25 Twitter Accounts That Will Make You Smarter

Twitter can sometimes seem more like a newspaper or encyclopedia than a social network. Its intelligent user base contributes a wealth of knowledge to the microblogging platform. Experts of various fields tweet constantly, and their followers can learn a lot simply by reading their 140-character updates.

We found 25 Twitter accounts that will increase your general knowledge of a wide range of topics: science, technology, human rights, the environment and more. These individuals and general fact-toting accounts will help you engage in intelligent discussions — so you can impress your friends and family.

As of October 2013, there are more than 218 million monthly active users on Twitter, and plenty of them can teach you new things. But these 25 aren't the only ones. Which intelligent accounts and people do you follow?