We live in a crazy world. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on something, BAM! There’s a new thought or piece of information that makes you question everything! So, join us as we count down the strangest and most astounding scientific facts that will blow your hair back and leave you with your jaw on the floor! This is, in fact, one of the best aspects of science; the fact that new things are constantly being learned and discovered makes for a fascinating topic of study.
Your pets may have a more significant environmental impact than you might think
There is no doubt that we all adore our dogs. Have you ever taken into account the ecological impact they have? Humans certainly have a significant and mostly negative effect on the environment, but our pets, shockingly, also play an important role in this. Our adorable puppies have the same environmental impact as two Toyota Land cruisers, while cats have the same impact as a Volkswagen Golf. Even hamsters have the same effect on the environment as a plasma television.
The Sexual Maturity of Greenland Sharks Doesn’t Happen Until They’re 150 Years Old
Greenland sharks are among the fascinating sharks on the planet, and they live to be quite old. Greenland sharks can live up to 500 years and have an average lifespan of around 250 years. They do not reach sexual maturity until they are 150 years old due to their long lives. They mature slowly in order to accommodate their long lifespans while swimming around the ocean for all those years.
Frogs were used to do early pregnancy tests
Even though it’s difficult to think that the pregnancy testing we use today was not devised long ago, it’s even more difficult to comprehend the methods they used before we started urinating on a stick. Pregnancy test procedures were not always accurate until the 1960s. Before the new version, the only reliable test was to inject a woman’s urine into a female African clawed frog. Due to their reaction to the hCG hormone, the frog would ovulate within 12 hours if the lady was pregnant.
There’s a Link Between Gorillas and Potatoes
While it may seem unusual to lump gorillas and potatoes into the same category, the two share something special. Gorillas and potatoes have 48 chromosomes, while humans have 46. The similarities cease there, yet they can still be grouped in one category. We can easily visualize a gorilla munching on a potato, knowing they share at least one trait. If it understood they shared that link, it might relish the potato a bit longer.
Except for two mammals, every vertebrate in the neck has the same number of vertebrae
It’s difficult to concentrate on facts when a lovely sloth is staring at you. Still, two-toed sloths and manatees are the only animals with differing numbers of neck vertebrae. We all have seven vertebrae, whether we’re a giraffe, a mouse, or a human. With eight or nine vertebrae, sloths and manatees enjoy an almost 360-degree vision of their surroundings. It’s a formidable defense for one of nature’s sluggish beasts. They evolved through time to avoid being eaten by predators.
Ostriches Do Not Bury Their Head in The Ground
Although you may have seen it in cartoons, ostriches do not put their heads in the ground when confronted. In truth, they don’t bury their heads at all; it’s simply a thing made for a TV show. When ostriches are threatened, they flop on the ground and pretend to be dead. We’re not sure what might frighten the world’s most giant bird, but whatever it is, we wouldn’t want to come into touch with it.
Lambs Were Once Thought to Grow on Trees
People have said many stupid things throughout their lives, but this could be the most embarrassing. The “vegetable lamb” was considered a creature that grew from the Lamb Tree in Tartary, which later became Europe and Central Asia. The plant came in two varieties per medieval sources: one produced newborn lambs inside pods, while the other produced a lamb with its belly button connected to the stem. The lambs appeared to have been hunted (or collected in this case) for their flesh and skin.
A Polar Bear Was Given to King Henry III, And He Kept It in London
We’re sure the world’s royals have received some genuinely bizarre gifts throughout history, but this one took our breath away for a variety of reasons. The King of Norway presented King Henry III with a polar bear as a gift in 1251. The polar bear was kept on a long chain in the Tower of London so it could swim in the Thames. This appears to be outright cruelty to animals, but they were unconcerned at the time. What kind of person receives a polar bear as a gift? Obviously, the Royals are involved.
It Isn’t True That Holding A Toad or Frog Causes Warts
Among the most common misunderstandings about toads and frogs is that you will get a wart if you touch one. They’ve had a negative reputation for quite some time now, and they don’t deserve it. It is our responsibility to correct the record on these tiny creatures. Shaking hands with a person who has a wart, on the other hand, is one method of getting one. Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus, which is a virus that only humans have. The virus causes a wart to form on the skin’s surface due to an excess of keratin.
Pigs can be as heavy as polar bears
Apart from the little pigs that we see on Instagram, most pigs are enormous. A typical pig weighs roughly 285 pounds, but a farm in China’s southern area boasts a pig the size of a polar bear. It is massive, weighing in at 1,102 pounds. Regrettably, the big pig is a herd raised to produce giant hogs for meat consumption. Consequently, these pigs are in high demand due to their high value. We’re not sure how they got it to be so big, but it had to eat a lot.
