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
Why app stores take a cut of every download
An app developer gets access to a phone’s store and its customers, but the store takes a percentage of the revenue. Critics call it a toll: every sale through…
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Why conditioner makes damaged hair feel smooth
When hair is damaged, its outer surface catches and grips instead of gliding. Conditioner puts a slick coating over that surface, letting strands slip past…
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Why antiperspirant stains turn shirts yellow
Aluminum compounds in antiperspirant can react with sweat and help leave yellow residue on fabric. The mark isn’t just sweat: the product meant to keep your…
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One runner completed a marathon on a pogo stick
Jack Sexty covered the Manchester Marathon's 26.2 miles by pogo stick in 2014, earning a Guinness distance record. Every bit of forward travel still required…
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What pimple patches really are
Most pimple patches are hydrocolloid: a material that absorbs fluid from a blemish while covering it. The patch also puts a small barrier between your fingers…
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Salicylic acid dissolves trapped oil inside pores
A clogged pore contains oily material, and salicylic acid can dissolve in oil. It can therefore pass through that buildup and work inside the pore, where the…
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Fallout's deathclaws have chameleons in their fictional family tree
The series' lore traces them to prewar genetic engineering, with Jackson's chameleons among the source animals. They were developed as weapons rather than…
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Coral castle built by a man using pure harmonics
He claimed to know ancient anti-gravity secrets, but reportedly moved the stones with a system of pulleys.
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A Patent Office fire erased thousands of invention records
The 1836 blaze destroyed nearly 10,000 early U.S. patents. Inventors were asked to help rebuild the archive, but fewer than 3,000 were recovered or…
Discover moreDavid Bowie stored bodily fluids in his refrigerator
During a paranoid period in the 1970s, Bowie reportedly kept his urine in the refrigerator because he feared invisible forces were stealing his essence.
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Left-handedness was actively trained out of kids
Schools treated right-handed writing as the only acceptable way to hold a pencil. Some teachers tied left-handed children’s arms behind their chairs or struck…
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Fire breathing can damage lungs without burning them
Fuel accidentally entering the lungs can cause chemical inflammation known as fire-eater's pneumonia. Published cases describe serious illness after…
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Handcycles turn daily commutes into punishing workouts
Turn the hand pedals and a chain drives the wheel, sending your arms and shoulders down the road. The bike gets you to work while your upper body files a…
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How marketing emails know when you open them
A tiny remote image can send a request to the sender's server when an email client loads it. That request can reveal activity associated with the message,…
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Why enclosed bikes turn into rolling greenhouses
Sunlight passes through the transparent shell and warms the interior; the rider then adds another heat source while pedaling. If the air has nowhere to…
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Why fathers mocked Father's Day
Some men saw Father’s Day as a retail scheme: a holiday designed to make them buy presents for themselves. The gift-giving pitch was harder to sell when Dad…
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Google's logo redesign had to work somewhere a word wouldn't fit
Its 2015 identity update included a four-color G for small spaces as well as the full wordmark. A desktop search page, watch, phone, and microphone prompt…
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Entire empire covered up by a massive mud flood
Believers cite basement windows in old buildings as evidence for the supposed cover-up.
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Tick removal works best with a grip close to the skin
CDC guidance recommends fine-tipped tweezers, grasping the tick near the skin and pulling upward steadily. Squeezing the swollen body, twisting, or trying to…
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SOS never meant “Save Our Souls”
SOS was picked because its Morse-code rhythm is easy to send and recognize: dot-dot-dot, dash-dash-dash, dot-dot-dot. It’s a short, unmistakable knock through…
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Why tech giants buy startups just to shut them down
A tech giant may buy a startup not to use its product, but to stop it from becoming a serious rival. The acquisition can end the competition before the…
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Why executives hire coaches to process trauma
A coaching session on the company calendar may become a space for an executive to process childhood trauma. The invoice says management strategy; the…
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Witch hazel dramatically shrinks localized skin tissue
Witch hazel contains astringent compounds that can make the skin’s surface feel temporarily tighter. That feeling is not the same as lasting firmness: the…
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The tricycle designed to keep older riders from falling
Two rear wheels give the tricycle a wide, steady base, so the rider stays upright at a stop without balancing on a skinny line. It trades a bicycle’s quick…
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