Topic

Oddities & Curiosities

A collection of 42 issues

The Fungal Puppeteer: Inside the World of Real-Life Zombie Ants

The Ophiocordyceps fungus infects carpenter ants, controlling their bodies to find an ideal location for spore dispersal. After a final "death grip," the fungus consumes the host and erupts from its head, a chillingly precise cycle of parasitic replication.

The Dutch King's Secret Double Life as a Commercial Airline Pilot

For 21 years, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands secretly worked as a commercial airline pilot for KLM. Unbeknownst to passengers, he flew Fokker 70 and Boeing 737 jets as a 'guest pilot,' a hobby he called essential for his focus and relaxation.

The Endearing Legacy of Sweden's Laughing Lion

In 18th-century Sweden, a taxidermist who had never seen a lion was tasked with preserving one. Working only from its skeleton and stylized heraldic art, he created the Gripsholm Lion—a famously inaccurate and comical creature now cherished as a historical oddity.

Tornado Eyebrows and the Art of First Impressions

The Frozen Throne: How Norway Became the Unlikely Pizza Capital of the World

When you think of pizza-loving nations, Italy or the U.S. come to mind. Surprisingly, the country that eats the most pizza per capita is Norway. This is largely fueled by the nation's immense affection for frozen pizza, which is a cultural staple for gatherings, especially on 'Fredagskos'.

The Canoe Man's Ghost: How a Faked Death and a Panama Photo Unraveled a Bizarre Lie

In 2002, British prison officer John Darwin faked his death in a canoe accident to escape debt. For years, he lived secretly next door to his wife, Anne, who claimed his life insurance. Their new life in Panama unraveled when a 2006 photo of them surfaced, exposing their audacious lie.

The Unstopping Photon: Why Light's Journey Never Truly Ends

Light travels indefinitely in a vacuum until it interacts with an object. The reason a flashlight beam seems to fade isn't because the light stops, but because it spreads out over a larger area. This unstoppable nature allows us to see galaxies that are billions of light-years away.

A Prehistoric Masquerade: The Strange Case of the Trilobite Beetle

The Trilobite Beetle, found in Southeast Asian rainforests, is a living fossil with a 47-million-year-old lineage. It displays extreme sexual dimorphism: males are typical beetles, but the much larger females retain their larval, trilobite-like form for life, a rare trait called neoteny.

More Gigs, No Games: Why Your 16GB Smartphone Chokes on the 256MB PlayStation 3

Modern phones boast more RAM than older consoles like the PlayStation 3, but can't run its games. The reason lies in architecture and heat. The PS3 used a unique, hyper-specialized processor for gaming, while phones use efficient, all-purpose chips, making emulation a monumental task.