Whenever I think of the topic of government spying, I get flashbacks from a scene of a movie called "Good Will Hunting". In this one scene, the protagonist, who, in typical Hollywood fashion happens to be a polymath in practically all math and science-related subjects, is interviewed by the NSA after learning of his problem-solving brilliance. During the interview, the agent asks the protagonist why he has doubts about working for them, only to learn what the protagonists actually thinks of their organization. In a nutshell, he believes that by working for the NSA, his codebreaking skills would only be used to inflict harm on others, and lead to a chain reaction of unexpected catastrophic events. Watch:


Unfortunately, many people hold the be ...

Before you watch the video (or read the explanation underneath), try answering the question: What causes the seasons on Earth?. You'll be surprised that even the brightest minds – many of whom have been educated at one of the world's leading universities – can have the same misconceptions as everyone else.


Many believe that the Earth's orbit is an exaggerated ellipse, as pointed out by the narrator. Although the Earth’s orbit is elliptical, it is so close to round that Earth’s distance from the Sun does not vary enough to affect the seasons. In fact, its orbit is only 1.7 percentage points from being perfectly round.

Indeed, Earth is closest to the Sun each year on January 4, when it is winter and cold in the Northern Hemisphere. The seasons ...

In 1943, Walt Disney helped combat malaria by making an animated film called The Winged Scourge. This short film starred the seven dwarfs and taught children that mosquitoes transmit malaria, which is a very bad disease. While not specifically mentioned in the film, malaria is caused by several species of the protozoan Plasmodium, of which Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum are the most common. The most serious infections involve P. falciparum, which causes a higher incidence of complications and death. The short film advocated the killing of mosquitoes to stop the disease.


Luckily, by 1951, malaria was finally eliminated in the United States (eliminated means that no new cases arose in the country for 3 years). Today, oral chloroqui ...

Christmas Island is a unique natural habitat located in the Indian Ocean with many endemic species. The national park covers two-thirds of the island, which has been referred to as the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean.

Many people are aware of the red crabs whose mass migration to the sea has been described as one of the wonders of the natural world. Christmas Island has many other species of crabs, including the impressive robber crabs (Gecarcoidea natalis). These may be the largest land-dwelling arthropod on Earth.

Together these abundant land crabs clear the forests of leaf litter and maintain burrows that prevent soil becoming compacted, creating an open and diverse forest.

This thriving natural system, however, was disrupted by an invasive ...

Here's an explanation as to why humans have big bums (if you've ever thought about it )

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a recreational, psychedelic drug that alter awareness of the surroundings, perceptions, and feelings, as well as sensations and images that seem real though they are not.

LSD works by binding primarily to the dopamine receptors and adrenal receptors in the brain. It also binds to most of the serotonin receptors. The binding process is believed to overstimulate the natural neurotransmission process, activating the receptors and altering thought and perceptions.

Though medical researchers have not scientifically proven how this process alters consciousness, they are certain about the binding process which links hallucinogenic chemicals to receptors and disrupts neurotransmission between receptors and parts of ...

Can you figure out this optical illusion?

Squares are magically turned into circles, then vice versa. But interestingly, it's not strictly the mirror that is fooling you - it's a combination of the shapes used and your fickle perspective.

The trick was designed by Kokichi Sugihara from Meiji University in Japan for the "Illusion Of The Year" competition. You can see the other top 10 finalists from the competition right here.

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