13 Amazing Facts That May Change the Way You View the World
We live in a huge and incredible world that is full of the most unusual things. Sometimes it may seem like we know everything about it and nothing can surprise us. However, in reality, this is not the case. There are many facts in the world that will make you take a second look at many familiar things and say, “No way...”
1. Your earwax can reveal details about your origins.
There are 2 types of earwax: dry and wet. And the type of earwax is highly likely to depend on your origin. The fact is that among the descendants of Europeans and Africans, earwax is most often wet, while among immigrants from East Asia, it is usually dry and scaly.
2. Rice is made up of more genes than humans.
The human genome contains between 20,000 and 25,000 genes. This may seem like a lot. However, the championship in this ranking is not for a person. Rice, which, for many, is a familiar meal ingredient, is significantly ahead of us in terms of the number of genes. In rice, the count can be between 45,000 and 63,000 genes.
3. The platypus combines the features of a mammal and a reptile.
At first glance, it may seem like the platypus is some kind of joke from nature. This funny animal is both similar to a mammal and a reptile, but it’s not fully either one or the other. Studies of the platypus’s DNA show that the genome of this unusual animal simultaneously has features of a mammal and a reptile, as well as some features of birds.
4. Sloths have more neck vertebrae than giraffes.
Everyone knows that giraffes have incredibly long necks. However, despite this, the necks of giraffes, like most mammals, consist of 7 cervical vertebrae. A sloth’s neck can have 8 to 10 vertebrae.
5. Bananas glow blue under black light.
Bananas under a blacklight ©zachopelaco / Reddit
To the normal eye, under normal conditions, ripe bananas appear yellow due to organic pigments called carotenoids. As bananas ripen, chlorophyll begins to break down. This makes bananas look blue under black light.
6. A fast food restaurant once cooked broccoli flavored with chewing gum.
This culinary experiment was supposed to make children’s diets healthier and encourage healthy eating habits. However, the experiment was unsuccessful. Adding a sweet flavor to broccoli didn’t make the vegetable any more appetizing and it simply confused kids.
7. The soundtrack from Mission: Impossible makes more sense than we think.
Even if you’re not a big fan of the Mission: Impossible franchise, you probably remember the soundtrack that is present throughout the entire franchise. The soundtrack has a catchy rhythmic break that actually makes a lot more sense than it first appears. The fact is that it is built on the transmission of 2 letters, M (mission), and I (impossible), using Morse code: 2 dashes and 2 dots.
8. In one gulp, blue whales eat almost half a million calories.
The blue whale is the largest animal that lives on our planet. And in order for this animal to fully function, it needs a lot of calories. The main food for whales is one of the smallest inhabitants of the ocean, krill. The whale opens its mouth and swims in this position at high speed. Along with water, krill enters its mouth, which is filtered out and immediately swallowed. In one such gulp, a whale can swallow up to 500 kg of krill — that’s about 457,000 calories.
9. Humans have one dominant nostril.
When a person breathes, only one nostril dominates. Usually, a person does not notice this, but if you pay attention, you will notice that you are breathing through mostly one nostril. If you decide to check this in a few more hours, then it is likely that the breath will be through the other nostril. The fact is that the brain gives the command to change nostrils every few hours. This process is called the nasal cycle.
10. The world’s longest concert will run for 639 years.
John Cage is an American composer who loved experimental music. In 1985, he wrote “As Slow As Possible” without specifying its tempo. As conceived by Cage, each performance of this piece was to be unique. The only recommendation left by Cage inspired musicians to create an organ that would play this piece for 639 years. The concert began in 2001 at St. Burchardi’s Church in Halberstadt.
11. Previously, ketchup was made from fish.
Ketchup is one of the most popular sauces in the world. However, the ketchup that can be found in the refrigerators of almost every inhabitant of the planet is very different from what it was comprised of originally. This sauce originated in Vietnam and was made from fermented fish.
12. An astronaut in space snores less than on Earth.
On Earth, snoring occurs when gravity pulls the tongue and soft tissue at the back of the throat. If the airway is partially obstructed, then this soft tissue will “flutter” and “flap,” producing snoring. In microgravity, however, the tongue and soft tissue of the pharynx don’t sink into the throat, so there is less airway obstruction in space. Therefore, astronauts snore less.
13. These twins were born 30 years after their conception.
Twins Lydia and Timothy Ridgway were born on October 31, 2022 to parents Philip and Rachel Ridgway from Oregon 30 years after the twins’ embryos were frozen. “I was 5 years old when God gave life to Lydia and Timothy, and he has kept that life ever since,” Philip said. “In a sense, they are our oldest children, although they are the smallest.”
What incredible facts about the world around us do you know? Share them in the comments!