Mondegreens and Eggcorns
Giving old words a new ring
Two common (and related) language mistakes affect almost everyone at some point, and now that we have clever names for them, we can laugh at them even more easily.
Heat-Resistant Chocolate
Defying the laws of confectionary
Milk chocolate melts in your hand, your pocket, or a hot glove compartment. Wouldn't it be great if it didn't? Keeping chocolate from melting when you don't want it to, while maintaining proper texture and taste, is a challenge of food science.
Museums of Interesting Things
Putting the muse back in museum
From cabinets of curiosities to dime museums and beyond, some museums have catered specifically to those with a taste for the rare and unusual. In that spirit, this site is a virtual museum of interesting things.
Living Streets
Using uncertainty to calm traffic
Some urban designers think that cars and pedestrians can safely share street space. Amazingly, the absence of signs and markers seems to decrease the number of accidents.
Sea Monkeys
New life for an old fad
Instant life! Just add water! Sea Monkeys are back, but brine shrimp still don't make particularly good pets. Sneaky marketing strikes again.
43 Weirdly Specific Museums
Whatever your obsession, chances are there’s a museum all about it
You can find museums of art, science, natural history, and other broad subjects anywhere. What if you want a whole museum full of just one odd and very particular thing? We've got you covered.
Red Tide
A beautiful and/or deadly aquatic phenomenon
When certain types of plankton multiply rapidly in the ocean, the water can take on a reddish appearance. Red tide is sometimes dangerous due to toxins the plankton produce, but can also result in an eerily beautiful glowing ocean.
Poison Dart Frogs
Pretty to look at, but don’t put them in your mouth
Tiny and colorful, these critters (of which there are about 170 species) live in the rain forests of Central and South America. A poison from the skin on their backs can be deadly.
Operation Migration
Follow that airplane!
When endangered birds are raised in captivity, teaching them how to migrate can be tricky. But it's possible, if you can convince them that an airplane is just another bird.
Aerogels
The solids that are mostly air
These curious solids weigh only slightly more than air, yet they're surprisingly strong—and among the world's most effective insulators.