Mental Floss

NEWS



Grab your magnifying glass.

We give you an obscure word with four definitions—one correct, three made up. Can you identify the correct one?

Ellen Gutoskey


A supermarket poultry case containing packages of raw chicken.

Salmonella, norovirus, and other germs are often found in raw poultry and fresh produce—and can find their way into your digestive system. Here’s what to know about the symptoms and treatments for food poisoning.

Jake Rossen




A male cardinal.

These crested songbirds add a welcome dash of color to yards throughout much of the United States. Let’s get a little better acquainted with our rosy, non-migratory neighbors.

Mark Mancini






See if you can figure out this twisted tune.

It’s time to play Tune Twist, where we translate the lyrics of popular songs into multiple languages and then back into English. Can you figure out what the song is, or who performed it?

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Westsylvania is just one state that never made the cut.

The road to our 50 states is littered with wannabe territories that couldn't wait to be admitted to the union, but never quite got there. Here are 12 states that could have been.

M Asher Cantrell