Cool Finds

Cool Finds

American Bugs Almost Wiped Out France’s Wine Industry

When the Great French Wine Blight hit in the mid 1800s, the culprit turned out to be a pest from the New World that would forever alter wine production

March 19, 2015

Cool Finds

How an Early 19th Century Journalist Took Lincoln to Task for Travel Reimbursement

Lincoln was a congress member at the time but not the only one charging too much for travel

March 17, 2015

Cool Finds

Watch a Drone Explore the World’s Largest Cave

Vietnam’s Son Doong cave is a magnificent not-so-microcosm

March 17, 2015

The World of Chocolate

A Special Facility in England Keeps the World’s Chocolate Safe

The cocoa tree is very sensitive to disease and pests, so someone checks every plant bound for international trade

March 16, 2015

Cool Finds

Here’s How to Lay Claim to a Brand New Island

It’s pretty complicated (surprise!)

March 16, 2015

Cool Finds

The Children’s Book That Caused Japan’s Raccoon Problem

When the story of one man’s childhood pet raccoon became a hit in 1970s Japan, it heralded a biological invasion still troubling the country today

March 16, 2015

Cool Finds

Will 2015 Be the Best Mushroom Year Ever?

Canada braces itself for the biggest morel mushroom harvest in world history

March 16, 2015

Cool Finds

Scientists Have Been Studying Two Fake Human Pheromones for Decades

Two chemicals provided by a perfume company appear in a 1991 research paper and side-track years of work on human pheromones

March 13, 2015

Cool Finds

There’s an Invader in the International Space Station

An Invader mosaic has found its way to space

March 13, 2015

Cool Finds

Would You Pass Thomas Edison’s Employment Test?

Probably not.

March 13, 2015

Cool Finds

When Breathtaking Rock Billboards Dominated the Sunset Strip

A new exhibition showcases the Sunset Strip’s “rock ‘n’ roll billboards”

March 12, 2015

Cool Finds

Celebrating the Women of the Supreme Court With LEGOs

What better way to hail the female trailblazers of the bench than miniaturizing them into tiny toys?

March 11, 2015

Cool Finds

When Even the Simplest Word Looks Weird And Wrong You Have Wordnesia

We don’t really know why it happens, but at least there is a term for it

March 11, 2015

Cool Finds

Our Brains Hate Waiting So We Sped Up Everything Else

Sidewalk rage, road rage and anger at slow-loading web pages are all part of our evolutionary inheritance

March 10, 2015

Cool Finds

Catch a Glimpse of the Zodiacal Light Show This Month

For some in the northern hemisphere, a celestial treat sometimes referred to as “false dusk” is lighting up the night

March 10, 2015

Cool Finds

How Long Do Cultural References Last?

Not forever

March 9, 2015

Cool Finds

This Treehouse Has It All

Salvaged fence boards, given new life, help Jay Nelson create dwellings that blend with nature

March 6, 2015

Cool Finds

This Is Next-Level Origami

From dancing cranes to protective structures, origami is popping up in science and tech

March 6, 2015

Cool Finds

St. Barts Is Like the Galapagos for Linguistic Diversity

Beyond the glitz of tourism, St. Barts natives speak in unique varieties of French

March 5, 2015

Cool Finds

Rain Took This Fruit Bat’s Happy Away, a Banana Gave it Back

An Australia-dwelling flying fox needed rescue after rains drove it to search for food

March 5, 2015