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
Russian holy fools intentionally walked naked in winter
These Russian holy fools sometimes walked unclothed through freezing streets, rejecting social norms while shouting uncomfortable truths at powerful…
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Fountain pens pull ink to paper via subtle capillary action
A narrow slit in the metal nib draws ink toward its tip through capillary action. The paper then pulls the ink from the nib as it touches the page.
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A heavier fork changed how diners rated their meal
In a restaurant experiment, diners using heavier cutlery rated the food more favorably than those given lighter utensils. The ingredients had not acquired…
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Researchers looked for a dark side to being a night owl
A 2013 questionnaire study found associations between evening preference and certain Dark Triad personality scores. It compared patterns across people; it did…
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An early vacuum cleaner had to park outside your house
Hubert Cecil Booth's early powered cleaner was too bulky to carry from room to room. His business brought the machine to a building and ran long suction hoses…
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An Oscar campaign buys attention as well as advertising space
Distributors arrange eligible screenings, publicity, and industry advertising so voters will see and remember a film. Academy rules restrict gifts and other…
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Even choosing left or right can carry a learned bias
In a simple T-maze experiment, handedness predicted turning preference, and U.S. participants turned right more often than English participants. The…
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Syncletica of Alexandria equated salvation with misery
Syncletica taught that spiritual progress required enduring suffering, comparing salvation to a severe toothache; comfort, she warned, meant a person was…
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Why water molecules stick together
Water molecules have unevenly charged ends: oxygen is slightly negative, while the hydrogen ends are slightly positive. Opposite charges attract, so…
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Desktop 3D printers slowly drool melted plastic into shapes
A desktop 3D printer works like a precise hot-glue gun: it pushes filament through a heated nozzle and builds an object by stacking thin layers of melted…
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Leveling jacks keep parked motorhomes from rocking
Leveling jacks press against the ground and steady the motorhome’s frame, reducing the rocking that comes from its springy suspension. They turn a parked…
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Why taller people tend to earn more
Taller people tend to earn more partly because height can act as a shortcut in other people’s judgments. When someone looks more commanding or leader-like,…
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A TV temple could defeat you with a three-minute deadline
Legends of the Hidden Temple sent children through rooms with obstacles, puzzles and temple guards while the clock kept running. Knowing the route was not…
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The same cheesecake tasted sweeter on a different plate
In a 2013 experiment, cheesecake served on a round white plate was rated sweeter than cheesecake on a square white one. The recipe had stayed the same; the…
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Why helium balloons rise even though gravity pulls down
Air presses upward on a helium balloon as the balloon makes room for it. If the pushed-aside air weighs more than the balloon and its contents, that upward…
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Nitrogen naturally dictates three percent of human body mass
Nitrogen is built into amino acids, the small units that join together to make proteins. Since proteins form and support the body’s tissues, nitrogen is part…
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Water polo players wear special ear guards in the pool
Rigid plastic cups in the caps help shield players’ ears from impacts, including speeding balls, and reduce the risk of eardrum injuries.
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Your keyless car fob can unlock doors through walls
The fob sends a short radio signal, and radio waves pass through ordinary walls well enough to reach the car's receiver. The car checks the coded signal…
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Your car may be faking its engine noise
Some cars use speakers to add or shape engine sounds inside the cabin. That gives drivers a louder, sportier soundtrack than the engine alone provides. The…
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Why the Burj Khalifa needs a quarter-million gallons of water
High-pressure pumps push water hundreds of stories upward every day, keeping the building’s plumbing working all the way to its penthouse toilets.
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RV toilets drop directly into a vile black tank
An RV toilet drops waste into a sealed holding tank beneath the floor. A valve keeps the tank closed until a dump station empties it, so the plumbing hides…
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Drawing information makes it easier to recall
When you draw what you’re trying to remember, you have to retrieve it, simplify it, and turn it into shapes. Those steps create several ways back to the idea:…
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Melanin production directly dictates natural hair color
Hair follicles combine two forms of melanin: one contributes dark brown or black shades, and the other adds red or yellow tones. The mix and proportion create…
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Planetariums project stars using heavy optical spheres
Traditional projectors use bright lamps and drilled optical plates mounted in a heavy, dumbbell-shaped assembly of metal spheres and gears to create the star…
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