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
The Switch dock lets the console keep doing the computing
The original Switch runs the game inside the handheld unit even when you play on a TV. The dock supplies power and routes video to HDMI; it isn't a second…
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Your empty stomach is only fist-sized
An empty stomach is roughly fist-sized, but its walls can relax and stretch as food arrives. It is less like a fixed little pouch and more like a container…
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Tantric practices weave mundane acts into exercises
Some Tantric traditions treat ordinary actions as spiritual practice, so even sweeping can become part of a path to enlightenment.
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Alexandre Dumas had a writing team
Auguste Maquet supplied plot outlines and first drafts, while Dumas added his signature flair. Dumas published more than 100,000 pages in his lifetime.
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External pressure dictates most daily actions
A calendar alert, a coworker’s request, the line at the coffee shop: daily life keeps handing you cues that steer what you do next. You may experience the…
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Gutenberg's later-life reward included grain, wine, and tax relief
In 1465, Archbishop Adolf of Nassau appointed him a courtier and granted an allowance. The documented benefits complicate the familiar image of an inventor…
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A grave can come with an expiration date
In France, municipal burial concessions can be sold for limited terms, including 30 or 50 years, rather than forever. Families may need to renew them, and…
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Beethoven poured cold water over his head to write
When his writing stalled, Beethoven doused his head with cold water to get himself going again. His solution to a creative block was less inspiration than an…
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Six hundred distinct muscles hold human forms together
Standing still is not the same as switching your muscles off. Many muscles make tiny, continuous adjustments to keep your weight balanced, which is why…
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Why your adenoids shrink as you grow up
Adenoids are immune tissue high behind the nose that helps catch material entering through the airway, especially during childhood. As the immune system…
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Mass remains identically constant wherever you go in space
A scale changes its reading in a weaker gravitational field because it measures the force of gravity on you, not your mass. Your mass—the amount of matter in…
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The Xbox 360 that could not save your progress
The cheapest model shipped without a hard drive, so players with nowhere else to save had to leave the console running to preserve their progress.
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What if Antarctica were at the top of the map
Maps can be oriented in any direction, so putting Antarctica at the top is just as geographically accurate. It feels wrong largely because we’re used to…
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Believing in your skills guarantees better output
When you expect to succeed, a setback looks like a problem to solve instead of proof you should quit. That extra attempt, revision, or question is where…
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Erik Satie put grated bones on an all-white menu
In a 1913 autobiographical essay, the composer described a diet restricted to white foods, including eggs, sugar and grated bones. The bizarre list belongs to…
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An emergency travel document can come with a route attached
Britain's emergency document is usually valid for a specified single or return journey through no more than five countries. It solves an urgent trip when a…
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Klimt let stray cats take over his studio
Klimt let stray cats roam among his sketches and paints, even when they damaged his work. In his studio, the cats had more freedom than the masterpieces had…
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Large intestines are dramatically shorter but much wider
The large intestine gets its name from its diameter, not from being the longest section of gut. At about five feet long, it is shorter than the small…
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Compassion energy hubs demand unconditional love
In this energy system, the center is associated with unconditional love and forgiveness, including forgiving people who have wronged you.
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Some power lines convert electricity twice to lose less
High-voltage DC links convert alternating current to direct current for transmission, then back again at the other end. The converter stations cost money, but…
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Why rookie athletes can't name their price
A top college player can enter the pros and still have little power to negotiate a first salary. League rookie wage scales cap what drafted newcomers can…
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The PlayStation disc that lived inside a plastic shell
Sony's Universal Media Disc put a small optical disc inside a plastic shell for the PlayStation Portable. The shell could snap open and expose the disc to…
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Mark Twain kept part of his autobiography waiting a century
He instructed that the full work should wait until 100 years after his death. Earlier selections appeared, but the complete uncensored edition began…
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Kapalabhati requires aggressive heavy exhalations
The breathing exercise uses rapid, forceful exhalations; the resulting lightheadedness can be mistaken for a spiritual experience.
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