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ScienceClock

Science stories that make you say, "Wait, that's real?"

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The First Vending Machine Was Built Nearly 2,000 Years Ago

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Hero of Alexandria invented the world's first known vending machine.

The Man Who Gave Life to 4 Billion People and Killed Millions

The complex legacy of the chemist behind synthetic fertilizer and chemical weapons.

CAPTCHA: The Annoying “I’m Not a Robot” Test That Stole Your Labor

The hidden story of how a simple security test became a vast source of human-labeled data for AI.

The Baboon Who Worked as a Railway Signalman for 9 Years

For nine years, a chacma baboon operated railway signals at a South African station, and by every account, he never made a mistake.

The Invention That Allegedly Cost a Man His Head

The remarkable story behind Rome's flexible glass legend.

Sir Isaac Newton: The Secret Midnight Detective

Newton spent decades chasing counterfeiters and protecting England's currency.

Grauballe Man

The Man Whose Fingerprints Survived 2,300 Years

A Man Convinced an AI Chatbot to Sell Him a $76,000 SUV for $1

A ChatGPT-powered chatbot agreed to sell an SUV for $1.

The Pilot Who Was Sucked Out of His Plane’s Front Window

On June 10, 1990, British Airways Flight 5390 was a scheduled flight from Birmingham to Málaga, Spain, when the aircraft suffered an explosive decompression (a sudden, violent loss of cabin pressure) over Didcot, England.

Greek Fire: The Ancient Flamethrower

The Byzantines used a flamethrower-like weapon so effective that nobody could successfully copy it.