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
Loud noises simply dilute themselves across empty spaces
A siren’s sound spreads as it travels, like the same amount of jam smeared across a larger slice of bread. At twice the distance, its energy covers four times…
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Maya translates strictly to the grand illusion of reality
Maya describes reality as an illusion, so the idea can make everyday worries—from work to unread emails—seem unreal, too.
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Kinect's Project Natal name connected a Brazilian city with a new beginning
Microsoft's Brazilian-born Alex Kipman chose the name for the motion-control project before it became Kinect. Natal also evokes birth, fitting a system…
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Hidden conditions are revealed after you commit
A small promise can open the door to a much bigger ask. After you’ve committed, changing course can feel inconsistent or embarrassing, so you’re more likely…
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How a shadow can outrun light
The shadow’s edge can appear to zip across a faraway surface because one patch is blocked just as another is lit. Nothing has to travel from the first patch…
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College mascots are protected by fierce trademark laws
A university logo can bring in millions through licensed merchandise. Trademark rules let schools restrict sellers who want to put their mascots or logos on…
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Your tailbone is an evolutionary leftover with a job
Your tailbone is not just a souvenir: tendons, ligaments, and pelvic-floor muscles attach to it. It no longer balances a tail, but it still helps hold…
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Your brain can't actually feel a brain freeze
The brain tissue itself has no pain receptors. Rapidly cooling the roof of your mouth changes nearby blood flow, and nerves in that area send a signal through…
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The heartbreaking story hidden in Super Mario Galaxy
Rosalina’s storybook in Super Mario Galaxy tells of her waiting for her dead mother, who is buried beneath a tree.
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Your pet may be allergic to you
When a pet reacts to its person, the culprit is usually not “human” in general but proteins in shed skin, called dander. Those proteins can trigger symptoms,…
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The Ikea bookshelf that tracks the global economy
Bloomberg compares the price of the same Billy bookcase in different countries. Because IKEA sells a standardized model around the world, the price…
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Apple Maps once erased the Statue of Liberty
When Apple Maps replaced Google Maps in 2012, it omitted the Statue of Liberty; the launch also drew attention for distorted landmarks such as the Brooklyn…
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A hovercraft can count as a vessel without touching the water
Collision-avoidance rules define vessels broadly enough to include craft that ride above the water on an air cushion. What matters is their use for transport…
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Tibetan monks popularized the practice of reading future catastrophic events in high altitude lakes
At Lhamo La-tso, visions in the lake are traditionally used to help identify the Dalai Lama's reincarnation; the practice demands meditation in freezing,…
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Why flying can make you unusually gassy
As cabin pressure falls during ascent, gas in the digestive tract expands, sometimes by as much as 30%. That expansion can cause bloating and discomfort.
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Actors performed a screenplay generated by a neural network in 2016
Sunspring, made by Oscar Sharp and Ross Goodwin, used a system called Benjamin to produce dialogue and stage directions from training on screenplays. Human…
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WoW's murloc voice came from behind the sound desk
Composer and sound designer Tracy W. Bush also provided the murloc voice. A person helping build Warcraft's audio world became one of the creatures inside it.…
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A muscle in your forearm may be missing
The palmaris longus has a tendon that can stand out near the wrist, but some people naturally lack the muscle on one or both sides. The frequency varies…
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The Twilight Zone theme wasn't written for the show
The theme was assembled from two separate music cues by French composer Marius Constant. He reportedly didn’t realize his experimental guitar music had become…
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A sailboat can go faster than the wind without chasing it
Sailing across the wind lets the sail work like a wing, generating lift rather than merely catching a push from behind. The keel or centerboard resists…
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Why hotel room safes aren't as secure as they look
If a hotel hasn’t changed the manufacturer’s override code, staff can use it to open the safe when a guest forgets their PIN—so the keypad may offer less…
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The Model T could run on homemade ethanol
The Model T’s simple carburetor mixed fuel with air, and an adjustment let the engine run on ethanol instead of gasoline. Farm crops could become fuel, so the…
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Spending $1 million every day would take 274 years to burn $100 billion
At that pace, a year uses about $365 million. Divide a fixed $100 billion fortune by the daily spending and it lasts 100,000 days, before considering…
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Bill Gates paid $30 million for Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook
Gates bought the Codex Leicester, a scientific notebook by da Vinci, in 1994 and later digitized it.
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