All facts — Page 78
The complete ONAURE library, newest first. Every fact has an explanation and a source you can check.
2056 facts
Greenland is losing ice faster than previously thought.
Recent studies indicate that Greenland's ice sheet is melting at a rate that could contribute to a sea level rise of…
The QWERTY keyboard was designed to slow typists down.
In the 1870s, fast typing on mechanical typewriters caused keys to jam. The layout placed common letter pairs apart…
Tehran, Iran, is sinking at an alarming rate.
Satellite measurements show that some parts of Tehran are sinking about 25 centimeters per year. The subsidence is…
The first webcam was invented to monitor a coffee pot.
In 1991, Cambridge University researchers pointed a camera at their office coffee pot to avoid wasted trips to a…
Indonesia's Kawah Ijen volcano erupts with blue lava.
The 'blue lava' is actually sulfuric gas that combusts upon contact with air, burning with an electric blue flame at…
Static electricity shocks are often over 3,000 volts.
We don't get injured because the amperage (current) is incredibly low. You need at least 3,000 volts to feel a static…
Helium escapes Earth's gravity into space.
Helium atoms are so incredibly light and unreactive that when released into the atmosphere, they eventually float up…
About 1.3 million Earths could fit inside the Sun.
The Sun is unimaginably massive. Its volume is so vast that if it were hollow, you could fit over a million planets…
Most wasabi outside Japan is actually horseradish.
Real wasabi is extremely difficult and expensive to cultivate. It loses its flavor within 15 minutes, so most…
Cranberries float and bounce due to tiny air pockets.
Each berry has four air pockets inside, allowing them to float in water bogs during harvesting. The pockets also make…
White chocolate isn't technically chocolate.
Traditional chocolate must contain cocoa solids. White chocolate is made only of cocoa butter, sugar, and milk…
Fortune cookies were invented in California, not China.
They were popularized in Japanese-American restaurants in San Francisco in the early 20th century, inspired by a…
Taste buds are completely replaced every 1 to 2 weeks.
This rapid regeneration process protects us from permanently losing our sense of taste due to minor burns or scrapes…
The body has enough carbon to fill 9,000 pencils.
Carbon is the fundamental building block of all life on Earth. The average human body is about 18% carbon by mass…
Earwax is actually a type of sweat.
It is produced by specialized sweat glands (ceruminous glands) in the ear canal, mixed with dead skin cells and hair…
You are slightly taller in the morning than at night.
During the day, gravity compresses the cartilage in your spine and knees. While you sleep, your spine decompresses…
Alpacas spit when they are annoyed or stressed.
They usually give a subtle warning first, like blowing air or raising their chin, but if the threat persists, they…
Starfish have no brain and no blood.
Instead of blood, they use filtered seawater to pump nutrients and oxygen through their bodies via a complex water…
Goats have rectangular pupils.
This shape gives them a panoramic field of vision of about 320 to 340 degrees, allowing them to easily spot predators…
A group of crows is called a 'murder'.
This creepy collective noun dates back to the 15th century, inspired by old folklore and the birds' association with…
Crows can remember human faces and hold grudges.
Studies show that crows can recognize individual people, remember those who threatened them, and even teach other…
A shrimp's heart is located in its head.
Their thorax (head and chest area) houses the heart and other vital organs, which is also why eating the head is…
Male seahorses carry and give birth to the babies.
The female transfers her eggs to the male's brood pouch, where he fertilizes them and carries them until they hatch…
Turtles can breathe through their butts.
Certain species use cloacal respiration, pumping water in and out of their rear ends to extract oxygen while…