Facts that sound false but are true — Page 13
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
A smart bionic eye prototype combines sensing, memory and processing in a single system.
The invention from RMIT University uses a molybdenum disulfide chip measuring 2 centimetres by 2 centimetres that…
Horseshoe crab blood is blue because it contains copper instead of iron.
The horseshoe crab uses hemocyanin, a copper-based protein, to transport oxygen. Unlike human hemoglobin, which…
The deep-sea fish Macropinna microstoma has a transparent head and barrel-shaped eyes.
This Pacific species has a transparent fluid-filled dome on its head, through which its green, tubular eyes are…
The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia becomes the world's largest natural mirror when it rains.
With more than 10,000 square kilometres, the Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat on the planet. When a thin layer…
Point Nemo in the Pacific Ocean is the closest point to land on the planet.
Point Nemo is the oceanic pole of inaccessibility, the point in the ocean farthest from any land. It lies about 2,688…
The Taal volcano in the Philippines contains an island within a lake, which is itself on an island.
The Taal volcano is located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Inside the volcano's crater, Lake Taal formed…
The Hundred Years War actually lasted 116 years.
The conflict between England and France began in 1337 and ended in 1453, totalling 116 years. The name is a later…
Albert Einstein's brain was donated by his family for scientific research.
During Einstein's autopsy in 1955, pathologist Thomas Harvey removed the brain without authorisation and kept it for…
Some plants, such as cycads, can heat themselves up to 15 degrees above ambient temperature.
Cycads, ancient plants that coexisted with dinosaurs, produce heat through a metabolic process to attract pollinating…
The plutonium-244 found on the ocean floor was produced by underwater nuclear explosions.
Scientists found atoms of plutonium-244 in a crust from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, nearly 5,000 metres deep…
There is a type of ice that can burn, called methane hydrate.
Methane hydrate is a crystalline structure of water that traps methane molecules. It forms under conditions of low…
Mercury is a metal that is in a gaseous state at room temperature.
Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at normal temperature and pressure. It is a dense, toxic element…
Astronomers have discovered a cosmic object that is a star made entirely of black holes.
Using the James Webb telescope, astronomers at MIT identified a never-before-seen object: a star powered by a black…
Comet 2I/Borisov came from outside the Solar System and brought clues about the formation of other worlds.
2I/Borisov is the second known interstellar object to visit the Solar System. Its chemical composition, rich in…
NASA s Lucy probe found an asteroid with signs of liquid water on its surface.
NASA s Lucy probe visited a small peanut-shaped asteroid that rotates unusually. Its surface shows signs of…
Jupiter s Great Red Spot is a storm larger than Earth.
The Great Red Spot is a giant anticyclone in Jupiter's atmosphere, observed for over 350 years. With a diameter that…
The first message sent over the internet was a complete Shakespeare quote.
The first message sent over ARPANET, the predecessor of the internet, was LO on 29 October 1969. The researchers…
A new species of archaea was discovered living in fumaroles at nearly 100 degrees Celsius in Antarctica.
Brazilian researchers found the archaea on Deception Island, an active volcano where fumarole water reaches…
A species of cicada builds clay towers mixed with urine.
The cicada Guyalna chlorogena, from the Amazon, builds small towers of clay mixed with urine when emerging from the…
A network of microchannels has been discovered in the human skull that may play a crucial role in brain health.
A CSIC team described a network of tiny channels on the inner surface of the skull that connects bone marrow to the…
Giant DNA has been discovered hiding in the human mouth.
Three-quarters of people may host a new type of genetic material called Inocles, which could impact research on oral…
Scientists have recreated an ancient yoghurt made with live ants.
A team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen and chefs from the Noma restaurant recreated an ancient…
A submerged island the size of Iceland has been discovered off the coast of Brazil.
The island, about 1,200 kilometres off the Brazilian coast, is part of the Rio Grande Rise. The presence of red clay…
A lost world has been discovered beneath the Antarctic ice, with valleys and rivers that flow upwards.
A team from Durham University identified a landscape preserved beneath the East Antarctic ice, with valleys and hills…