Bright Side

Whether you’re into useful tips for self-improvement, psychology, recent discoveries, mysterious stories, or just your day-to-day routine, there’s something for everyone! You can expect all that and more coming at you in five new episodes every day. If you’ve got a thirst for knowledge that never quits, then join our community! We have a good time, so take your shoes off, kick back, and make yourself at home here on the Bright Side of life!

Education
Self-Improvement
Science
4851
Eerie Sounds from Mount Everest What's Really H...
Mountains don't make sounds, or do they? Get ready for this: Mount Everest has a secret nighttime symphony! And this mysterious “music” will send shivers down your spine. When darkness falls over the Himalayas, a strange eerie chorus echoes through the glaciers surrounding the majestic peak. A team of researchers embarked on a quest to unravel the mystery.
8 min
4852
5 Spots in Our Solar System That Might Host Life
We may not need to leave our own Solar System to look for any sign of life outside of Earth. Icy moons could rewrite cosmic history with oceans sandwiched between an ice crust and a hot planetary core! Something unexpected happened in 2005 – while visiting Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft flew through a fine water mist. Cassini wasn’t built to sample water, but it was still encouraging for scientists to discover something like that. And it's not the only space object that could be fit for life.
7 min
4853
32 Rare Facts You Wouldn't Guess About Differen...
With these cool facts about different countries, you will never be without a good story at a party. There are almost 200 countries in the world, and each one is unique! Some have legendary athletes. Other places are home to animals that don't live anywhere else. Some states have an unusual geographic position. And in others, people can enjoy 1,500 varieties of bread! Did you know, for example, that Brazil has won the most FIFA World Cups in history? Or that in Australia, some roads are so long and boring people install signs to entertain drivers? These signs can contain images of rich local fauna or trivia questions. They keep you alert, which can save your life in a fatigue zone!
10 min
4854
30+ Facts You'll Only Find in Japan
What makes Japan a unique country? It has many things in common with other Asian countries. But it's also similar to Europe and even the US in many ways. However, as an island nation with a long history of isolation, it's developed many aspects of culture unaffected by outside influence. For example, there're certain types of spa in Japan that offer Ramen Noodle baths to its visitors. The procedure is said to have multiple benefits from metabolism boost to smoothness due to collagen contained in pork broth. Wow what an experience! Meanwhile, the person who puts his/her hand on top of a handshake is trying to show you who's the boss. So a handshake isn't that simple.
19 min
4855
9 Lazy Ways To Burn Calories Without Breaking A...
We all know that weight loss requires a lot of hard work. However, several studies have shown that if we change some of our habits we can actually lose those pounds without too much effort. For example, when you're in the shower, sing a song or two. A 10-minute-long concert will help you drop around 20 calories depending on how much you weigh. Or did you know that your metabolism loves a good joke and starts working more intensively? Plus, it works out different muscles, tones your tummy and boosts your immune system! If you don’t get enough good sleep, your metabolism slows down and your appetite grows strong. The exact number of calories you burn while sleeping depends on your weight and age. But taking care of your sleep quality is good for everyone. So buy yourself a better mattress, put away all your gadgets before bed, and stick to a healthy sleeping schedule! And a relaxing hot bath is just as good for losing weight as a 30-minute walk. But there are other ways to lose excess fat. We invite you to try these cool tricks to lose weight naturally.
8 min
4856
Could We Survive on a Jupiter-Sized Planet?
Jupiter is a planet so big that I bet you can't even imagine its scale: its radius is about 11 times the radius of Earth. But what if our planet increased in size and became just as large as Jupiter? The first thing we'd notice is a huge change in gravity. Scientists say we can actually survive on a planet with greater gravity, but only if it's less than 5 times stronger than what we have now. What would life be like on that huge new planet?
9 min
4857
Is This Mysterious Rock Actually from Space?
In 2004, a man from New Mexico found a strange stone 11 miles from Roswell. The rock had the same mysterious pattern on it as the crop circle in Chiseldon found several years before that. The rock rotated counterclockwise when people put the magnet next to its northern part, and in the opposite direction when they left the magnet near the southern side. Could this rock have come to Earth from a different planet? Let's try to solve the mystery of some really weird things found in different parts of the world.
8 min
4858
They Found Titanoboa in a Coal Mine
The discovery of Titanoboa, a giant snake that lived 60 million years ago, has led to speculation that snakes could grow to enormous sizes as the Earth's temperatures continue to rise. Some snakes, like the African rock python, are already large enough to pose a threat to humans.
8 min
4859
Why Are Insects in Australia So Big
If you're afraid of insects, Australia is unlikely your dream destination. The flying and crawling beasts that live there get huge as can be. But have you ever wondered what makes them such? Warmth plays a part in insect growth, but it's not the only factor at play. The warm, wet environment creates the perfect conditions for an all-you-can-eat insect buffet, which allows insects to grow and thrive over time. Let's see what else makes them grow so big
7 min
4860
WhatsApp Knows Who's Your Favorite Friend + 30 ...
