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
Why digital stores hide your gaming backlog
Some platforms make it mildly annoying to check how much you've spent or how many games you've never played. Keeping that backlog out of sight can make it…
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Subscription services for online access generate massive cash
Some hardware makers require a monthly subscription for online play, making access to friends’ games a recurring expense.
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Why people give away money in the Dictator Game
The recipient has no veto in the Dictator Game, so the person dividing the money could keep it all. Many still give away about 20% to 30%—apparently, having…
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Mystics rely heavily on complex allegories to mask ideas
Poetic images of birds or gardens could conceal a mystic’s ideas from orthodox authorities, leaving the real message for those who knew how to read between…
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The human genome took 13 years to sequence
Sequencing means working out the order of the chemical letters in DNA. The first complete human genome took more than 13 years and billions of dollars; newer…
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Why rival ice-cream stands end up side by side
On a long beach, the middle is where the most customers can reach either stand. One seller moves closer; the rival follows so it won’t lose half the crowd.…
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In the Centipede Game, perfect logic can end the profit early
Two players take turns choosing whether to stop and take money or continue as the rewards grow. Reasoning backward from the final move can make stopping…
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When solid ground turns into liquid mud
When shaking squeezes water between soil grains, the water pressure can rise and push the grains apart. Without enough friction to lock together, saturated…
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Parallel parking spaces occupy premium asphalt
Parallel parking uses the narrow strip beside the curb instead of carving deep bays into the street. That leaves more room for traffic—and asks each driver to…
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Bribing your noisy neighbor to finally turn off the stereo
The deal works only if silence matters more to the neighbor than loud music matters to the stereo owner. The neighbor can offer money to turn it down, and if…
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Babies start developing sleep cycles before birth
A fetus doesn’t need daylight to begin forming rhythms: by the third trimester, active and quiet periods already come in cycles. The clock is still…
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Diamond interchanges force traffic to halt
At a diamond interchange, traffic from the ramps meets cross traffic at a small set of intersections. Those crossing and turning paths need traffic lights to…
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Why Porsche vanished from rival racing games
A licensing agreement kept competing racing-game publishers from including Porsche models for nearly two decades, until they were allowed to render the cars.
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Tony Hawk refused $500,000 to keep his game royalties
He recalled Activision offering a buyout of future royalties when his finances had finally become comfortable enough to take a risk. Hawk kept the ongoing…
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Devotees light small oil lamps to dispel spiritual darkness
Lighting a consecrated space with an oil lamp and cotton wick symbolizes divine knowledge overcoming ignorance, while giving practitioners a focal point for…
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Where steam trains still rumble through Eastern Europe
In remote parts of Eastern Europe, coal-fired steam trains still run, and airborne soot can leave passengers' clothes dirty.
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Socks with sandals remains the ultimate tourist uniform
It's often read as a sign someone is on vacation and unfamiliar with local style.
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Concrete bollards ruthlessly defend physical spaces
Bollards mark the boundary between cars and people, and their mass makes that boundary hard to ignore. A painted line asks drivers to behave; a concrete post…
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Angry Birds became a global hit on a tiny budget
A small studio built the game around a simple physics mechanic, and it dominated pop culture for a decade.
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Copper wiring conducts electricity better than iron
Copper lets electric charge flow with less resistance than iron does. Less energy gets diverted into heating the wire, so copper carries the same current with…
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Epic's free games are a way to build your next shopping habit
Giveaways bring people into the store and add titles to their libraries. Returning to claim another game creates another encounter with the storefront, its…
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Tomb Raider once used real-life models
Early Tomb Raider promotions used real-life models to pose as Lara Croft, bringing the low-polygon heroine to life off-screen.
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Devotees submerge entirely into freezing sacred rivers
Devotees believe that fully immersing themselves in sacred rivers washes away spiritual impurities; the freezing water makes the ritual a bracing experience.
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Why a Phillips screwdriver slips out under pressure
The sloping faces of a Phillips recess can push the driver upward as torque rises, a behavior called cam-out. A poor fit, wear, or insufficient engagement…
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