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
Striped stones building confidence
In crystal lore, tiger’s eye is said to boost courage; carrying the striped brown stone is believed to help with anxiety.
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Duolingo's owl won't let you forget your lesson
Its green owl sends persistent reminders when you miss a daily lesson, turning a vocabulary app into an increasingly hard-to-ignore nudge.
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Neopets’ founders pushed back against Scientology content
After investor Doug Dohring became involved, the company used management ideas associated with Scientology. Founders Adam Powell and Donna Williams later…
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Ghost of Tsushima uses wind for navigation
Instead of a minimap, players can summon a gust that rustles the grass and trees toward their next objective.
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The salt flat where you can walk for days
The Makgadikgadi Pan's dried salt crust stretches so flat and far that you can walk for days without seeing a tree or even a small rise.
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Discord began as a failed game's chat tool
The founders built Discord's voice chat for a multiplayer game that flopped; they abandoned the game and kept the tool.
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How urban sprawl makes cars feel unavoidable
A grocery store five miles away turns an ordinary errand into a car trip. When homes and shops are scattered that far apart, walking stops being practical for…
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Victoria Falls has a name that describes what reaches you first
Mosi-oa-Tunya means 'the smoke that thunders.' The Zambezi drops into basalt gorges, throwing up spray that resembles a rising cloud while producing a…
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Your pancreas makes enzymes powerful enough to digest it
The pancreas releases enzymes that break down fats and proteins, but they are meant to do that work in the digestive tract. If digestive enzymes activate too…
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Gran Turismo forces players to take tests
Players must pass driving tests on basics like braking and turning in a compact hatchback before moving on to cars such as a Ferrari.
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Streetlights offer massive benefits to absolutely everyone
One person seeing the sidewalk doesn’t use up the light for anyone else, and the city can’t easily keep passersby in the dark until they pay. That makes…
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The White Stripes posed as siblings
Jack and Meg were former spouses; the sibling story diverted attention from their relationship to the music.
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Why tuition rises without getting better
A factory can raise output by making more goods per worker; a teacher can’t teach a hundred students one-on-one in the time it takes to teach one. As wages…
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Madagascar's trees look upside down
The Avenue of the Baobabs is lined with trees whose massive cylindrical trunks and small crowns of branches give them an upside-down appearance.
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When organizing work feels like doing it
Dragging colorful task cards between columns can feel like progress, even when the actual work remains undone.
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Cosmic payback for your actions
Karma is often described as an unseen ledger that tracks good and bad actions and brings consequences.
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Keith Richards's ashes story changed in the retelling
An interview produced the notorious claim that he mixed his father's ashes with cocaine. In his memoir Life, Richards rejected the cocaine part while…
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Bake Off fits a competition around ordinary jobs
The Great British Bake Off has traditionally filmed its main challenges on weekends, allowing amateur contestants to keep weekday commitments. Between filming…
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Blue rocks forcing ultimate truth
Lapis lazuli is said to encourage clear communication and truth-telling, but claims that it can expose hidden agendas are a matter of belief, not a guaranteed…
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Vietnamese waterfalls awkwardly straddle borders
Ban Gioc Falls straddles the Vietnam–China border, so both countries share the same dramatic, multi-tiered cascade.
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GTA V's world keeps going below the coastline
Rockstar built a detailed ocean floor as well as Los Santos, mountains and countryside. Diving turns the edge of the road map into another space to explore.…
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Housing rules can decide how many homes fit on a street
Limits on density, building height, or minimum lot size restrict how much housing can be built on available land. If demand grows while permitted supply stays…
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Namibian ravines plunge drastically into arid earth
The Fish River Canyon cuts more than half a kilometer into dry terrain, forming a winding abyss.
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Abandoned cities highlight brutal local resource shifts
When a town loses the advantage that drew investment, businesses and residents can leave. The roads and other infrastructure stay behind, even after the…
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