Every claim / Graded by its evidence
Strange questions. Real evidence.
One question that sounds like science fiction, but has a real scientific background
The name promises strange ideas and evidence that makes them real.
- 01The UniverseCosmology and physics at the edge: the cosmic web, the multiverse, how the universe could end.
- 02Life and EvolutionWhat life actually is, what aliens would likely look like, the strange tricks organisms use to survive.
- 03Mind and RealityPerception, consciousness, the self, the simulation question.
- 04The Human FutureLongevity, DNA as data storage, brain-computer interfaces, AI and what it does to being human.
- 05Strange But TrueShort facts from nature and history that sound impossible and are documented.
Strange But True
Scan the solar system
Drag the scan window across the planets, or click a numbered spot.Tap a numbered spot, or tap a planet to move the scan window there. Each spot holds one documented fact.
01 · The Sun
About 1.3 million Earths could fit inside the Sun. Its light takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach us.
02 · Mercury
With almost no atmosphere to hold heat, Mercury swings from about 800°F in daylight to about −290°F at night.
03 · The Moon
Laser beams bounced off mirrors that Apollo astronauts left on the Moon show it drifting about 1.5 inches farther from Earth every year.
04 · Jupiter
The Great Red Spot is a storm wider than Earth, and astronomers have watched it for more than 150 years.
05 · Saturn
Saturn is less dense than water. Its rings are made mostly of water ice and in most places are only about 30 feet thick.