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
Fruit Ninja turned fruit-slicing into an obsession
Players swiped to slice flying fruit and dodge randomly tossed bombs. The quick rounds made it an easy fit for a bathroom break.
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Why your voice drops around someone attractive
Your voice is not just a sound you send; it’s something you adjust for the person listening. Around someone you find attractive, you may lower your pitch to…
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The slow cooker began with a Sabbath stew
Naxon designed the heated ceramic crock so the bean stew could cook without anyone lighting a fire during the Sabbath.
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Bridge tolls generate endless revenue
Paying off a bridge’s construction debt doesn’t always end the tolls. Authorities may keep collecting and put the money toward other projects.
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Removing one wall can supply a renovation show's big reveal
Opening connected rooms changes the longest line you can see through a house. Light, furniture, and people suddenly share the same view, so the…
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Why Portal turned GLaDOS into a potato
Portal 2's writers wanted GLaDOS to team up with the player but knew players wouldn't trust her as a giant robotic ceiling monster. Turning her into a…
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Tensile strength of Manila rope strictly prevents snapping
Made from abaca fibers, Manila rope can withstand heavy pulls. In a tug-of-war, participants may get friction burns before the rope gives way.
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Enthusiasts constantly drop heavy stones on the floor
Raw mineral chunks are heavy enough that one slip can leave a sizable dent in a hardwood floor.
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A cheap purchase can have an expensive hidden cost
Imagine saving $3 by spending an hour in a queue. The cash saving is real, but so is the time you could have used elsewhere. Economists call the best…
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Drafted complex logical arguments on the subway
He worked a regular publishing-house job and wrote his dense theories during a noisy, crowded, swaying morning commute on the London Underground—not in a…
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Apple is worth more than Britain’s entire stock market
At one point, Apple’s market value topped $3 trillion—more than the combined value of every publicly listed company in the UK. One company’s shares were worth…
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Gliders are towed into the sky by standard airplanes
The towplane supplies the climb, pulling the glider into the sky on a tow rope. After release, the glider’s wings make lift from the moving air, and rising…
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Japanese paper folders transformed flat squares
A single square sheet becomes a three-dimensional sculpture through folds alone—no scissors or glue required. The same technique can produce cranes, frogs,…
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The Saturn’s second processor became a developer headache
Its engineering was so complex that many developers struggled to use the second processor, leaving much of its performance potential untapped.
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Tweezers rely on natural metal tension to spring back open
Squeezing bends the joined metal arms; their natural tension springs them back open when you let go.
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Why universities get forced into journal bundles
A university library may want one prestigious journal and still have to pay for a bundle of hundreds of titles. The package can include journals its readers…
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Molecular polarities prevent oil and water from ever mixing
Shaking oil and water breaks the oil into tiny droplets, making the bottle look mixed for a while. But water molecules don’t interact well with oil, so the…
Discover moreVal Kilmer’s Batman suit barely let him turn his head
The rigid rubber suit kept Val Kilmer from turning his head, so he had to pivot his whole torso to look to either side.
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Official strategy guides printing terrible gameplay advice
Guides written from incomplete beta versions could give wrong stats or strategies—and sometimes send players down dead ends.
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In Counter-Strike, you can make a chicken follow you
You can make a wandering chicken follow you, but it offers no tactical advantage and may give away your position to the enemy.
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Why a flat penny toss keeps falling short
A flat disc catches more air than an edge-on one, slowing it and making its flight less predictable.
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Aggressively scratching a virtual turntable to techno beats
DJ Hero gave players a spinning turntable peripheral: you rubbed the disc back and forth while hitting buttons, demanding real coordination and making bedroom…
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Bees turn watery nectar into a concentrated food store
They add enzymes that change the sugars, then reduce the water content as nectar is processed and stored in the comb. Fanning helps moisture evaporate. Honey…
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Random acts of kindness can give you a helper’s high
Helping someone can activate the brain’s reward systems, the same machinery that helps make other rewarding experiences feel good. So the good feeling after a…
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