Your home for quirky, engaging articles about the natural world, human history, biology, and everything in between. Prepare to head down the rabbit hole and learn some fascinating new things along the way.
The History of Dice: Who Invented Them and When?
The history of dice goes back much further than you might think. They’re older than books. They are older than writing. Dice are older than almost any toy you can imagine. People rolled dice thousands of years ago, from the mighty pyramids of Egypt to the grand temples of Rome. Everywhere archaeologists dig, they find dice hiding in the ground, waiting to tell their stories.
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How Snakes Hear Without Ears
Many people think snakes are deaf because they don’t have external ears. However, snakes hear just fine; it’s just different than humans. Learn the remarkable evolution of snake hearing and adaptation.
The Mystery of the Angel Hair Phenomenon
Have you ever heard of the angel hair phenomenon? It’s a strange occurrence where a mysterious, web-like substance falls from the sky. This rare event has puzzled scientists and sparked the imagination of UFO enthusiasts for decades. What causes angel hair, and why does it vanish so quickly?
A Single Pencil Can Write 45,000 Words
How far can a pencil write before it runs out? Just imagine – how many miles of writing could your pencil do? In 2007, Discover magazine made an interesting claim. They said a standard pencil could write 45,000 words and draw a line 35 miles long! Lots of people have repeated this as a fact. A quick Google search brings up all kinds of websites stating this incredible “fact.” But is it really true?
The Phenomenal 23,000-Mile Journey of Arctic Terns
The Arctic tern migration is a phenomenal 23,000-mile odyssey stretching from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back again. They literally travel from the top of the world to the bottom and back. This bird holds the title for the longest migration in the animal kingdom.
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Why Forty Percent of People Never Get Wisdom Teeth
Not everyone gets wisdom teeth. In fact, a whopping forty percent of people never develop wisdom teeth at all. This isn’t just a quirky fact about human biology. The story of wisdom teeth reveals a fascinating tale of human evolution. It illustrates genetic diversity and the mysterious nature of our pearly whites.
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Did Nero Fiddle While Rome Burned? Unraveling the Myth
The image of the Roman emperor playing music while his city goes up in flames is powerful. But is there any truth to it? Did Nero fiddle while Rome burned? This powerful imagery is widely used around the world in songs, comics, and books. At this point in time, the image of Nero fiddling while Rome burned is part of our zeitgeist. Yet, the actual history is a bit more complicated.
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What Are Phages? And Why Are They So Incredibly Important?
Little microscopic heroes known as phages exist in all parts of nature. They’re so small you can’t see them, but they play a massive role in keeping our planet healthy and balanced. You may have heard of them recently as they gain more attention among scientists and researchers. But what are phages exactly? And why is everyone excited about them?
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Pigeons vs Doves: Are They Really Different?
Pigeons and doves are often said to be the same thing, but is this true? The pigeons vs doves naming has long been confusing for many. These birds both belong to the Columbidae family, so that is the same. They also share many similarities in appearance and behavior. This leads to the common question: Are pigeons and doves actually the same?
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The Science of Pyramid Construction: Weighing the Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramid of Giza is an awe-inspiring example of ancient Egyptian ingenuity with pyramid construction. It was built around 2560 BCE during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu. And, it is the oldest and biggest of the three pyramids which make up the Giza pyramid complex. This colossal structure held the record as the world’s tallest human-made structure for over 3,800 years. This changed in 2010, when the UAE built the Burj Khalifa. The Great Pyramid’s precise construction uses an estimated 2.3 million limestone blocks and continues to baffle modern engineers and archaeologists. What they can all agree on, though, is that it is incredible.
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