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
Belgium treated FIFA packs as gambling
Belgian authorities ruled that paying for a random chance at a soccer player counts as gambling, forcing EA to change its FIFA pack system.
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How index funds win by not picking stocks
An index fund doesn’t have to guess which company will win. It buys a broad slice of the companies in a market index instead.
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Network effects create insurmountable tech monopolies
A better app may still lose if your friends, contacts, or other users are all on the old one. Each new member makes that platform more useful to everyone…
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Your favorite comedian may be buying their jokes
Some comedians hire writers to punch up their material, so not every joke in a special comes from the performer alone.
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Stallone says Rocky IV's real punches sent him to intensive care
In his account of filming with Dolph Lundgren, Stallone describes being hit hard and later needing hospital treatment. He retells the episode in the…
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Kappa demons bowing to spill cranial water
A kappa’s strength supposedly comes from water held in a bowl-shaped hollow on its head. Bowing makes it bow in return, spilling the water and leaving it…
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Graphene was peeled from graphite with sticky tape
Researchers repeatedly peeled tape from graphite until they isolated a single, transparent layer of carbon. Their work earned them a Nobel Prize.
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The accounting trick that made a startup look profitable
The key to the startup’s Community Adjusted EBITDA was what it left out: major operating costs. Remove those from the calculation, and the business looked…
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Plastic wrap on bags is industrial cling film
Airport luggage-wrapping machines use heavy-duty stretch film like the kind wrapped around warehouse pallets. It can help keep zippers from bursting and…
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This dance floor turns dancers into a small power source
Energy Floors' kinetic tiles move under people's steps and drive a dynamo, generating electricity that can power effects such as lighting. The output depends…
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A 1914 Model T motorhome had a stove and a swiveling driver's seat
The surviving caravan was built on a lengthened Ford chassis with wooden living quarters. Its driver's seat could turn toward the interior, and beds and a…
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Why concert halls hand out cough drops
Some concert halls offer lozenges to reduce throat-clearing during performances, when even a small cough can interrupt a delicate solo.
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Momentum transfers flawlessly between rigid objects
When one end ball hits the row, the middle balls pass the push along until the ball at the far end swings out. In an ideal cradle, momentum and energy travel…
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Centaur physiques requiring two distinct torsos
The hybrid anatomy leaves a classic mythological puzzle: where would a human digestive tract connect to a horse's?
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Capital allocation determines corporate life spans
An executive can put the same company’s money into research, spend it buying another business, or send it back to shareholders. Each choice changes what the…
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Jackalope antlers proving highly impractical
The jackalope is a piece of folklore, but its oversized antlers make it a comically impractical rabbit—one that might get snagged in brush.
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PUBG's frying pan became bulletproof by accident
A coding oversight made the frying pan block bullets, turning a kitchen utensil into gear players could use to deflect shots from behind.
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The hidden logic behind US interstate numbers
Odd-numbered routes run north–south, even-numbered ones run east–west, and numbers divisible by five mark major cross-country routes.
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Assassin's Creed let players climb a painstaking digital Notre-Dame
For Unity, artists recreated the cathedral as an explorable game environment, balancing its recognizable architecture with the needs of play. That required…
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First dining car was from George Pullman
Before dining cars, passengers often grabbed hurried meals during brief station stops. Pullman’s cars let them eat cooked meals without leaving the train.
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A Skittle's flavor reaches you through more than your tongue
Sweetness and acidity are only part of the experience; aromas reaching the nose supply much of what feels like fruit flavor. Color creates expectations before…
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Open-core models restrict features for enterprise clients
You can use the basic version for free, but a company needing enterprise features, security tools, or support may have to buy a license. The free product is…
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Power banks lose charge faster in the cold
Cold slows lithium-ion reactions, so a power bank can appear depleted even when it still holds charge. Keeping it warm in a coat pocket can help.
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Unicorn purity mandates dictating interactions
In legend, unicorns would approach only those considered morally pure, making chastity a condition of meeting the beast.
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