Surprising facts, every one sourced · factsmate

◆ Fact of the day

Volcanoes are ranked on a scale where each step is ten times bigger

The Volcanic Explosivity Index runs 0 to 8, and a VEI 8 supereruption is a thousand times the size of a VEI 5.

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Today’s mix

Technology Engineering

Roman concrete heals its own cracks — and we only just learned how

65 sec read

Culture & Arts Art

Picasso and Braque made Cubist works so alike that experts still can't always tell them apart

75 sec read

Geography Countries

Only two countries are landlocked inside landlocked countries

40 sec read

Earth & Climate Weather & Climate

We've watched CO₂ rise every year since 1958

70 sec read

Nature & Animals Microbes

Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth

40 sec read

Geography Cities

Istanbul straddles two continents

40 sec read