Want to achieve your goals? The Finnish have a word for that.

Sisu is an ancient concept that is an integral part of Finland's national character.

An ultra trailer walks past the Mont Blanc at La Flegere path on September 2, 2018 near Chamonix, as he competes during 170 km Mount Blanc Ultra Trail (UTMB) race around the Mont-Blanc, crossing France, Italy and Switzerland. (Photo by Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images)
  • Sisu is an important Finnish concept that helps natives tap into an "unexplored inner strength."
  • Researcher Emilia Lahti surveyed over 1,000 Finnish citizens to discover what the term means to them.
  • Lahti discovered her own sisu when completing 50 ultramarathons in 50 consecutive days to fight domestic violence.
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Personal Growth

Did ancient cave artists share a global language?

The same 32 symbols show up in prehistoric European cave art.

Photo credit: PIERRE ANDRIEU / AFP / Getty Images
  • Many of these symbols are found in caves in Africa, Asia, Australia and America as well.
  • At least 40,000 years old, the set of symbols may have been a universal communications tool.
  • Among these symbols is the iconic hashtag.
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Strange Maps

How to learn a new language while you sleep

Sleep encoding turns out to be a real thing.

Laura Li prepares to take a nap in YeloSpa, in New York, on May 1, 2018, where New Yorkers can pay for a cabin to take a nap, and recharge energy without having to return to their homes. (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)
  • While it was believed you cannot learn new information while asleep, a new study in Switzerland makes the case for sleep encoding.
  • 41 native German speakers were introduced to a nonsense word alongside a German word to forge a relationship.
  • When tested while awake, the real word was defined by the nonsense word 10 percent higher than random chance, suggesting a bond was formed while asleep.
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Surprising Science

Visualizing your partner's face can lower stress levels

Need to reduce your stress? Try thinking of the face of your better half.

Photo credit: Sept Commercial on Unsplash
  • A new study shows just thinking about your partner's face can lower stress.
  • Those who pictured their significant other during a stress test had lower blood pressure increases than those who didn't.
  • The results add to the pile of research that shows how great being in a relationship is for your health.
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Sex & Relationships

These are the world’s longest straight lines

Researchers use algorithms to find the longest straight-line distances on land and at sea

Image: Chabukswar & Mukherjee
  • What links a small town in Portugal and a huge port city in China?
  • The answer may surprise even inhabitants of both places: the world's longest straight line over land
  • That line and its maritime equivalent were determined not by exploration but by calculation
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Strange Maps