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Shaunacy Ferro
Follow @shaunacysays
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.
Move Over, Comets: Planets Can Have Tails, Too
New astronomical observations show that exoplanets can have gas tails, like comets....
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Watch Coral Devour a Sea Slug
When polyps attack...
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The Man Who Invented the Spork
The combo spoon/fork's inventor was a rich New York doctor with a string of wacky patents....
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A Scarf Knitted With Brain Waves
An art project called NeuroKnitting turns brain activity into fashion....
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9 of the Most Beautiful Weather Photos of the Year
NOAA’s Weather in Focus contest features spectacular skies and terrifying storms....
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An Ultrasonic Clothes Dryer Vibrates Clothes Dry
The super-efficient heatless dryer uses up to 10 times less energy than the standard tumble dryer—and may finish the job 20 minutes faster....
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Science Explains Why Some Movies Make Millions (While Others Flop)
A bankable director is more important than a popular star, a new study finds....
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The FDA Approves a Device That Lets Blind People 'See' With Their Tongues
The BrainPort V100 communicates visual information through electrodes signals felt by the tongue....
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Check Out Early Graph Paper Sketches for 'Super Mario Bros.'
Everyone’s favorite brick- and mushroom-based adventure was first drawn on paper grids....
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Does This Photo Feature the Notoriously Camera-Shy Vincent van Gogh?
Some say this 19th century image of six men drinking includes the rarely photographed Dutch artist....
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Artists Reveal the Bacterial Beauty of the Human Microbiome
“Invisible You” explores the human microbiome in all its bacterial beauty....
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Gmail Adds Official 'Undo Send' Button
After years as a beta feature, Gmail is officially allowing users to claw back emails from the digital ether....
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A New Vaccine for Chlamydia Is in the Works
A successful vaccination for one of the most common sexually transmitted infections has long eluded scientists. Now, they may have figured out a way to get the treatment to stick....
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Baboons Are Democratic Travel Partners, Study Finds
When deciding where to travel, baboons go with what the group thinks is best....
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A Giant TV on the Back of Semi Trucks Could Make Passing Safer
Trying to see around a semi truck can be impossible on tight roads. Samsung's Safety Truck aims to improve visibility....
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Finnish Company Wants to Power the Country With Horse Poop
Early trials show that horse manure could be a viable biofuel for home heating and electricity....
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The Musicians Who Scared the Soviet Union in the '80s
In 1985, the Soviet propaganda machine accused Western bands of spreading racism, homosexuality, and anti-Soviet myths....
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How Many Kisses Make a Proper Greeting in France, Mapped
People in Corsica really, really like to kiss each other's cheeks....
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Color Images of the 1904 Russo-Japanese War
Colorized stereographs give us a glimpse at life in the Japanese army at the beginning of the 20th century....
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What Playing a Vinyl Record Looks Like Under a Microscope
Ben Krasnow uses an electron microscope to see a record player in close-up action....
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Maps of Current U.S. Census Data in 19th Century Style
Statistician Nathan Yau makes his own 'Statistical Atlas of the United States.'...
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9 Major Awards Whose Owners Sold Them Off For Cold Hard Cash
Oscars and NBA championship rings can fetch high prices at auction....
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Simple Landscaping Tricks Can Make Airports Quieter
Plowing fields next to airports can reduce noise....
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1950s Advice For Curing a Cold Includes Jazz Radio and a Good Book
The 1955 educational film "Sniffles and Sneezes" explores how germs are spread....
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7 Reasons Sleep Makes You a Better Person
Sleep helps you learn, improves your immune system responses, and can even help you play the piano better....
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Starfish Can Squeeze Solid Objects Out of Their Bodies Through Their Skin
Starfish tagged for research simply squeeze the injected tags out through the tips of their arms....
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Fermented Foods Might Reduce Social Anxiety
Can you chow down on kimchi to reduce social anxiety? That's what a new study on the links between gut bacteria, neuroticism, and fermented foods suggests....
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Google Sheep View Finds All the Sheep on Google Maps
The Internet contains more sheep than you'd ever imagined....
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The First Time-Lapse Recording of a Dying Blood Cell
When white blood cells die, they eject long strings of useful molecules that the body reuses....
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7 Body Parts Scientists Can Grow in a Petri Dish
Bioengineered brains, limbs, and organs are being grown in the lab....
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A Soviet Spacecraft Collects Dust in Kazakhstan
Photographer Ralph Mirebs finds the remains of the Soviet space shuttle in Kazakhstan....
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Inside the Mysterious Hot Springs Found Deep Below the Gulf of California
The hot-water chimneys found in the Pescadero Basin are like any other hydrothermal vents in the northern hemisphere....
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After Losing a Limb, Jellyfish Reorganize Their Bodies for Symmetry
Jellyfish don't regrow limbs—they simply work with what they've got....
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Spectacular Footage of an Erupting Chilean Volcano
A German crew just so happened to be filming at the right place at the right time....
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Why Are Public Toilet Seats U-Shaped?
Plumbing codes require u-shaped toilets for hygienic reasons....
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15 Hilarious Hidden Camera Selfies by Animals
A new website called Snapshot Serengeti features a collection of more than 1.2 million images, and more than a few of them might be considered selfies by human standards....
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A 15-Year-Old Discovered a Planet During a Week-Long Internship
Tom Wagg was three days into a work-study program when he discovered a new planet....
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Dogs Really Like Looking at Doors
Doors “hold a special social relevance to dogs,” animal behavioral specialists say....
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Just How Hard Is It to Become Nintendo World Champion? Watch and See
The final match involved this crazy all-new level of Super Mario Bros....
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15 Amazing Things Aluminum Foil Can Do
It's more than just a handy way to wrap leftovers....
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People Aren’t Just Afraid of the Dark, They’re Afraid of Nighttime
Nighttime fears aren't just about the lack of light, a new study finds....
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Being Calm Is Contagious—At Least for Roly Polies
The larger the group of woodlice, the calmer they are....
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'Smelly' Fruit Tastes Sweeter, Even If It Has Less Sugar
...
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This Device That Tells You When to Pee Is Actually Kind of Brilliant
Brightly alerts people with incontinence of when their bladder is expanding....
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How Much DNA Is There in the World?
Storing all the genetic information on Earth would require 1 sextillion of the world’s most powerful supercomputers....
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Ride Out Summer on an Awesome Geodesic Swing
Kodama Zomes are the perfect place to lounge in style....
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Eerie Polaroids From the Set of ‘The Shining’
Behind-the-scenes photos of Jack Nicholson on the set of Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece...
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The Science Behind Why People Hate the Word 'Moist'
Warning: This article contains lots and lots of mentions of the word "moist." Moist....
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European Supermarket's Perfume Makes You Smell Like a Barbecue
Lidl's Eau de Grill is designed to evoke memories of Finnish cookouts....
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There's Glass on Mars, and It Could Hold Ancient Life
Glass deposits detected on Mars could have preserved evidence of ancient life on the Red Planet....
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