Dark factories in China are fully roboticized and automated. Because they operate without human workers, traditional lighting is not needed.

What did John Pershing, Kit Carson, and Billy the Kid have in common? At one point in their lives, they each called Fort Stanton, New Mexico, home.

When carving Mount Rushmore, Luigi Del Bianco was promoted to chief carver by designer Gutzon Borglum and got to patch a crack in Jefferson’s lip, and to add expressive details to the presidents’ faces and eyes.

In Japan, you’re likely to see yellow, tactile paving blocks on streets. Known as Tenji blocks, they help visually impaired people who navigate with a cane. First created in 1965 by Seiichi Miyake, they have also been adopted by the UK, Australia, and the U.S., among other countries.

The swallowtail butterfly caterpillar is disguised as bird droppings to camouflage itself from predators.

This article appears in April 25 • 2025.

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