Health
Discover facts about health. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Health
How many times does your heart beat each day
You are subjected to a violent internal drum solo literally every single day. The highly synchronized muscular walls violently slam shut and squeeze open well…
Discover more
Why smells can't wake you from deep sleep
If the house is burning down, your nose is absolutely not going to alert you. While sudden noises and bright lights easily pierce through the veil of slumber,…
Discover more
How much gold is in your body
You are inherently valuable, but only by a hilariously pathetic microscopic margin. The human body naturally requires a massive slurry of trace metals to…
Discover more
Why you're shorter at night
You are literally a constantly shrinking human accordion. Throughout the day, the relentless downward force of gravity squishes the soft, gel-like cartilage…
Discover more
Blueberries may be as nutritious as acai
You pay fifteen dollars for a purple smoothie bowl because marketers convinced you this exotic jungle fruit contains unparalleled mystical properties. In…
Discover more
Consuming excessive amounts of sodium causes your body to retain water and violently spikes blood pressure
Your body seeks perfect balance, so when you eat a massively salty bag of chips, it hoards water to dilute the sodium in your bloodstream. This added fluid…
Discover more
STACKY FOR IPHONEA bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.
Keep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.
Why antibiotics can't treat a viral sore throat
Popping old antibiotics for the flu is a brilliant way to breed superbugs. Antibiotics only destroy bacteria. Using them against a viral infection is like…
Discover more
Margarine's trans fats were worse than butter
In a spectacular historical blunder, society swapped natural butter for heavily processed margarine. It turned out those synthetic trans fats were…
Discover more
Can constant complaining train your brain to think negatively
Being an insufferable cynic actually causes permanent structural damage to your brain architecture. Thanks to neuroplasticity, neurons that fire together…
Discover more
Why cold air can help viruses multiply
Going outside with wet hair will not spontaneously generate a virus in your bloodstream. The common cold is caused by rhinoviruses, not winter breezes.…
Discover more
Why 26,000 feet is called the death zone
Above 26,000 feet lies what is ominously termed the 'death zone'. At this brutal altitude, the atmospheric pressure drops so severely that the human body…
Discover more
What “natural flavors” can legally mean
Seeing 'natural flavors' on a label just means the chemical originated from a plant or animal. This delightfully broad definition means your strawberry…
Discover more
Every tear has three distinct layers
Crying is a remarkably complex chemical operation. Every drop features an inner mucus layer to stick, a watery middle, and an oily outer shield so it doesn't…
Discover more
Fad dietary regimes are rarely backed by valid professionals
Almost every viral cleanse or miracle meal plan is invented by someone holding a certificate they printed off the internet. Real dietary experts continually…
Discover more
Your body is mostly water—and it matters
You are practically a walking, talking cucumber suffering from an existential crisis. Every major organ, especially your energy-demanding brain and heart,…
Discover more
Two different versions of a gene can make you more resilient than matching pairs
Inheriting two completely different versions of a gene often provides vastly superior resilience compared to having perfectly matching pairs. Evolution…
Discover more
Cryotherapy chambers use liquid nitrogen for a quick freeze
Why take a cheap, unpleasant cold shower when you can pay a hundred dollars to stand in a futuristic tube of freezing nitrogen gas? Believers claim three…
Discover more
A ten-second kiss can swap 80 million bacteria
Romance is utterly disgusting under a microscope. A perfectly standard, ten-second bout of intimate kissing operates like a high-speed microbial subway,…
Discover more
Your writing hand may choose your chewing side
Handedness doesn't just dictate how you hold a pen; it ruthlessly dictates your chewing habits. Neurologists found that a vast majority of people unwittingly…
Discover more
The uterus is normally almost completely flattened
Despite its reputation, the resting internal chamber is virtually non-existent. The front and back walls aggressively press directly against each other,…
Discover more
One kidney can do the work of two
We are apparently built with completely unnecessary redundancy. A single kidney can trivially ramp up its capacity to handle the workload of two, making the…
Discover more
Your reusable grocery bag could be a bacterial hotspot
Saving the planet with cloth grocery totes is incredibly noble until those bags become biological hazards. Tossing raw meat, unwashed vegetables, and muddy…
Discover more
Your eyebrows are tiny sweat gutters
They aren't just there to help you express sarcastic skepticism. Eyebrows are functionally designed as tiny biological gutters. Their curved shape and angled…
Discover more
A sneeze can send droplets 30 feet
You are basically a biological shotgun. The sheer force required to clear irritants from your nasal passages accelerates those tiny droplets to hurricane…
Discover more