Two Florida teachers noticed a student sitting in the dirt at her bus stop. A bench, a little library and a thank-you followed.

Three Italian friends recovered Patrick Mohr’s wedding ring from a river, then traveled to Ireland dressed as hobbits to return it.

AT 2016blu keeps flaring on a roughly 113-day cycle. A carefully timed Chandra observation points to a black hole or neutron star taking material from it.

Ben Burtt combined an old projector’s hum with a buzz picked up near a television. Making the lightsaber swing took another wonderfully physical trick.

Superman’s morning routine has a wonderfully strange comics answer: heat vision and a reflective piece of the ship that brought him to Earth.

Caltech’s ASTRA robot assembled a third truss bay in orbit without astronauts. The partial success—and the unfinished antenna—shows what in-space construction can and cannot do yet.

A partial leg bone from Liang Bua, the cave famous for Homo floresiensis, identifies the largest known Megapodius—and leaves flight and extinction unsolved.

Parasect’s giant mushroom isn’t just an accessory. Official Pokédex lore reveals which part of this familiar Pokémon is actually in control.

Spider-Man leaves webs all over New York. Marvel’s own description explains why they don’t become a permanent city maintenance problem.

The Sandlot mixed a real mastiff with oversized practical effects, including a giant dog suit operated by two people.