All facts — Page 35
The complete ONAURE library, newest first. Every fact has an explanation and a source you can check.
1196 facts
All snowflakes have six sides, but no two are alike.
Snowflakes form from ice crystals that grow according to the hexagonal structure of the water molecule. That is why…
Hot water can freeze faster than cold water under certain conditions.
This phenomenon, called the Mpemba effect, was observed by a Tanzanian student in 1963. Under certain conditions, hot…
Bananas are slightly radioactive because of potassium.
Bananas contain potassium, and a small fraction of that potassium is the radioactive isotope potassium-40. Therefore…
Water is called the universal solvent because it dissolves all substances.
Water is called the universal solvent because it dissolves more substances than any other common liquid. However, it…
Space officially begins about 100 kilometres above Earth.
The Kármán line, at about 100 kilometres altitude, is considered the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space…
Bluetooth technology was named after a 10th-century Viking king.
The name Bluetooth comes from Harald Bluetooth, a king of Denmark who unified Danish and Norwegian tribes in the 10th…
The cuttlefish can change colour despite being colourblind.
The cuttlefish has only one type of colour receptor cell in its eyes, making it colourblind. Even so, it can mimic…
The blue whale's heart is the size of a small car.
The blue whale's heart can weigh about 180 kilograms and be the size of a small car. The aorta, the main blood…
The hummingbird is the only bird capable of flying backwards.
The hummingbird has a unique wing structure that allows it to rotate its wing at an angle that generates lift both…
The human body loses about 600,000 skin particles every hour.
The skin constantly renews itself. Every hour, the human body releases about 600,000 dead skin particles. Over a…
The sandwich was invented by an English aristocrat who wanted to eat without putting down his cards.
The Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, liked to play cards for hours. To avoid interrupting the game to eat, he asked…
Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, measured by weight.
Saffron is extracted by hand from the stigmas of the Crocus sativus flower. About 150,000 flowers are needed to…
The Maillard reaction is the process that makes bread golden when toasted.
The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars, which occurs when food is…
The Pacific Ocean is shrinking by a few centimetres per year.
The Pacific Ocean is shrinking by a few centimetres per year due to the movement of tectonic plates. The Pacific and…
The Bahamas are made up of more than 700 islands.
The Bahamas archipelago is made up of about 700 islands and more than 2,000 cays. Only about 30 islands are…
The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens.
The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece. A total of 241 athletes from 14 countries took…
Bees communicate the location of flowers through a dance.
When a bee finds a food source, it returns to the hive and performs a figure-eight dance. The angle of the dance…
Some turtles can breathe underwater through their anus.
The leatherback turtle and other aquatic species have sacs in the cloaca that absorb oxygen from the water. This…
The bone marrow produces about 2 million red blood cells per second.
The bone marrow in long bones continuously produces red blood cells to replace those that break down. Every second…
The liver is the only internal organ capable of fully regenerating itself.
The liver can regenerate even after losing up to 75 per cent of its tissue. The process occurs through the division…
The cashew belongs to the same plant family as poison ivy.
The cashew, mango and pistachio belong to the family Anacardiaceae, the same as poison ivy and sumac. The cashew nut…
To produce half a kilogram of honey, bees visit about 2 million flowers.
A colony of bees travels about 88,000 kilometres to produce half a kilogram of honey. Each bee visits between 50 and…
Hot dogs are sold in packs of 10 and buns in packs of 8.
In the United States, hot dogs are traditionally sold in packs of 10, while buns are sold in packs of 8. The…
Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt.
Sudan has about 200 to 255 pyramids, built by the Kingdom of Kush at Meroë, while Egypt has about 138. The Sudanese…
