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Shaunacy Ferro

Shaunacy Ferro is a senior staff writer for MentalFloss.com. Her work has previously appeared in Fast Company, Popular Science, and Architect magazine, among others. She lives in Brooklyn and spends most of her free time taking photos of her cat.
7 Places Where Dying Is Not Allowed
In some places, death is a crime. Alas, no one has figured out a suitable punishment just yet.... READ ON
What Japanese People Thought Westerners Looked Like in 1860
The artists who created Yokohama-e often used Western newspapers as their source material.... READ ON
5 Weird, Rare Accidents With Their Own Medical Codes
Crashed your spacecraft? The hospital knows exactly how to bill for that.... READ ON
5 Reasons Physical Books Might Be Better Than E-Books
Studies have shown that if you want to really remember something, it's easier to do with paper.... READ ON
Moving Walls Create New Rooms in This Apartment
Spanish designers PKMN Architectures know how to make a small home feel huge.... READ ON
Listen to a 4500-Year-Old Instrument
The Lyre of Ur is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world.... READ ON
This Careful Robotic Hand Can Pick Up An Egg Without Cracking It
It can also pick a CD up off a table.... READ ON
‘Friend Books’ Were the Facebook of the 16th Century
Social media isn’t new.... READ ON
MIT Student Builds Real-Time Transit Map for His Wall
Way better than a Bob Marley poster.... READ ON
Monkeys See Optical Illusions Too
Does the circle on the left look smaller?... READ ON
New Artifacts Discovered From 170-Year-Old Shipwreck
In 1845, two English ships exploring the Canadian Arctic disappeared without a trace.... READ ON
Map of Literature Traces the Geography of Reading Since Ancient Times
Let's go visit the Sea of Librarians. Or would you prefer the Sonnet Sea?... READ ON
16 Surprisingly Fast Facts About Snails
They're all over mythology, and might provide the medical adhesives of the future.... READ ON
You Can See China's Fish Farms From Space
This photo of China’s aquaculture was snapped by an astronaut on the International Space Station.... READ ON
People Think Men Are More Creative Than Women, Study Finds
A new study shows that men are perceived as more creative thinkers than women producing similar work.... READ ON
See Manhattan as It Looked in 1609
The Welikia Project maps the ecology of New York City through the centuries.... READ ON
Tired of Shaving? Zap Your Skin Smooth With a Laser Razor
A new Kickstarter wants to bring laser hair removal home.... READ ON
Are White Cats More Likely to Be Deaf?
Several studies have reported that deafness is more prevalent in white cats, but few provide a good estimate of how common it is.... READ ON
This High-Tech Rubber Can Heal Itself
A group of European scientists have devised a way to convert tire rubber into a self-healing material, according to a new study.... READ ON
The Ability to Recognize Faces Might Be Genetic
So says a study of more than 2,000 twins in the UK.... READ ON
Whales and Cows Share Gut Bacteria, Study Finds
Carnivorous whales’ gut bacteria are surprisingly similar to strains found in herbivores.... READ ON
Some Dinosaurs Lived in the Snow
Discovered in Alaska, Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis is the northernmost dinosaur ever found.... READ ON
Banksy's Dismaland Will Be Used to House Refugees
The dark amusement park art project will be dismantled for use as refugee shelters in France.... READ ON
The Arctic Ocean Teems With Activity During the Long Dark Winter
Some habitats are even more active in the dark polar winter than in summer, a new study finds.... READ ON
The Simpsons Reimagined in Weird ‘90s Style
Springfield gets real weird in this animation.... READ ON
Blast Through the Solar System With This Educational Video Game
Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System is designed to teach kids about space through trivia games.... READ ON
Artists Create 1000-Year-Long GIF
Will GIFs still be around in 3017? And more importantly, will we still be arguing about how to pronounce GIF?... READ ON
Babies Are Trying to Manipulate You Into Smiling at Them
Babies, so conniving!... READ ON
What Does the Pope Eat?
Pope Francis’ menu for his New York visit seems pretty bland.... READ ON
Beautiful Paintings Show What It'd Be Like to Stand on Pluto's Surface
More Pluto fan art, please!... READ ON
Can a Full Bladder Make You a Better Liar?
A new study finds that when you’re holding it, you’re better at deception.... READ ON
This 3D-Printed Building Runs on Energy From a 3D-Printed Car
Is this the mobile home of the future?... READ ON
Netflix Knows When You’ll Go From Browsing to Binge Watching
The company has pinpointed the exact episodes in different series when viewers get obsessed.... READ ON
How Does Deodorant Work?
A chemist's guide to smelling good.... READ ON
We All Have Unique Clouds of Bacteria Following Us Around, Study Finds
We are all Pig-Pen.... READ ON
How Much Coffee Would It Take to Kill Someone?
Anything can be lethal at high enough doses.... READ ON
A Doll With Menstrual Pads Teaches Girls About Their Periods
Lammily's Period Party is a quirky way to approach the "becoming a woman" conversation.... READ ON
Giraffes Hum at Each Other
This is the first evidence that giraffes use vocalizations to communicate.... READ ON
An Umbrella Designed for Rain-Free Texting
A Korean phone company knows what you really want in rain protection gear: the ability to text and walk without getting soaked.... READ ON
Art Exhibit Lets You Breathe Like A Fish in Jellyfish-Clogged Seas
The hypoxia simulator at Le Laboratoire Cambridge gives people a taste of oxygen-depleted environments.... READ ON
Watch These Drones Build a Bridge
Two Swiss robots can put together a basic rope bridge without human intervention.... READ ON
This Interactive Game Shows What Your Brain Looks Like When You're Anxious
Neurotic Neurons shows how signals bounce around the brain, helping us learn and unlearn anxious responses.... READ ON
6 Audacious Efforts to Save Endangered Rhinos
Drones, armed guards, and international relocation are helping to protect rhinos from poachers.... READ ON
A Geographically Accurate Map of the London Underground
After a Freedom of Information request, London's transportation authority finally created a Tube map that shows the actual distance between stops.... READ ON
Study Finds Trees Are Good for Your Heart
When all the trees die, people tend to have more heart attacks.... READ ON
What Do Penguins Find Sexy? Beaks
A new study finds that king penguins look for mates with similar beak coloring.... READ ON
There’s a Sea Otter With Asthma and She Knows How to Use an Inhaler
Mishka, who lives at the Seattle Aquarium, is the first sea otter diagnosed with the condition.... READ ON
Watch The Oldest Footage of Chicago on Film
Yestervid compiles silent film footage of the Windy City dating back to 1896.... READ ON
Cheeky Cans Reduce Litter by Asking People to Vote With Their Trash
Why toss your cigarette butts in the gutter when you could use them to vote for the world's greatest footballer?... READ ON
Thinking Hard Might Be Contagious, a New Study Finds
A new study finds that sitting next to someone who’s concentrating hard can improve your own concentration.... READ ON
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