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Popped popcorn next to several unpopped kernels, known in the popcorn industry as "old maids." Science

Why Some Popcorn Kernels Never Pop, Explained

Unpopped "old maids" aren't random. A Purdue food chemist found the difference between a good popper and a dud comes down to moisture and a kernel's cellulose hull.

29 Jul 2026, 09:24

Why Movie Credits Grew From a Single Card to a 10-Minute Scroll
Culture · 09:24

Katabatic Winds, Explained: Why Antarctica Is Earth's Windiest Place
Climate · 09:24

Discharge Petitions, Explained: The Tool Surging Past Mike Johnson
Politics · 09:24

Latest

Interior of a classic movie theater auditorium with rows of seats facing the screen.

Why Movie Theaters Dim the Lights Slowly, Not All at Once
Culture  · 28 Jul 2026
Reporters watch news coverage of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake and one-meter tsunami advisory in southern Japan, from an office in Tokyo on July 28, 2026. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images.

Why Some Earthquakes Come in Swarms, Not One Big Shock
Science  · 28 Jul 2026
A semaglutide injection pen, the type of GLP-1 medication affected by the FDA's compounding proposal.

FDA's Compounded Semaglutide Ban, Explained: What Changes for Patients
Health  · 28 Jul 2026
The U.S. Capitol building, where Congress votes on Congressional Review Act resolutions of disapproval.

The Congressional Review Act, Explained: How Congress Kills Federal Rules
Politics  · 28 Jul 2026
A side-by-side comparison of a healing wound and the pale, mature scar it became roughly a year later.

Why Do Scars Turn White as They Heal?
Health  · 27 Jul 2026
A 45 rpm single from the 1950s, the small-format record RCA Victor introduced to compete with Columbia's slower-spinning LP.

Why Vinyl Records Spin at Two Different Speeds
Culture  · 27 Jul 2026
Hurricane Florence's eye photographed from the International Space Station in 2018, shortly before the storm stalled over the Carolinas.

Why Do Hurricanes Stall Over Land? The Science, Explained
Climate  · 27 Jul 2026
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, who has defended the century-old blue-slip tradition against pressure to eliminate it.

The Senate Blue Slip, Explained: The Custom Trump Wants Gone
Politics  · 27 Jul 2026
Interior cabin of an EasyJet Airbus A319 passenger plane during flight

Why Bluetooth Still Works in Airplane Mode
Tech  · 26 Jul 2026

World

More World →
Tynwald Hill in St John's, Isle of Man, the site of the island's centuries-old open-air parliamentary ceremony.

The Isle of Man Belongs to Neither the UK Nor the EU
World  · 22 Jul 2026
The ceremonial marker at the South Pole surrounded by the flags of the twelve original signatory nations of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty.

Why Antarctica Has 10 Time Zones and No Government to Set Them
World  · 21 Jul 2026
A view of downtown Pristina, Kosovo's capital, which has functioned as a de facto national capital since the 2008 declaration of independence.

Why Kosovo Still Isn't a Member of the United Nations
World  · 19 Jul 2026
View of Mount Titano and the city of San Marino.

Why San Marino Never Joined the EU That Surrounds It
World  · 18 Jul 2026

Business

More Business →
Illustration representing a pending card transaction moving toward final settlement.

Why a Pending Charge Can Vanish, Then Come Back as a New One
Business  · 21 Jul 2026
A gas station fuel pump, where card networks allow holds of up to $175 per transaction.

Why Your Card's 'Pending' Charge Is Never the Final Amount
Business  · 21 Jul 2026
A credit union branch, the type of institution most likely to offer a seasonal skip-a-payment program to members in good standing.

What a 'Skip-a-Payment' Program Actually Costs You
Business  · 19 Jul 2026
A shopper enters a credit card number to complete an online purchase, the kind of checkout screen where buy now, pay later options now appear.

Does Buy Now, Pay Later Use a Hard or Soft Credit Check?
Business  · 19 Jul 2026

Tech

More Tech →
Interior cabin of an EasyJet Airbus A319 passenger plane during flight

Why Bluetooth Still Works in Airplane Mode
Tech  · 26 Jul 2026
Close-up of a USB-C cable connector, where the e-marker chip is embedded inside the plug.

The E-Marker Chip Inside Your USB-C Cable, Explained
Tech  · 21 Jul 2026
A Netgear Nighthawk dual-band wireless router.

Why 5GHz Wi-Fi Is Faster but Doesn't Reach as Far
Tech  · 20 Jul 2026
A fingerprint scanner used to unlock a smartphone with biometric authentication, the same mechanism that underlies many passkey logins.

What Happens to Your Passkeys If You Lose Your Phone
Tech  · 19 Jul 2026

Health

More Health →
A semaglutide injection pen, the type of GLP-1 medication affected by the FDA's compounding proposal.

