Facts that sound false but are true
Our highest surprise rating: the facts people most often refuse to believe until they read the explanation. Every one of them is documented.
1017 facts
Humans share 60% of their DNA with bananas.
All living beings share a common ancestor, and basic cellular biology requires similar genetic instructions.
There are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on Earth.
It is estimated that there are about 1 sextillion stars in the observable universe, vastly surpassing the grains of…
Napoleon was attacked (and defeated) by a horde of rabbits.
During an organized hunt, domesticated rabbits were released but instead of fleeing, they attacked Napoleon en masse.
Male seahorses get pregnant and give birth.
The male has a pouch where the female deposits eggs. He fertilizes them and carries them until birth.
Platypuses have no stomach.
The esophagus connects directly to the intestines. Also, females "sweat" milk through their skin.
It literally rains diamonds on Jupiter and Saturn.
Intense lightning storms turn methane in the atmosphere into soot (carbon). As this carbon falls, immense pressure…
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…
Woolly mammoths survived into the age of the pyramids.
While the pyramids were being built in Egypt, a population of mammoths still lived on Wrangel Island in the Russian…
The human body glows in the dark — it's bioluminescent.
The body emits very faint light, 1,000 times less intense than the human eye can see. It's strongest on the face and…
Domestic cats share 95.6% of their DNA with tigers.
Cats and tigers share a common ancestor and many behaviors, including hunting and territory marking.
Bees can recognize and memorize human faces.
They can process complex facial patterns and associate them with previous experiences.
Sharks are older than trees.
Sharks have swum in the oceans for 400 million years, while the first trees appeared 350 million years ago.
Napoleon was once attacked by rabbits.
During a hunt, domesticated rabbits mistook the carriage for food and attacked the emperor and his men en masse.
The word 'Google' originated from a spelling error.
The idea was based on the mathematical number 'Googol' (1 followed by 100 zeros), but the founders registered the…
Wombat poop is cube-shaped.
Their intestines stretch differently, forming the waste into cubes so it doesn't roll away, which helps them mark…
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…
Sea otters hold hands when they sleep so they don't drift apart.
They often wrap themselves in giant kelp to anchor themselves, forming a 'raft' with other otters while resting…
There is a planet made mostly of diamond, named 55 Cancri e.
Located 40 light-years away, this super-Earth is believed to have a surface covered in graphite and a massive inner…
The Titanic was found while searching for lost nuclear submarines.
In 1985, explorer Robert Ballard was funded by the US Navy on a secret mission to find the USS Thresher and Scorpion…
There is a parasitic fungus that turns insects into 'zombies'.
The Ophiocordyceps fungus infects ants, takes control of their muscles, and forces them to climb to an ideal location…
The mantis shrimp punches with the speed of a bullet.
Its club-like appendages accelerate as fast as a .22 caliber bullet, creating cavitation bubbles in the water that…
Tardigrades can survive the vacuum of space and extreme radiation.
Known as water bears, these microscopic animals enter a dormant state called cryptobiosis, allowing them to endure…
The Darvaza gas crater, known as the 'Door to Hell', has been burning for over 50 years.
Located in Turkmenistan, Soviet engineers accidentally drilled into a massive natural gas pocket in 1971. They set it…
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…