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Hodge, Samuel Johnson’s Cat With a Taste for Oysters
A cat, a dictionary and a pair of oyster shells share a London monument. The most revealing part of Hodge's story is who went shopping.
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CuriositiesWhat Is Catatumbo Lightning? Venezuela’s Remarkably Persistent Storms
Discover why Lake Maracaibo is a lightning hotspot, what the satellite measurements mean, and why its recurring storms…
CuriositiesWhat Causes Déjà Vu? Familiarity, Memory and the Limits of What We Know
Explore experiments on familiarity, memory and feelings of prediction, plus when frequent or unusual déjà vu deserves medical…
CuriositiesWhy Does Time Feel Faster as You Get Older? What Studies Actually Find
Time can seem to speed up with age, but studies show a more varied picture. Compare the evidence…
CuriositiesWhat Is Ball Lightning? Reports, Experiments, and an Unsolved Mystery
Explore ball lightning sightings, silicon and plasma models, the 2012 spectral recording, and what researchers can—and cannot—conclude.
CuriositiesWhat Are Sailing Stones? How Thin Ice Moves Death Valley’s Rocks
Discover how wind, shallow water, and thin ice move the sailing stones of Death Valley, what the 2013…
CuriositiesThe History of Knocker-Uppers: Britain’s Human Alarm Clocks
Meet Britain’s knocker-uppers: human alarm clocks with poles and pea shooters, preserved in film and local history. What…
CuriositiesWhy Do We Get Goosebumps? Cold, Emotion and a Hair-Raising Reflex
Why cold and emotion can raise your hairs, how musical chills differ from goosebumps, and what mouse research…
CuriositiesThe History of Black Cat Superstitions: Sacred Images, Sea Stories, and Halloween
Explore black cat folklore through museum objects, witch-trial records, sailors’ stories, and shelter studies, without the familiar historical…
Showing 9 of 52 posts