All facts — Page 50

Diamonds can be created from peanut butter.

Scientists converted carbon from peanut butter into microscopic diamonds under extreme pressure.

The Milky Way will collide with Andromeda in about 4.5 billion years.

The two galaxies approach at 110 km/s. The collision won't destroy stars, but will create a new elliptical galaxy.

Sound travels faster in steel than in air.

In steel, sound travels at about 5,960 m/s — almost 17 times faster than in air (343 m/s).

A turtle's heart can beat even outside the body.

Reptile hearts like turtles' can continue beating outside the body for some time due to their physiology.

Humans are technically capable of producing venom.

All reptiles and mammals have that capability. Humans have the necessary genetic tools — it depends on evolution…

A fast food burger can have meat from 100 different cows.

Ground beef used in burgers comes from many different animals mixed during processing.

Margarine used to be dyed pink by law.

The dairy industry pressured for margarine to be dyed pink to look unappetizing and not compete with butter.

Earth is not a perfect sphere — it's a geoid.

Earth is slightly flattened at the poles and wider at the equator due to rotation. The actual highest point is Mount…

Each person has a unique smell, except identical twins.

Body odor is determined by genetics, diet, and microbiome. Identical twins share the same olfactory profile.

The gut has its own independent nervous system.

The gut's "second brain" contains over 100 million neurons and can function independently from the brain.

Continents shift at the same rate as fingernails grow.

Tectonic plates move about 1-10 cm per year, similar to the rate of human fingernail growth.

Cotton candy was invented by a dentist.

William Morrison, a dentist, co-invented cotton candy in 1897 with confectioner John Wharton.

Beer has twice the bubbles of champagne.

While a champagne glass produces about 1 million bubbles, a half-pint of beer can create up to 2 million, according…

Bats don't get sick from most viruses.

Bats have many genes responsible for antiviral activity, keeping them safe. They can carry and spread viruses without…

A solar flare equals a billion hydrogen bombs.

Solar flares release energy equivalent to a billion hydrogen bombs, according to NASA. Earth's atmosphere protects us…

There were about 2.5 billion T. rexes on Earth.

UC Berkeley researchers estimated 2.5 billion T. rex existed over 127,000 generations, based on body size and energy…

Humans have genes from bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

The human genome contains up to 145 genes that jumped from bacteria, fungi, and other organisms through "horizontal…

Rats laugh when they are tickled.

A 2023 German study demonstrated that rats respond positively to tickling and even chase the researcher's hand in a…

Over 50% of Earth's oxygen is produced by the ocean.

Marine plankton, seaweed and other photosynthetic organisms produce more than half of the world's oxygen, according…

Ants don't sleep.

Queen ants sleep about 9 hours a day, but worker ants don't.