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
Nightmares simulate threats while you sleep
One theory is that nightmares let the brain rehearse responses to danger while you sleep. The dream feels frightening, but the threat is simulated, so the…
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Why some people literally vote with their feet
Instead of trying to change city hall, a household can move to a town whose taxes and public services suit it better. The Tiebout model treats that move as a…
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People are more likely to plant orchards when property rights protect future harvests
An orchard can take years to pay off. If someone else could claim the land or harvest, a planter might lose the fruit of all that waiting; secure property…
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When doctors marry doctors, local neighborhoods can become more socially homogeneous
When doctors pair off with other doctors, they can end up clustering with similar professionals in the same neighborhoods. A street can become less socially…
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Persona 5 made the pause menu award-worthy
Persona 5’s stylish, dynamic interface was celebrated by design communities and even earned industry accolades for its menu design.
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The part of the Moon lander left behind
The descent stage supplied the engine, fuel, and landing legs; the astronauts blasted off in the smaller ascent stage and left the heavy hardware on the lunar…
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Why voters rarely know the whole story
If voters cannot see classified information, a campaign can tell a convenient version of events that outsiders cannot check. Local officials then face less…
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One Direction was the second chance, not the original audition
The five singers entered The X Factor as solo hopefuls in 2010. After their individual runs hit a dead end, the show put them together as a group. The band…
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Queen Christina of Sweden gave up her crown, converted to Catholicism, and moved to Rome
In Rome, she spent the rest of her life among cardinals and staging lavish theatrical parties.
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Boron acts as a crucial flux in basic glassmaking
When one part of glass heats and expands while another stays cool, the uneven pull can crack it. Boron lowers how much borosilicate glass expands as it warms,…
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Gated communities perfectly restrict neighborhood access
A neighborhood park can be shared by residents and still be off-limits to everyone else. Gates restrict access to the streets and amenities reserved for…
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The metal that loses its magnetism at room temperature
Gadolinium can be strongly magnetic below about 20°C, but near ordinary room temperature its atoms stop staying aligned as well. Heat jostles them out of…
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Shared apartments inevitably lead to filthy bathrooms
The bathroom does not get cleaned just because the chore list says everyone shares the work. When no one has the specific job of scrubbing the shower, each…
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Silver tarnishes by bonding with airborne sulfur
Silver tarnish isn’t dirt sitting on the metal: sulfur in the air reacts with silver to make dark silver sulfide right on its surface. Polishing removes that…
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Governments heavily subsidize citizen university attendance
A student gets a degree, but society can benefit too. Governments subsidize university costs because the payoff may reach beyond the person sitting in class.
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Testosterone rapidly thickens vocal cords during puberty
Testosterone helps the vocal folds grow longer and thicker during puberty, which lowers the voice. Their growth can be uneven from moment to moment, so a…
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Zynga named its company after a pet bulldog
The name came from the founder's beloved bulldog, giving the gaming company an unexpectedly personal origin.
Discover moreEd Sheeran has a ketchup logo tattoo
He loves the brand enough to have its logo permanently inked on his skin.
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Local zoning boards systematically block most new housing
A proposed apartment building can be stopped one local meeting at a time. Incumbent homeowners may use zoning boards to block new construction, limiting…
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A feather shuttlecock has a surprisingly strict specification
Badminton's rules specify sixteen feathers, their length, the diameter of their circle, and a narrow weight range. Those limits help make the shuttle's…
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How your dog’s barking becomes your neighbors’ problem
A dog’s owner gets the companionship; the neighbors may get the midnight barking. The noise makes people nearby pay—in lost sleep—for a pet they don’t own.
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Fleshy hand bumps explain romance
Palmistry calls the fleshy pad below the thumb the Mount of Venus and links its fullness with passion; a flatter mount is said to signal less romantic ardor.
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Cyberpunk lets Keanu Reeves sell bikes
The game’s neon streets include real Arch Motorcycles, Keanu Reeves’s custom-bike company, alongside his digital character.
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Ruthenium acts as an exceptional metallic hardener
In platinum and palladium alloys, ruthenium gets in the way of the atomic layers that would otherwise slide under force. That extra resistance makes the metal…
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