FDA's Compounded Semaglutide Ban, Explained: What Changes for Patients
Health  · 28 Jul 2026
A side-by-side comparison of a healing wound and the pale, mature scar it became roughly a year later.

Why Do Scars Turn White as They Heal?
Health  · 27 Jul 2026
A blurred, multiple-exposure photo of a woman pressing a hand to her face, evoking the disorientation of motion sickness, which affects some people far more than others.

Why Some People Get Motion Sick and Others Almost Never Do
Health  · 22 Jul 2026
A mosquito feeding on human skin, illustrating how mosquitoes locate and bite their targets.

Why Mosquitoes Bite Some People More Than Others
Health  · 21 Jul 2026

Sports

More Sports →
An F1 car in the garage during a weight and technical check after a Grand Prix.

Why F1 Drivers Get Weighed After Every Race
Sports  · 22 Jul 2026
Panoramic view of the Alpe d'Huez switchback climb in the French Alps, the hors catégorie finish of the Tour de France's queen stage.

Hors Catégorie, Explained: The Formula Behind Tour de France Climbs
Sports  · 21 Jul 2026
Larry Bird driving to the basket for the Boston Celtics during the 1985 NBA playoffs.

NBA Bird Rights, Explained: The Rule Built for Larry Bird
Sports  · 19 Jul 2026
A close-up of the Stanley Cup trophy.

The NHL's New Playoff Cap, Explained: The Loophole Three Cup Runs Built
Sports  · 18 Jul 2026

Politics

More Politics →
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson meets with reporters at the Capitol as Republicans clash over discharge petitions forcing votes he opposes.

Discharge Petitions, Explained: The Tool Surging Past Mike Johnson
Politics  · 29 Jul 2026
The U.S. Capitol building, where Congress votes on Congressional Review Act resolutions of disapproval.

The Congressional Review Act, Explained: How Congress Kills Federal Rules
Politics  · 28 Jul 2026
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, who has defended the century-old blue-slip tradition against pressure to eliminate it.

The Senate Blue Slip, Explained: The Custom Trump Wants Gone
Politics  · 27 Jul 2026
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., speaking to reporters about using reconciliation to pass voter ID provisions.

The Byrd Rule, Explained: Why a Voter ID Bill May Not Survive
Politics  · 23 Jul 2026

Science

More Science →
Popped popcorn next to several unpopped kernels, known in the popcorn industry as "old maids."

Why Some Popcorn Kernels Never Pop, Explained
Science  · 29 Jul 2026
Reporters watch news coverage of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake and one-meter tsunami advisory in southern Japan, from an office in Tokyo on July 28, 2026. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images.

Why Some Earthquakes Come in Swarms, Not One Big Shock
Science  · 28 Jul 2026
Close-up of a Mimosa pudica sensitive plant with its leaflets folded closed

Why Some Plants Close Their Leaves Every Night
Science  · 26 Jul 2026
NASA visualization of the Schumann resonance, the electromagnetic cavity formed between Earth's surface and the ionosphere.

The Schumann Resonance, Explained: Real Physics Behind a Wellness Myth
Science  · 25 Jul 2026

Culture

More Culture →
A view of the scrolling closing credits for 2021's "Dune," which ran nearly eight minutes.

Why Movie Credits Grew From a Single Card to a 10-Minute Scroll
Culture  · 29 Jul 2026
Interior of a classic movie theater auditorium with rows of seats facing the screen.

Why Movie Theaters Dim the Lights Slowly, Not All at Once
Culture  · 28 Jul 2026
A 45 rpm single from the 1950s, the small-format record RCA Victor introduced to compete with Columbia's slower-spinning LP.

Why Vinyl Records Spin at Two Different Speeds
Culture  · 27 Jul 2026
Interior of an IMAX Dome theater showing the large curved screen wrapping around the seating area

Why IMAX Screens Are Curved (and Some Aren't)
Culture  · 26 Jul 2026

Climate

More Climate →
Blowing snow reduces visibility at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, during a Condition 2 wind event.

Katabatic Winds, Explained: Why Antarctica Is Earth's Windiest Place
Climate  · 29 Jul 2026
Hurricane Florence's eye photographed from the International Space Station in 2018, shortly before the storm stalled over the Carolinas.

Why Do Hurricanes Stall Over Land? The Science, Explained
Climate  · 27 Jul 2026
NASA satellite thermal image comparing the urban heat island intensity of Buffalo, New York, and Providence, Rhode Island, color-coded from blue (cooler) to yellow (hotter)

Why Nighttime Heat Is Rising Faster Than Daytime Highs in US Cities
Climate  · 26 Jul 2026
Ground crews battling heavy winds and dry conditions on the East Evans Creek Fire in Oregon, July 2026.

Wildfire Preparedness Level 5, Explained: Why the Alarm Just Maxed Out
Climate  · 25 Jul 2026