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
Sciatic nerves are the thickest in human bodies
The sciatic nerve is about as thick as a thumb and runs from the lower back down toward the toes. Along that long route, it carries both movement commands and…
Discover more
Fortnite turns an emote into a shared performance
Synced emotes let players join an animation together, such as a dance or a greeting. For that moment, strangers coordinate without aiming, building, or…
Discover more
How coal tar helped create synthetic detergents
With natural fats scarce, chemists made synthetic detergents from coal tar. The route to a clean white shirt ran through a byproduct of one of the dirtiest…
Discover more
Books are shelved under mind and spirit
These books are often shelved in the Body, Mind & Spirit aisle rather than with academic textbooks, placing complex charting systems beside titles about…
Discover more
The original iPod hid a playable game
On the 2001 model, holding the center button on the About screen launched Breakout, which you played with the scroll wheel.
Discover more
Water elements hoard artisanal bath bombs
People who identify with the water element may buy pricey bath bombs as a way to feel closer to water.
Discover more
STACKY FOR IPHONEA bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.
Keep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.
Skipping cinematic scenes leaves players totally lost
Skipping exposition can leave players unsure who they’re fighting or why when gameplay resumes.
Discover more
Why routine makes entire years blur together
Routine saves effort by making familiar days run on autopilot. But familiar scenes give memory fewer details to hold onto, so when you look back, whole…
Discover more
Avocados outlived the giant animals that spread their seeds
Avocados may have once been eaten and carried off by giant mammals, which could have swallowed the fruit and moved its enormous pit away from the parent tree.…
Discover more
A magnet can make a Nintendo DS think it is closed
The handheld detects the lid position using a magnetic sensor. Bring a suitable magnet near that sensor and it can trigger sleep mode even with the screens…
Discover more
Why party balloons were once artificially cheap
The government had stockpiled billions of cubic feet of helium during the Cold War, then released it onto the market. That extra supply kept the gas unusually…
Discover more
Baccarat has a version where you pretend to be the bank
In Chemin de Fer, players take turns supplying the money for wagers instead of relying on the house.
Discover more
Why supermarkets sell bananas so cheaply
The banana price can be a calculated loss. Stores know shoppers remember it, so they may take a hit on bananas to make everything else on the shelves seem…
Discover more
Early fax machines took six minutes per page
Early commercial models used acoustic couplers: you had to place a telephone handset in a modem block, then wait more than six minutes for a blurry page on…
Discover more
Social security relies on future workers
A paycheck deduction today helps fund someone else’s retirement check today. Social Security relies on a continuing workforce to keep that flow going.
Discover more
Venus days are mathematically longer than its calendar years
Venus rotates so slowly that it completes an orbit around the Sun before finishing one rotation on its axis.
Discover more
Denver's airport is twice the size of Manhattan
At 53 square miles, it is one of the world's largest airports. Its giant blue mustang statue with glowing red eyes has also helped fuel conspiracy theories…
Discover more
Digimon turned a virtual pet into a fighter
Bandai's digital monsters still needed care, but connecting devices let them battle. Raising the creature now affected what it could do against somebody…
Discover more
Splash patterns scatter your focus
In astrology, a chart with placements scattered across it is called a splash pattern and is associated with difficulty focusing on one task.
Discover more
Twister was once called Pretzel
Trademark issues forced the change to Twister.
Discover more
How empty pools launched vertical skateboarding
A drained pool’s curved bowl let skateboarders ride up one wall and carve back down the other, carrying speed through the turn. The empty backyard swimming…
Discover more
Why airport scanners distrust beach sand
Packed sand absorbs X-rays and can hide what’s behind it in a bag, so scanners get a dense, hard-to-read patch instead of a clear picture. Security staff take…
Discover more
Bidding nil in Spades risks a potentially massive penalty
A nil bid means promising to take no tricks. Success earns a bonus, but winning even one trick can put the bid at risk.
Discover more
Getting onto talk radio is its own kind of performance
A study of experienced Australian talkback listeners found that callers understood how producers and hosts controlled access, and some adapted their tactics…
Discover more