All facts — Page 85

The Pacific Ocean is larger than all the land on Earth combined.

The Pacific covers about 165 million km², more than all continents combined (about 148 million km²).

An ant's tongue has teeth.

Ants have toothed structures on their tongues called "lingual teeth" that help clean their antennae.

The human body produces enough heat to boil 30 liters of water per day.

Human metabolism generates about 2,000 kcal of energy per day, part of which is released as heat.

Coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world, after water.

Billions of people drink coffee daily. The coffee industry moves billions of dollars.

Flamingos turn pink from eating shrimp and algae.

Carotenoids in food pigment their feathers. Without this diet, flamingos would be white or gray.

The Moon is moving away from Earth 3.8 cm per year.

Tidal forces between Earth and Moon cause it to slowly drift away. In a billion years, the Moon will appear smaller…

The human brain consumes 20% of the body's oxygen.

Despite being only 2% of body weight, the brain is extremely metabolically active.

Kangaroos can't walk backwards.

The anatomy of kangaroo legs and tail prevents backward movement. They are the only large animal that moves…

The human body has enough DNA to stretch from Earth to Pluto and back 17 times.

If all DNA from all cells were stretched out, it would be about 34 billion km long.

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).

The Sahara was once green and had lakes and rivers.

About 10,000 years ago, the Sahara was a green savanna with lakes, rivers and abundant animal life.

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.

The Great Wall of China was not built in a continuous period.

The wall was built in various phases over more than 2,000 years, by different dynasties.

Humans are technically capable of producing venom.

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

The brain is sometimes more active during sleep than when awake.

During REM sleep, the brain processes memories, emotions and solves problems — potentially being more active than…

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.

Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador is the farthest point from Earth's center.

Although Everest is tallest above sea level, Earth isn't a perfect sphere. Chimborazo is at the equator, where Earth…

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.