Almost all of us have WhatsApp on our smartphones. But do we really use its full potential? You want to change the text style on WhatsApp? You don't want anybody to see your “last seen” time? You don’t want those blue “message read” ticks giving you away? Well, you can learn these and many more interesting hacks by just having a look at your Settings tab. Check if you are aware of some useful WhatsApp tricks and tips that make life a bit easier. For example, you can hide specific chats without deleting them altogether. Or you can hide your profile pic from anyone. Or if you have too many unread messages, you can quickly clear the count without opening and reading all of them. So, from managing your fonts to creating your own pack of stickers, here's a list of WhatsApp functions you should know about.Almost all of us have WhatsApp on our smartphones. But do we really use its full potential? You want to change the text style on WhatsApp? You don't want anybody to see your “last seen” time? You don’t want those blue “message read” ticks giving you away? Well, you can learn these and many more interesting hacks by just having a look at your Settings tab. Check if you are aware of some useful WhatsApp tricks and tips that make life a bit easier. For example, you can hide specific chats without deleting them altogether. Or you can hide your profile pic from anyone. Or if you have too many unread messages, you can quickly clear the count without opening and reading all of them. So, from managing your fonts to creating your own pack of stickers, here's a list of WhatsApp functions you should know about.
8 min
4861
What Would It Take to Make Mars Earth-Like
Are you dreaming about moving to Mars but doubt that you can survive without the basic things like water and air? Water actually did exist there: scientists believe that nearly ⅓ of the planet was covered with an ocean called Oceanus Borealis. But over time, the climatic conditions changed dramatically, and this once endless ocean simply evaporated into the atmosphere. The Red Planet may seem to us a lifeless desert where nothing can grow. But today it’s a misconception, as there’ve been a couple of recent updates concerning the agricultural potential of Mars.
9 min
4862
What If You Dive into a Liquid Methane Ocean
Imagine a world where instead of water, the oceans are made of methane. Instead of swimming in H2O, you'd be paddling around in fizzy CH4. Such oceans actually exist on one of Saturn's moons, called Titan. In fact, the methane and ethane on Titan play a similar role to the water on Earth: they cycle through the atmosphere and form clouds that eventually rain down onto the surface. Buy could humans survive there?
9 min
4863
What If You Accidentally Destroyed a Priceless ...
Museums have some priceless pieces of art that feel dangerously close to visitors. I mean, what if you accidentally break one of them or spill something on a painting worth millions? Back in 2010, there was this girl who was taking a class at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. While walking around, she tripped and fell right into a Picasso painting, which happened to be worth a staggering $130 million! The Museum let her go home without even charging her a penny for the repairs. But does it always work like this?
7 min
4864
Who Would Win: You VS. Neanderthal
Are modern humans the pinnacle of the food chain, the strongest and most intelligent creatures ever to walk this Earth? Maybe now, but once upon a time, we had some real competition: Neanderthals. Wait, like, cave people? Weren’t Neanderthals our ancestors? Nope! We came from the Cro-Magnon, which were early modern humans. Neanderthals were a separate branch of humans. Their DNA is even different from ours, so we can safely say that Neanderthals were a completely different species.
9 min
4865
What If You Lived Online for a Month
How to survive one month without home internet? Nah, it's not a very live issue right now. Let's talk about what would happen if you lived on the internet for a month! What would be it like to live completely online? So, imagine. Midnight. You’ve been lying in bed, scrolling your feed for the last half hour. Suddenly, one post grabs your attention. “Mass reports of people not being able to go offline,” it reads. Some sensation-hungry tabloid making a story again, no doubt. You shrug and put down the phone. Time to go to sleep. You wake up holding something in your hand. Your smartphone. Weird. You clearly remember putting it on the bedstand. You unlock it, and a post similar to the one yesterday pops up at once. “Thousands of people unable to put down their devices.” What’s that, some prank gone out of control? You press the screen lock button but nothing happens. You press it several more times, still to no effect. And then you realize you can’t move your eyes away from the screen...
11 min
4866
How the Mid-Victorians Lived || 15 Bizarre Facts
Would you like to spend one day with typical Londoners of the 19th century? You'll wake up using the services of knocker-uppers. These guys wandered the streets early in the morning and causally tapped on the window panes. For breakfast, you'd have bread, or sometimes porridge, depending on the area in England, and a barley drink which was believed to be packed with vitamins essential for another hard day. Next stop - work, but what would you wear?
8 min
4867
What Animals Work Harder Than Us
Do you know that feeling after a long day when you think, if only I was a bird, I could fly away from all this hard work? But some animals work way harder than people do. And while we humans get a choice, of having to work hard or not, most animals have no option. There’s just no time to rest if you want to survive in the wild! So what are the hardest working animals? For example, whether the honey bees like it or not, nature has made them into real hard workers. Every single hive is like a big, busy corporation, where every single bee has a special role to play. Earthworms spend their entire lives making tunnels in the soil. As for ants that have a reputation for being the most hard-working creatures in the world, they are ... real experts at being lazy! But the most amazing thing about these slackers is that they’re actually doing the right thing!
