Why we mishear song lyrics and invent mondegreens
Almost everyone has had the moment where a friend swears a line says one thing, and you’re sure it says another.
The dancing plague that seized Strasbourg in the 16th century
A crowd that can’t stop moving It’s hard to imagine a problem where the danger is simply. dancing.
How moss chooses the perfect sidewalk crack to colonize
Not one sidewalk, but a pattern you can spot You see it in a lot of places, not just one famous street: along Seattle sidewalks after a long wet season.
The pig put on trial before a medieval French court
A pig in the dock It feels like a joke until you look at the paperwork.
How cicadas synchronize by listening to the ground
On warm nights when cicadas are out, the sound can tighten into a steady pulse, like the insects are keeping time together.