Water is not required for Kangaroo Mice to survive
The kangaroo mouse, despite its name, lives in the Nevada desert and is named after an Australian animal that can fight even the finest boxer in the world. It learns to adapt by receiving all of its hydration from the seeds it consumes because it lives in such a dry environment. The kangaroo mouse never drinks water as a result of this. This little kid is our superhero since I usually forget to remain hydrated. If only we could acquire enough water to last a day without having to remember to drink it.
The world’s heaviest turtle weighed more than a ton
Several turtle species, with the biggest, ever reported being a leatherback sea turtle that came ashore in the United Kingdom in 1988. It had drowned after being entangled in a fishing line and was unable to release itself. When the turtle washed up on the beach, it was roughly 100 years old. It was around nine feet long and 2,000 pounds. That appears to be a dinosaur rather than a sea turtle. Unfortunately, this lovely giant was senselessly killed by someone who was most likely not intending to harm it.
You’d get to space in a reasonable amount of time if you drove straight up
Even though flying vehicles do not exist today, they are a possibility in the future, and you have to wonder how long it would take to go to the farthest reaches of the universe if automobiles could fly. You could travel to space in a little over an hour if there was no traffic and you drove straight up. Fred Hoyle, an astronomer, was the first to notice this and computed it using a vehicle going at 60 miles per hour. Because the moon is 250,000 miles distant from Earth, it may take a bit longer to get there, but the actual issue is, of course, a shortage of parking and air for your lungs.
Even before the year 2020, shaking hands was dangerous
Although we have mostly ceased shaking hands in order to avoid the transmission of coronavirus, the risks of shaking hands existed long before the pandemic. While shaking someone’s hand isn’t likely to kill you, it does increase your chances of contracting a cold or flu. You spread more germs by shaking hands with someone than you would by kissing them. It’s incredible how many bacteria are on our hands, yet this is how our immune systems get strengthened.
Shark teeth are just as strong as human teeth
With their razor-sharp fangs and chasing abilities, sharks are arguably the most feared fish in the water. Their biting force is remarkable, yet many people are unaware that human teeth are just as strong. According to research published in the Journal of Structural Biology, a human wisdom tooth is as hard as the enamel of a shark’s teeth. Both are formed of mineral crystals that are linked together with proteins to keep teeth from fracturing.
If all of the Lego bricks ever made were piled collectively, and they’d be able to travel to the farthest reaches of the universe
Have you ever imagined what might happen if all of the Legos ever made were put next to each other? Though this hasn’t been in our thoughts before, it’s exciting to imagine how enormous the structure might be. Someone might have done the calculations and calculated how far the structure could extend. The Lego tower would be ten times taller than the distance between Earth and the Moon. No one would ever have to step on them and experience the mind-numbing pain if they were all heaped together.
Cows Moo in Various Regional Accents
While it may seem strange to conceive of animals having human-like accents, cows do have regional dialects when they moo. Dairy farmers were the first to observe this when they noticed their cows had varied moos when they arrived from different locations. Can you image cows mooing with a southern or British accent? They’d sound ridiculous. We’re curious if they can comprehend one other despite the fact that they moo in distinct ways.
Boys and Girls Have Different Taste Buds
There’s always a debate over which sex is superior, which could finally end the age-old debate. Girls have more tastebuds than boys, according to a 2008 study, and they are better at recognizing flavors. Because girls have more pungent tastes, boys have a stronger attraction to sweeter food as children. While this doesn’t necessarily make women or men the superior sex, it’s always nice to have a small victory for the ladies, right? Because of their enhanced senses, women require significantly less training to become professional tasters.
What Would the Other Planets Look Like If the Sun Was the Size of a Beachball?
While picturing the planets in their natural size is difficult, there is a method to view them on a scale that puts things in perspective. If the sun is the size of a basketball, Jupiter is the size of a golf ball, and the Earth is the size of a bit of pea. It’s difficult to comprehend the sun’s immense magnitude since it seems to be a little blazing ball in the sky. On the other hand, the sun is 110 times the planet’s size, and 1.3 million piles of the earth might fit inside it. Hopefully, this helps you put things into perspective.
Your saliva contains a substance that is identical to a powerful painkiller
Although some people’s saliva may appear disgusting, it may contain something compelling. A compound found in human saliva was discovered to be six times more potent than morphine. The mixture is known as opiorphin, and it is thought to help the body’s defense against pain. Natural pain relievers are uncommon; therefore, scientists hope to use them as a clinical treatment. Although we won’t be relying on other people’s spit the next time, we’re in pain, it could be a significant advancement in modern medicine.
