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.
The Woman Who Invented Aquariums
Jeanne Villepreux-Power was a pioneer of cephalopod research, but her work has largely been forgotten.... READ ON
This Creepy Invasive Fish Crawls on Land, Lives for Days Without Water
The highly invasive climbing perch can live on land without water for days.... READ ON
Buy a Handmade GIF Machine Celebrating the Dawn of Film
... READ ON
Distracted? Stare at a Plant to Regain Focus
A new study finds that staring at a green roof for just 40 seconds boosts concentration.... READ ON
Why We Can't Remember Colors Accurately
Our memory simplifies colors down to the most basic hues.... READ ON
4 Hurricane Simulators That Whip Up Fake Storms
Researchers use powerful fans, rip down trees, and spray water to simulate dangerous storms.... READ ON
NASA is Designing a Plane Coating to Slough Off Bugs
... READ ON
Yawning Is Contagious for Some Parakeets, Too
We thought yawns were contagious only among a few select mammals. But one bird gets the yawns too.... READ ON
What Will Tomorrow’s Wind Look Like? Check This Map
This colorful, animated map streams live data of global weather.... READ ON
5 Sounds You Probably Can't Hear
Think you have perfect hearing? There are still plenty of sounds in the world that you can’t detect.... READ ON
You Can Be Taught Perfect Pitch—Even as an Adult
Nonmusical adults can be taught to identify notes—especially if they have good memories.... READ ON
'Dementor' Wasps Turn Their Victims Into Zombies
The venom of Ampulex dementor causes cockroaches to lose control of their bodies.... READ ON
Want to Be Less Biased? Take a Nap
Researchers reduced people's implicit racial and gender biases by having them undergo anti-bias training—and then take a nap.... READ ON
16 of the Coolest Playgrounds in the World
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This Gigantic Star is Called "Nasty"
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Robotic Cockroach Teams Up with Robotic Bird
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Robots Can Perform Brain Surgery on Flies
At Stanford, brain surgery is a task that can now be delegated to the robots—at least when it comes to fruit fly research.... READ ON
IKEA Might Release an Official Furniture Hack Kit
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Scientists Say They've Found a New Species of Human Ancestor
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430,000-Year-Old Skull Could Feature Oldest Evidence of Murder
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Rare Copy of “The Bell Jar” Up for Auction
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Historical Portraits Created From Trash
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Why Do Two Buses Arrive at My Stop at Once?
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Amazonian Trees Are Arranged by Chemistry
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We Mimic the Speech Patterns of People We Agree With
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NASA's 46-Year-Old Floating Poop Mystery
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Where Does the Hashtag (a.k.a. Octothorpe) Come From?
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This is What the World Looked Like to Columbus
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Scientists Swap Genders of Disease-Carrying Mosquitos
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This Table Sucks Up Heat to Lower Your Electric Bills
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Mind-Controlled Robotic Arm Helps Paralyzed Man Drink Beer, Make Smoothies
Erik Sorto can drink beer just by thinking about it.... READ ON
Hyenas Are Way Friendlier Than You Think
... READ ON
The First Plastic Billiard Balls Routinely Exploded
When you played billiards during the early days of plastic, you took your life into your hands.... READ ON
14 Fascinating Facts About Ocean Sunfish
The Mola mola—which looks like a prehistoric shark that lost a tail in an epic battle—might be the world's weirdest fish. Here are just a few reasons it's the most fascinating marine creature around.... READ ON
One Species of Wolf Spider Can Purr to Potential Mates
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An Earth Flag for When We Claim Other Planets
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Human Ancestors Made Tools 3.3 Million Years Ago
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Accurately Painting 3D-Printed Objects By Dipping Them in Water
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SpaceX Travel Posters Sell The Perfect Mars Vacation
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Horses Whinny in Two Different Frequencies to Convey Emotion
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The Nightmare Is Real: It's Raining Spiders in Australia
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15 Ideas That Have Helped Shape American Cities
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This Sweater Is Also a Physical Therapist
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Living Bio-Concrete Can Heal Itself
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There Are Genetic Differences Between Early Risers and Night Owls
Not a morning person? Here's your excuse.... READ ON
Sunset on Mars Is Blue
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Leprosy Probably Came to the UK with a Scandinavian Man
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Scientists Discover the First Warm-Blooded Fish
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How Do You Clean an $8.8 Billion Telescope? With High-Speed Snowballs
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This Cat Purrs So Loud He Broke a World Record
... READ ON
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