Science
Discover facts about science. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Science
Why clocks still use 60-minute hours
We are still forced to use base-60 math to calculate time simply because ancient Babylonians thought it was a neat way to count. Despite almost everything…
Discover more
Dielectric materials increase capacitor storage capacity
Shoving an insulator between charged plates sounds foolish, but it's brilliant. It prevents arcing while simultaneously neutralizing some internal electric…
Discover more
Why prairie dogs appear to kiss
Whenever these highly social rodents cross paths in their sprawling underground towns, they lock teeth in a gesture that looks exactly like a romantic…
Discover more
Chadwick discovered the neutron by tracking paraffin wax
James Chadwick noticed that certain radioactive reactions were ejecting particles that completely lacked an electrical charge. By forcing these phantom…
Discover more
Rubies and sapphires are colored corundum
The gemstone industry relies heavily on rocks being accidentally contaminated. Pure corundum is completely colorless and largely ignored by jewelers. But if…
Discover more
Most visible matter is plasma
Solids, liquids, and gases get all the attention, but they are a rounding error. Superheated, ionized plasma dominates the visible universe, making up stars…
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.
Mathematical knot theory classifies untangleable loops
While you struggle with tangled earbuds, topologists have developed rigorous, heavily academic frameworks to classify loops that cannot be undone without…
Discover more
Energy lasts forever but becomes useless
The first law of thermodynamics famously promises that energy is immortal, which sounds uplifting until the second law chimes in. Sure, the total amount of…
Discover more
White dwarfs are the incredibly dense remnants of dead stars
When a medium-sized star like our sun eventually dies, it puffs off its outer layers and leaves behind its glowing hot core. This 'white dwarf' is roughly the…
Discover more
Why mongooses pick fights with deadly snakes
Instead of actively running away from deadly fangs, these agile mammals deliberately seek out entirely unequal fights. Using incredibly rapid reflexes, they…
Discover more
Green anacondas give birth to live young
Leaving eggs in the dangerous swamp mud is for amateurs. The massive green anaconda retains her leathery eggs deep inside her own body for the entire duration…
Discover more
Sugar gliders leap between trees on skin wings
Instead of climbing carefully down branches, these incredibly brave tiny marsupials simply hurl themselves straight into the void. By stretching out thin…
Discover more
The metal that pushes magnets away
Bismuth is the ultimate contrarian of the periodic table. As a highly diamagnetic metal, it actively repels magnetic fields rather than attracting them,…
Discover more
The tiny brain region that controls your hormones
The ultimate puppet master of human biology is roughly the size of a salted nut. The hypothalamus ruthlessly orchestrates every major endocrine function,…
Discover more
Vipers strictly ambush their entirely unsuspecting targets
These intensely venomous reptiles possess absolutely zero interest in actively chasing down an energetic dinner. They rely entirely on perfect dirt…
Discover more
Why triangles break the 180-degree rule
Standard geometry forces the inner angles of a triangle to add up to exactly 180 degrees. But bend the surface into a saddle or a bowl, and all those rigid…
Discover more
Pluto could fit between North America's coasts
The demotion of this beloved icy rock makes perfect sense when you realize how frankly pathetic its dimensions are. If you stretched Pluto out across the…
Discover more
How sound can tear buildings apart
Sound is fully capable of committing vandalism. Everything has a natural frequency at which it prefers to vibrate. If you blast sound waves matching that…
Discover more
Expatriates are literally outside the fatherland
A fancy word used almost exclusively by people who want to avoid calling themselves immigrants. 'Expatriate' just mashes up the Latin 'ex' (out of) and…
Discover more
Why skunks stomp before spraying
Before resorting to their infamous chemical warfare, these striped mammals prefer to issue a very aggressive dance warning. They will slam their front paws…
Discover more
Blood plasma makes up more than half of human blood and is completely pale yellow
You think your blood is a dramatic crimson, but mostly it's the color of stale urine. While the red blood cells give blood its famous hue, they are suspended…
Discover more
Why everything tends toward disorder
Thanks to the second law of thermodynamics, things naturally degrade from order to disorder. Entropy dictates that without energy constantly being pumped into…
Discover more
How alligators use sticks to lure birds
Reptilian deception has reached the level of prop comedy. During nesting season, alligators strategically balance loose sticks across their snouts and float…
Discover more
Some cave walls feel like cream cheese
Not all rock formations are tough and intimidating. Under highly specific subterranean conditions, calcium carbonate precipitates into a microscopic lattice…
Discover more