Dr. Corneliu Giurgea Is credited with coining the term for a $2 billion industry
You’ve probably heard of supplements like Cogniflex or “limitless pills.” These pills claim to improve brain function, mental clarity, and concentration. Despite the fact that the term was only coined in 1972, this industry is now worth $2 billion globally. The term “nootropics” was coined by Dr. Corneliu Giurgea, a Romanian doctor, and we’re sure he had no idea what the industry would become. His original intention was to develop a drug that would improve memory and learning. Still, it has since evolved into a broad term that encompasses everything from prescription medications to dietary supplements.
The Weight of a Cumulus Cloud Is Equal to That Of 100 Elephants
Looking up at the clouds in the sky, they appear fluffy, like cotton candy or feathers. This is inaccurate since clouds are quite dense. How else could they produce so much turbulence for planes flying through them? The weight of a typical cumulus cloud is roughly equal to that of 100 African elephants. Cumulus clouds are composed of around 550 tons of water and ice particles. A thunderstorm cloud, on the other hand, is the same weight as 200,000 elephants.
The energy contained in a single bolt of lightning is sufficient to cook 100,000 pieces of toast
We are all aware that lightning is extremely strong and hazardous. Because a single bolt of lightning has 10 billion joules of energy and a piece of toast requires 100,000 to cook, a single bolt of lightning can cook around 100,000 slices of toast. If you’re planning a brunch for 100,000 of your best friends, you might want to wait for a lightning storm to fry your toast all at once. We might be kidding, but if it were safe, that would be a major time saver.
If you spend a month in Antarctica, your mind will shrink
If you ever get the chance to visit Antarctica, make the most of it by interacting with the few people that live there. According to a New England Journal of Medicine research, Isolation may do bizarre things to your brain if you don’t keep your mind engaged. According to brain imaging, the volume of the area of the brain that generates new memories was reduced in eight arctic explorers before and after 14 months of solitude. They suspected it was due to the extended periods of solitude.
More people die in the desert from drowning than from thirst
It is common to believe that people die of thirst in the desert because there is no water. However, this is not the case. Although precipitation is uncommon in the desert, when it does fall, it is quick and heavy. Rain has nowhere to go in the deserts since there are no drainage systems in place. Because the dry, clay-like soil cannot absorb all of the water immediately enough, it becomes excessive. This causes quicksand and sandstorms, which can lead to sand drowning. That is the last thing we want to do.
A piece of paper folded 42 times thick enough to reach the moon
You undoubtedly think we’re crazy to imagine a sheet of paper might be thick enough to reach the moon, but it’s true. According to Gizmodo, all that is required to validate this is some basic math. When you fold a piece of paper in half, its thickness doubles. When you repeat the process, it thickens even more. With that exponential growth rate, a 1-millimeter sheet of paper would take 23 folds to reach one kilometer in thickness and 30 folds to reach outer space. The world record for paper folds, on the other hand, is just 12.
Due to this competitor, the caffeine industry is experiencing a downturn
Although it may appear that everyone is drinking coffee these days along with their mothers, you may be surprised to learn that the caffeine business has been declining over the past few years. Since there are other ways to wake up, demand falls by 7% each year. People are turning to stimulants other than coffee, such as energy drinks and brain medications. On the other hand, coffee does not appear to be going out of vogue or commerce anytime soon. If it happened, we’d be at a loss on what to do.
In an average lifetime, the human heart beats 2.5 billion times
Whereas your heart may beat quicker when you are thrilled and slower when you are relaxed, it generally maintains the same basic speed. The average human heart beats 60 to 70 times per minute and 100,000 times each day. This occurs around 35 million times every year. If you consider a human’s typical lifespan, your heart will beat approximately 2.5 billion times over that period. It’s difficult to believe that our hearts work very hard, but they do sustain life, so it makes complete sense.
Twinkling Stars Aren’t Real
The nursery song “Twinkle, twinkle little star” is deceptive. The music persuaded us to assume that the stars in the sky sparkled, which they do not. A “space mirage” is the flashing we see in the sky. The light emitted by stars is steady and continuous, but the earth’s atmosphere interferes, resulting in a twinkle. They may adapt the nursery rhyme to “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what space mirage you are.”
The Year Without a Summer was known as 1816
Mount Tambora in Indonesia had the most cataclysmic volcanic explosion in human history in April 1815. During the almost two-week event, tons of dust, ash, and sulfur dioxide were blown into the earth’s atmosphere. The dust and ash cover concealed the globe from the light, resulting in a year without summer. Some sections of New England saw considerable snowfall in June, while frost fell in July and August.
