All facts — Page 46

The most expensive vegetable in the world is hop shoots.

Hop shoots are the most expensive vegetable in the world, with a price that can exceed 1,000 euros per kilogram. They…

The white truffle is one of the most expensive foods in the world.

The white truffle (Tuber magnatum) is found only in a few regions of Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. It is so rare that…

Sweden has more than 267,000 islands.

Sweden has more than 267,000 registered islands, the highest number in the world. Most are small and uninhabited, but…

The emperor Nero played the violin while Rome burned.

Nero was not in Rome when the great fire of 64 AD began. He was at his villa in Antium, about 50 kilometres away, and…

Albert Einstein was invited to be president of Israel.

In 1952, after the death of Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann, Albert Einstein was invited to assume the…

Albert Einstein's brain was donated to science by Einstein himself.

Einstein's brain was removed without permission by pathologist Thomas Harvey during the autopsy in 1955. Harvey kept…

The last meal served on the Titanic had 11 courses.

The last first-class meal on the Titanic, served on the night of 14 April 1912, had 11 courses, including oysters…

The pyrosome is a colony of creatures that glows in the ocean.

The pyrosome is a cylindrical colony of small organisms called zooids, which join together to form a larger creature…

The fairy circles in Namibia are caused by ants.

The fairy circles in Namibia are circles of bare earth surrounded by grass, whose origin is debated. Hypotheses…

A lunar rainbow only appears during the new moon.

The lunar rainbow, or moonbow, appears during the full moon, when moonlight is refracted by raindrops. It is much…

Petrified wood is wood that has turned to stone.

Petrified wood forms when wood is buried in volcanic ash or silica-rich sediments. Over time, minerals replace the…

The human eye can detect a single photon.

Under ideal dark conditions, the human eye can detect a single photon of light. Studies show that the rods in the…

The human nose can detect a drop of perfume in an entire house.

The human sense of smell is extremely sensitive. We can detect the smell of a single drop of perfume dispersed…

Moonquakes can last more than an hour.

Moonquakes, seismic events that occur on the Moon, can last more than an hour. Unlike earthquakes on Earth, which…

Mercury is the hottest planet in the solar system.

Mercury, despite being closer to the Sun, has no atmosphere to retain heat. Venus, with its dense carbon dioxide…

The humps of a camel store water.

The humps of a camel store fat, not water. The fat serves as an energy reserve and helps regulate body temperature…

The chameleon's tongue can extend to the length of its body in 0.07 seconds.

The chameleon's tongue is fired by specialised muscles that store elastic energy. It can reach prey in just 0.07…

The electric eel can produce discharges of up to 860 volts.

The electric eel can produce discharges of up to 860 volts, enough to stun a horse. The discharge is generated by…

The adult platypus has no teeth.

The adult platypus has no teeth. The young are born with teeth that fall out before reaching adulthood. Instead of…

Fingerprints form in the fetus before birth.

Fingerprints begin to form in the fetus around the 10th week of pregnancy and are fully formed by 4 months. They are…

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body.

Collagen represents about 30 percent of all proteins in the human body and is the main component of skin, bones…

Body temperature varies throughout the day.

Body temperature is not constant. It is lowest in the morning, around 4 a.m., and highest in the late afternoon. This…

The avocado is botanically a fruit.

The avocado is a fruit, in fact a large berry with a single seed. It belongs to the same botanical family as cinnamon…

The Aztecs ate chocolate as a sweet dessert.

The Aztecs consumed chocolate as a bitter, frothy drink, seasoned with chilli and spices. Sweet chocolate as a…