Economy
Discover facts about economy. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Economy
Seaweed farming relies on extensive coastal ropes
Underwater agriculture requires literal miles of string. Marine farmers string massive ropes across shallow coastal bays, seeding them with kelp spores that…
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Crickets provide high protein with minimal daily feed
Bugs are the ultimate low-maintenance livestock. Unlike cows that require massive fields and tons of grain, crickets can be raised in stacked plastic bins in…
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Why ylang-ylang trees are pruned into low bushes
Gravity is the sworn enemy of tropical flower harvesting. Ylang-ylang trees naturally grow incredibly tall, but farmers violently prune them downward so they…
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Why moldy grapes make sweet wine
Serving moldy grapes to rich people is surprisingly lucrative. Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that pierces grape skins, causing the fruit to shrivel into fuzzy…
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The coffee substitute made from chicory root
Fake coffee has an incredibly successful market share. During past blockades, people realized that roasting and grinding the root of the chicory weed produced…
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Scientists put windows into living cows' stomachs
Dairy scientists literally install windows into livestock. Rumen fistulas are surgically placed plastic portholes that allow farmers to reach directly into a…
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Mealworms can eat Styrofoam without dying
Insects might actually save us from our own garbage. Certain mealworms contain gut bacteria capable of breaking down polystyrene foam without dying. While…
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Why Brazil nuts still come from the rainforest
Some trees absolutely refuse to be tamed by agriculture. Brazil nut trees require a specific jungle orchid, which attracts a specific bee, to pollinate their…
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The bean that thickens ice cream and cosmetics
A single dusty bean holds modern processed goods together. Extracted from the seeds of a drought-resistant legume, guar gum is a terrifyingly powerful…
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Why iris roots are dried for three years before perfume
Instant gratification does not exist in the iris business. The root of the iris flower smells like a stale potato when dug up. It must be peeled and left to…
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Why jasmine is harvested before sunrise
Certain flowers refuse to cooperate during normal working hours. Jasmine blossoms begin to lose their essential oils the moment the sun hits them, forcing…
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Why some pine trees take decades to make seeds
Pesto sauce is expensive because trees operate on geological time. Certain pine trees need up to thirty years just to start producing seeds, which are then…
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Why pistachio shells split open
The pistachio tree kindly does half the processing work for you. As the green nut inside matures, it swells and physically snaps its own hard outer shell with…
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Ice wine grapes must freeze solidly while on the vine
Extreme weather makes for incredibly expensive dessert. To produce authentic ice wine, grapes must be left on the vine until a hard frost freezes the water…
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Ostrich leather features distinct feather bumps
Looking wealthy sometimes means wearing bird skin. Ostrich leather is famous for its raised polka-dot pattern, which is literally just the vacant holes where…
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Why one gallon of syrup takes 40 gallons of sap
Pancakes demand an extreme reduction of tree water. Sugar maples bleed a watery sap containing barely any sugar at all. Farmers must boil down forty massive…
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Arrowroot powder perfectly thickens highly acidic fruit
Baking fruit pies requires precise chemical intervention. Unlike cornstarch, which breaks down and turns completely liquid when mixed with acidic lemons or…
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Removing asbestos from old buildings fuels a multibillion-dollar industry
Humanity's brilliant idea to pack every wall with fireproof, cancer-causing fibers really backfired. The ongoing abatement effort to carefully scrape toxic…
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HR began by policing workers' private lives
Because dealing with human emotion is strictly a liability issue. What we now know as a bureaucratic complaint department originated as a paternalistic effort…
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Retirement once helped employers replace older workers
Golden years? More like a polite corporate eviction. The structured pension and retirement age was heavily championed by efficiency-obsessed executives as a…
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Farmers buy ladybugs by the gallon
Why spray chemicals when you can unleash a terrifying swarm of predatory beetles? Organic farmers literally purchase dormant ladybugs in bulk containers,…
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Water coolers became gossip hubs when communal cups vanished
Hydration is clearly the mother of corporate sabotage. When paper cups and sanitary dispensers replaced communal tin cups, workers finally had a stationary…
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Alpaca fleece is sheared for specialty insulation
Raising fluffy camelids is surprisingly lucrative due to their uniquely hollow hair fibers. Alpaca fleece completely lacks lanolin, making it a highly prized,…
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Why employers don’t want you discussing pay
The greatest trick management ever pulled was convincing coworkers that discussing pay is somehow impolite. The taboo was meticulously cultivated by employers…
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