Somewhere at the end of The Summer, Wasps Are More Probably to Sting You
Wasps are terrible, and their sting is as painful as the terror they induce in humans. However, the end of summer is the most common period to be stung, so be cautious. When wasps have finished caring for the queen and her brood at the end of the summer, they get restless. They leave the hive in quest of invigorating sugary liquids, which causes them to become inebriated. Because there are so many out and about, there are more around to sting you, which is why you should be cautious when the hot season comes to a close.
It’s Okay to Crack Your Knuckles
There are numerous misconceptions about cracking your knuckles, ranging from the age-old arthritis myth to the claim that it makes your knuckles appear larger. Apart from annoying those around you with the sound, cracking your knuckles is actually harmless. Obesity, genetics, age, and injury are the leading causes of arthritis. As a result, you can crack away in peace unless someone tells you to stop due to the noise. The act has neither positive nor negative consequences.
Cleopatra lived nearby to the Lunar landing than she did to the Pyramids’ creation
Cleopatra was undoubtedly one of Egypt’s most renowned rulers, although she lived closer to the lunar landing than she did to the creation of the Great Pyramid of Giza. According to the timeframe, the pyramid was built 2,500 years before the queen’s reign. Cleopatra died in 30 BC, and the pyramid was erected around 2,560 BC. Meanwhile, if she died in 30 BC, the moon landing took place 2,000 years later.
In the depths of the ocean, radioactive particles from the Cold War were discovered
Nuclear weapons are known for their devastating capabilities, and scientists have recently found the long-term consequences of nuclear warfare. Radioactive particles from atomic bomb testing conducted between the 1940s and 1960s were discovered in the Mariana Trench, according to a study published in 2019. During the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union dropped approximately 500 nuclear bombs, with 379 of them exploding in the sky. The amount of carbon-14 in our air rose as a result of these tests, prompting the creation of the Test Ban Treaty of 1963.
Yawning Is a Type of Biological Air Conditioning
Yawning was once assumed to be a social cue, but a series of research revealed that a separate biological mechanism causes it. According to a study, yawning may be a mechanism for the brain to calm down. The deep inhale drives a downward flow of spinal fluid and blood from the brain while extending the jaw improves blood flow to the neck, face, and head. The air that is inhaled then cools the blood and relaxes the mind.
Whenever metal pieces collide in space, they become inextricably linked
If you reside on Earth, as most of you do, and wish to join two pieces of metal, you’ll need some strong heat to accomplish it. In space, however, two pieces of metal will become permanently bonded if they come into contact. This is due to a process known as “cold welding.” It is a freezing phenomenon identified in the 1960s when astronauts could not shut a hatch during a spacewalk because the door’s metal melted together when exposed to the weather.
This Is What Would Happen If Someone Drilled A Hole Through the Earth’s Core
How many of you have gone to the beach and imagined yourself “digging a hole to China?” We’ve always wondered what it would be like to dig a hole directly through the center of the earth if it didn’t have a heated, flaming core since we learned about it in elementary school. If you could drill a hole through the planet’s core and leap in, it would take you 42 minutes and 12 seconds to get to the other side. That’s a long free fall. But what would you do once you arrived on the other side? Would you be shot out of the sky?
A Tiny Amount of Light That Glows is emitted by humans
We’ve all heard of the pregnant glow, but we didn’t realize all humans shared it. Being a glowing human seems like a superpower, but it turns out that everyone emits light like a gleaming diamond. However, we can’t see this light since it’s too faint to detect with the human eye. The interaction of highly reactive free radicals generated by cell respiration with lipids and proteins causes this glow. This combines with a molecule in our bodies, resulting in the emission of a small quantity of light.
In one bite, whales can consume half a million calories
Whales have enormous jaws, and a humpback whale’s mouth can contain 5,000 gallons of water at once. They may consume 457,000 calories in a single bite, according to a 2011 research published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Whales ingest krill and other tiny sea organisms by taking enormous mouthfuls of water and filtering them out. They are the ocean’s Michael Phelps, known to consume 12,000 calories a day while training.
Tongues of a Giraffe are two feet long
Giraffes, with their uncomfortably long necks and large baby eyes, are amazing and charming creatures. One very unusual feature of them is their long purple tongues, which may grow to be about two feet long and are employed for a very specialized reason. They use their tongues to collect the tastiest leaves at the top of the tree, and it helps them navigate past the spikes of the Vachellia and Senegalia plants. Their mouths are similarly covered in a thick covering to protect them from the thorns.