Science
Discover facts about science. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Science
The Venus flytrap grows wild in only one small region
Despite looking like alien flora plucked directly from a sci-fi jungle planet, the iconic Venus flytrap is incredibly boring in its geography. They are native…
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Zebras travel in massive herds alongside wildebeests
Realizing there is safety in numbers, striped horses join forces with horned beasts. They basically use the massive chaotic herd as a shield against…
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Monarch caterpillars eat milkweed before taking flight
Before they can undertake their absurd multi-generational flight, the babies gorge themselves on toxic plants. They literally make their bodies taste terrible…
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Sandhill cranes gather by the thousands in Nebraska
Rather than seeking a tropical paradise, an absurd number of giant screaming birds deliberately choose to stop in the Midwest. They crowd the riverbanks,…
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Reindeer herds travel thousands of miles across tundra
Unbothered by freezing winds and a complete lack of adequate shelter, thousands of hooved beasts casually stroll across barren ice fields. They click their…
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Krypton makes photography flashes exceptionally bright
Superman's weakness is actually just a highly useful lighting tool. Krypton gas is pumped into high-end flashbulbs and airport runway lights because when you…
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A leech has 32 brain compartments
You would think drinking blood wouldn't require a high IQ, yet leeches are neurologically absurd. Their internal nervous system is divided into 32 distinct…
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Ruby-throated hummingbirds fly continuously across borders
Weighing less than a literal penny, this tiny frantic bird hurls itself across massive expanses of open water. If it stops flapping its wings incredibly fast…
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The strange extra thumb of red pandas
When evolution forgot to give you opposable thumbs, it just awkwardly extends your wrist instead. Red pandas have an elongated radial sesamoid bone sticking…
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Salmon swim upstream as their bodies break down
Driven by an unrelenting urge to breed, these fish hurl themselves up raging waterfalls. Their bodies actively rot and turn bright red during the journey,…
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Dragonflies cross oceans by riding the wind
Defying every ounce of logic, a fragile winged insect that easily drowns actively chooses to fly thousands of miles over the open sea. They rely entirely on…
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The fast antelope that crawls under fences
Despite being incredibly fast runners capable of leaping great distances, these strange creatures absolutely refuse to jump. When confronted with barbed wire,…
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The smell of ozone is familiar after all
We spend decades trying to protect the ozone layer, but up close, it smells terrible. Ozone is basically highly stressed oxygen created by lightning or…
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Hoary bats fly south just like many migratory birds do
Refusing to hibernate in a dark cave like normal self-respecting bats, these fuzzy creatures aggressively take to the skies. They mingle with flocks of birds,…
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Intellectualization uses pure logic to shield you from traumatic emotions
Why cry about a terrible diagnosis when you can spend forty straight hours researching the exact biological mechanisms of the disease? Intellectualization is…
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Projection makes people accuse others of impulses they refuse to recognize in themselves
If you are constantly accusing your partner of cheating, you might want to check your own text messages. Projection is a classic defense mechanism where the…
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The meteorite-made crystal harder than diamond
We spent centuries crowning diamonds as the hardest material known, only to be entirely upstaged by lonsdaleite. This rare hexagonal carbon structure forms…
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This bridge is measured in Smoots
In 1958, a college fraternity decided to measure a bridge using their shortest pledge, Oliver Smoot, by repeatedly laying him end-to-end across the concrete.…
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Mirrors reflect light back at the exact incoming angle
It is called the law of reflection, and it strictly dictates that light bouncing off a smooth surface leaves at the exact same angle it arrived. Mirrors are…
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Inventing logical excuses for absolutely terrible choices
You didn't fail the test because you partied all night; you failed because the professor's astrological sign clashes with yours. Rationalization allows…
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Barcode Scanners Read More Than the Black Lines
You have spent your entire adult life assuming the laser is scanning those thick black lines on your groceries, but you are entirely wrong. The scanner is…
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A butt is actually a giant cask of wine
Stop giggling. A butt is an actual unit of volume used for wine and ale casks, equaling about one hundred and twenty-six gallons. Whenever you hear someone…
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Sundials become completely inoperable indoors or at night
For centuries, the absolute pinnacle of human timekeeping was a stick casting a shadow. If it rained, you just did not know what time it was. If it was night,…
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Centrifugal governors control engine speeds using rotation
Before digital computers managed everything, massive steam engines regulated themselves using two metal balls spinning on a central axis. As the engine spun…
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