Given that we can measure and understand fluctuations in the universe’s infancy, it’s pretty striking that we’re still learning new things about something as familiar as a falling chain. I often end posts by marvelling at the vast richness of the world, but this time its our ability to persistently question and precisely conceive the world that amazes me. It’s wonderful that science — the same kind of science that enables us to build durable bridges and lightweight airplanes, to loft satellites to the edge of the solar system and to explore the deepest ocean valleys — enabled these researchers to predict and confirm such an odd, counter-intuitive result in something so seemingly mundane and straightforward. Tiny mysteries and everyday wonders abound, just waiting to be discovered and described by an inquiring mind — and that’s part of what makes science so great!