your gums from slow destruction
Without floss, plaque can remain on about 30% of your tooth surfaces—like vacuuming the middle of a room and leaving the corners untouched.
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Dehydration can starve kidneys of blood, not just water
A severe fluid shortage reduces circulation through the kidneys, depriving their tissues of the oxygen needed to work properly. Urine production falls, and…
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A wrong turn put Franz Ferdinand within an assassin's reach
After an earlier attack failed in Sarajevo in 1914, the archduke's motorcade took a mistaken turn and stopped near Gavrilo Princip. Princip seized the…
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Mass production makes individual items aggressively cheaper
Making the first unit means paying to set up production. Once the line is running, that setup bill can be divided among many items, lowering each one's…
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A cruise ship produces thousands of gallons of sewage
Thousands of passengers generate sewage from toilets as well as wastewater from showers, sinks, and laundries. Ships need collection, storage, and treatment…
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Virgo folds laundry immediately upon leaving the dryer
They treat wrinkles as an offense against order, pulling clothes from the dryer while they're still hot and folding them with military precision.
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The ancient stone walls built like giant jigsaws
Andean masons carved stones with as many as twelve angled corners, fitting them together like a giant jigsaw puzzle to build tightly interlocking walls.
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Denied entry remains on your permanent record
A refusal may be recorded and can come up on later visa applications, which may ask whether you have ever been denied entry.
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A bigger dinner group can leave a smaller tip percentage
A 1975 study of 396 dining groups found that tips, relative to the bill, tended to fall as group size rose. The researchers linked this to shared…
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Some chimps turn down food when a neighbor gets a better deal
In a study of 16 chimpanzees, researchers varied rewards and effort in a task. The animals' willingness to participate depended partly on what their partner…
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