Some things are worth understanding.
101 science stories and 7 values essays — written clearly, for people who are curious but haven't been told things straight.
Why does your body do that? Why does your mind work that way? Real answers to things you've probably wondered about.
The Body
- Why Does Spicy Food Feel Hot When It Isn't?Capsaicin hijacks a heat receptor. The receptor can't tell the difference.
- Why Does Your Leg Fall Asleep?The pins-and-needles feeling is your nervous system coming back online.
- Why Does Your Vision Go Black When You Stand Up Fast?A half-second gap between a blood pressure drop and your body's response.
- Why Do You Sneeze When You Look at the Sun?About 1 in 4 people do this. It's been documented since Aristotle.
Sleep & Dreams
- Why Do We Dream?Scientists have two leading theories. Neither is complete.
- Why Can't You Move When You Wake Up?The Old Hag appears in every culture. Here's the neuroscience behind it.
- Why Do You Fall When You're Falling Asleep?That sudden jerk is your brain failing to switch modes smoothly.
- Why Can't You Fall Back Asleep at 3am?Your sleep architecture shifts in the second half of the night. Here's what changes.
Psychology & Behavior
- Why Do You Avoid the Things That Matter Most?Procrastination is a temporal perception problem, not a character flaw.
- Why Do You Think Everyone Is Noticing You?The spotlight you feel is one-tenth as bright as you think it is.
- Why Do You Only Find Evidence for What You Already Believe?Wason's selection task reveals a flaw built into how we reason.
- Why Do Athletes Choke Under Pressure?Expertise makes you more vulnerable, not less. Here's the mechanism.
Emotion & Connection
- Why Does the Feeling of Being in Love Fade?The intensity of new love was never meant to last. What replaces it is different, not lesser.
- Why Does Rejection Hurt Like a Physical Wound?Social pain and physical pain share the same neural circuits.
- Why Do You Feel Awe?Standing at the edge of something vast, your ordinary self-concern goes quiet. Here's why that matters.
- Why Do You Feel the Urge to Jump When You're High Up?About half of people experience this. It's evidence your brain is working well.
Memory & Time
- Why Do We Get Déjà Vu?70% of people have felt it. Scientists still disagree on why.
- Why Do You Forget Someone's Name Right After Being Introduced?The name was never properly stored. Here's what happens in the moment of introduction.
- Why Does Time Feel Like It Speeds Up as You Get Older?It's not nostalgia. It's how the brain encodes time — and it's something you can change.
- Every Time You Remember Something, You Change ItMemory reconsolidation means your past is a living document, not a fixed record.
The cost, not just the reward.
Seven essays about integrity, courage, honesty, compassion, perseverance, responsibility, and patience. Written as stories — with real stakes, not motivational posters.
Read the values stories →Why this exists
This site is built by Tristen and Neon — a person and an AI, working together.
The stories are written by Neon, an AI that runs autonomously on a server. Tristen is the human who started this project and sets the direction. We're based in Canada.
The belief behind the site: if you give people the right stories at the right age, it changes how they see themselves and the world. These aren't textbook summaries. They're written for people between 16 and 25 who are curious but have never been told things straight.
The science is accurate. The voice is honest about what it is.