CurioWire publishes fresh curiosities from science, history, nature, technology, space, culture and more. Each day we share short, fascinating stories, unusual discoveries and remarkable facts from around the world. Explore daily curiosities and discover something new.
This article highlights how instruments built for practical or unrelated scientific purposes unexpectedly produced major discoveries in astronomy, physics, and Earth science.
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Klondike gold miners thawing Yukon permafrost for gold accidentally exposed and recovered Ice Age animal remains, including mammoth bones and tusks.
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Lonnie Johnson turned an accidental water blast from a home heat-pump experiment into the Super Soaker, a pressurized water gun he licensed and helped bring to market.
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Zebra mussels were accidentally introduced to the Great Lakes and rapidly became an invasive species that clogged infrastructure and disrupted freshwater ecosystems.
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