9 min
4868
Mysterious Doll Found in 1889 Baffles Scientist...
One little mystery that can change our whole idea of human evolution makes this little clay doll so unique. There's an area called Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument – it's close to the small town of Nampa in southwestern Idaho. Several workers drilled a pit about 300 feet deep – that's the height of the Statue of Liberty. Then, they found a small figurine of a human the size of a dime in 2-million-year-old clay. It prompts a question: what if Homo Sapiens had indeed walked around North America so long ago?
9 min
4869
Thousands of Fireballs Rise from This River, Bu...
A weird ball of fire appears out of nowhere in the sky above the Mekong River in Thailand. This mysterious phenomenon has baffled and amazed people for centuries. And if you think it's cool, what about a fire rainbow? This phenomenon has vibrant hues that resemble flames, with shades of red, orange, and yellow. And it's not the only unique gift from nature - let's discover them.
9 min
4870
The Statue of Liberty Disappeared Once And Othe...
The Statue of Liberty was created by the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. It took over $500,000 to build the Statue and the pedestal. In today’s money that’s about $10,000,000. The original plan was to get it ready by 1876, but the construction process turned out to be so complicated it took way longer than planned. The Statue arrived from France on June 17, 1885, in over 300 separate copper pieces. Btw, did you know that the Statue of Liberty nearly didn’t get built, and it could have ended up in Boston? In 1983, it disappeared for a few moments. And it hasn’t always been green. And although she’s a statue, Lady Liberty doesn’t always stand still! Let’s take a look at the secrets of the most popular landmark in the world. Here are a few interesting facts you may not have known about the Statue of Liberty.
7 min
4871
Asteroid Impacts: 9 Biggest Known Hits
Most of the debris burns up when it enters our atmosphere, and all we get is the bright blaze in the clear night sky because, from time to time, we see it as fleeting meteor showers. But sometimes a meteorite is tough enough to survive the atmosphere and large enough to leave a remarkable spot on our planet. Nestled in the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona, Barringer Crater is a rimmed pit in the shape of a bowl we also call Meteor Crater. South Africa has its own gem, too - Vredefort Crater, the largest and the oldest one in the world. Let’s take a look at some impressive craters around the world.
9 min
4872
The Rarest Things in Space You've Never Seen
In ancient times, people believed the Earth was flat and held up by three whales. Today we know about the Big Bang, black holes, and the awe-inspiring expanses of the Universe. Observing the night sky makes us feel truly humbled and tiny. Space captivates us, but using modern technologies, we can not only enjoy the stars but also can discover far-away galaxies. Of course, the Universe is mostly just lots of dark and empty space, but that's not the picture your mind paints when you think of it. You see bright stars, huge galaxies glittering with light, colorful gas clouds, and mysterious alien worlds. We’ve collected some of the coolest facts about the universe for you.
7 min
4873
The Only Town Where Everyone Lives Underground ...
It looks like any other desert at first glance. But look closer, and you’ll see… an entire underground town! Why would anybody want to live here, out in the middle of nowhere? What are they hiding, and could there be other strange cities like it? Back in 1915, a boy found an opal gemstone in the middle of the desert in South Australia. This discovery attracted attention to this place and changed its history. As soon as the miners arrived at Coober Pedy, they were met by a harsh unbearable climate. During the summer months, temperatures can exceed 100°F in the shade! There was no place to hide from the desert heat, except… underground. Let's know more about this unusual place and about some other weirdest cities in the world.
9 min
4874
20+ Signs Your Laptop Won't Last Any Longer
On Saturday evening, Mike turned on his laptop because he needed to use it on Monday and by that time it would be finally ready to function. If you feel his pain, you probably need a new laptop, too. Plus, there are some other warning signs you may need to replace your laptop. Do you feel embarrassed to take out your laptop in public because it’s so bulky? Anything that’s more than half an inch thick is a laptop that’s old. Do you have to wait for an hour for your laptop to go from sleep mode to ready? It might be a sign your laptop is nearing the end. Does it overheat? Does it sound more like a space ship than a computer? Here are 22 signs it's time for a new laptop!
8 min
4875
Empty Trains Run Every Day in the World, Here's...
From Monday through Saturday, at 5:16 P.M., a train takes off from Leeds and heads for the small English town of Snaith. At first, the cars will be jam-packed with people – the usual rush hour of a decent-sized city like Leeds. But with each stop along the way, you’ll notice fewer and fewer passengers on the train. Once you get to the final stop 55 minutes later, there will be no one else besides you. You get off the train at a station that’s equally as deserted. There are no vending machines or ticket offices, no parking lots, no taxies. It’s as if time has stood still. It’s quiet…and eerie.
9 min