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Did you know... A pack of chihuahuas once terrorized a town in Arizona.
That big brain doesn't mean chihuahuas always use their powers for good. In 2014, residents of Maryvale, Arizona, made about 6,000 calls to local animal control about a pack of the pint-sized pups chasing children.
"We compared the number of calls we got in 2013 from that area to similar areas in town and the calls from Maryvale were three times higher than surrounding areas," Melissa Gabe, a Maricopa County Animal Care and Control employee, told Time. "Part of it is these animals aren't spayed or neutered, so they're out looking for a mate and are having babies, which also contributes to the problem."
Did you know... Elephants comfort each other with chirps.
National Geographic reports that when Asian elephants are feeling stressed or upset, their fellow pachyderms will attempt to provide comfort by caressing them with their trunks and offering "chirps of sympathy."
Did you know... Fleas can jump up to 100 times their body length.
Fleas can jump up to 100 times their body length, thanks to their use of shins and feet, NBC News reports. In 2011, researchers used cameras to film the microscopic jumps, and found that rather than using their knees or upper legs, almost all the action happened in their feet and lower legs.
Did you know... There is a museum of bad art.
Located in Somerville, Massachusetts, the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) houses a permanent collection of more than 700 pieces that its website says "range from the work of talented artists that have gone awry to works of exuberant, although crude, execution by artists barely in control of the brush. What they all have in common is a special quality that sets them apart in one way or another from the merely incompetent."
Did you know... There are 293 ways to make change for $1.
If you've ever held up a grocery store line trying to make change, then you know how long that process can take. According to the Mathematical Association of America, there are 293 ways to make change for a dollar—that includes half-dollar and one-dollar coins.
Did you know... "Yosemite" means "those who kill."
The word comes from the Miwok tribe and was used to refer to a group of renegade enemy tribes living in the Yosemite Valley. And, according to the Yosemite Online Library, the word quite literally means "those who kill."
Did you know... Peanuts grow underground.
Unlike pecans and walnuts, peanuts grow underground—not on trees. And while we're on the subject, this also makes peanuts legumes, not technically nuts. They're planted in early spring and harvested in the fall. Above ground, the plant creates a flower.
Did you know... Earth is 4.54 billion years old.
Scientists have used radiometric analysis to figure out our planet's age. And, according to the The Washington Post, 4.54 billion is the number researchers have come up with—give or take a few million years.
Did you know... More human twins are being born now than ever before.
Do you get the feeling that there are more twins around these days than there used to be? No? Well, you should, because according to a new study in the journal Human Reproduction, the "twinning rate" has increased by one-third since the '80s—up from 9 to 12 twins per 1,000 deliveries. Currently that adds up to about 1.6 million twins born each year across the world—meaning one out of every 42 babies is a twin. Helping drive this is the increasing use of medically assisted reproduction, and the delay in childbearing (twinning has been found to increase with a mother's age).
I case you did not notice the above stated that 1 out of 42 babies is a twin. There is that 42 number again.
Did you know... A narwhal's tusk reveals its past living conditions.
Much like the rings of a tree can tell you its age and provide clues about the life it has lived, so too does the long tusk of the narwhal. Recent research led by a bioscience professor at Denmark's Aarhus University has shown that this peculiar arctic whale adds a layer to its distinctive tusk each year. And not only do these layers offer insight into the age of the narwhal (they've been known to live up to 50 years) but the conditions in which they lived—such as level of pollution, temperature levels, and even what their diet consisted of. You are what you eat!
Did you know... The first person convicted of speeding was going eight mph.
According to Guinness World Records, the first person to be charged with speeding was Walter Arnold of the English village of Paddock Wood, Kent. On Jan. 28, 1896, Arnold was spotted going four times the speed limit in his 19th-century Benz—but since the speed limit at the time was just two miles per hour, that meant he was not going too fast by today's standards. The constable had to chase him down on his bicycle, issuing a ticket for £4 7s and earning Arnold the speedy distinction.
Did you know... "New car smell" is the scent of dozens of chemicals.
Few odors are as pleasing as "new car smell"—and not just because it's nice to be in a brand new car. But while the scent may be strangely satisfying, the fact is that it's pretty much just a combination of 50+ chemicals (known as "volatile organic compounds") that are released into the car, decaying quickly over time. The concentrations found in a typical new car aren't dangerous, but among the VOCs that make up much of that new car smell are those found in nail polish, auto fuel, and petroleum.
Did you know... The world wastes about 1 billion metric tons of food each year.
Food waste is a huge problem. How big? About 931 million metric tons. That's how much food that researchers with the United Nations estimate was wasted in 2019, according to the Food Waste Index Report 2021, which surveyed 54 countries, finding that the majority of wasted food (61%) comes from homes while restaurants and other food services produce 26% of wasted food. Grocery stores make up just 13% of food waste.
Did you know... The severed head of a sea slug can grow a whole new body.
It sounds like something out of a horror film, but it's all too real: The Elysia cf. marginata, a type of sea slug, has been found to not only survive decapitation, but to be able to grow a whole new body from it. Ecologists at Nara Women's University in Japan found that, a few hours after having their heads severed from their bodies, the snails' heads were already nibbling on algae as if nothing had happened. In about 20 days, one-third of the sea slugs studied had fully grown back their bodies—heart included.
Did you know... Hair and nails grow faster during pregnancy.
A surprising side effect of pregnancy is that nails and hair grow faster than usual. This is due to changes in hormones as well as increased blood circulation and metabolism supplying nutrients. According to Amy O'Connor, writing for What to Expect, a pregnant person's hair also "might feel thicker and look more shiny and healthy than usual." Though she warns that it can occasionally mean that the expecting "may suddenly sprout strands in places [they'd] rather not."
Did you know... The world's smallest reptile was first reported in 2021.
Those who think everything on the planet has already been discovered might just not be looking close enough. A tiny chameleon discovered in northern Madagascar and measuring just 28.9 millimeters is believed to be the smallest reptile on Earth. The itty bitty chameleon was recently discovered and reported in the January 2021 issue of Scientific Reports. But there's one thing about these critters that's big for its size: The genitalia of the males measures almost 20% of its body length.
Did you know... Many feet bones don't harden until you're an adult.
Feet are enormously complex parts of the body. Each foot contains 26 bones, as well as 33 joints and 19 muscles, which work together to allow for a huge range of motion and movements. But many of these bones remain cartilage throughout a person's childhood, slowly ossifying into bone as the years go on. According to the Ontario Society of Chiropodists, all of the bones in the foot don't completely harden until a person is about 21 years old!
Did you know... Some sea snakes can breathe through their skin.
You might think that it's just fish that have gills, but there are several species of sea snake that breathe through their skin as well. For example, the Hydrophis cyanocinctus has been found to breathe through the top of its own head. It has a small hole and collection of blood vessels at the top of its head for picking up oxygen from the seawater and sending it to the reptile's brain while it moves underwater.
Did you know... The heads on Easter Island have bodies.
The iconic stone heads protruding from the ground on Easter Island are familiar to most, but many don't realize what lies beneath the surface. In the '10s, archaeologists studying the hundreds of stone statues on the Pacific Island excavated two of the figures, revealing full torsos, which measure as high as 33 feet.
Did you know... The moon has moonquakes.
Just as earth has earthquakes, the moon has—you guessed it—moonquakes. Less common and less intense than the shakes that happen here, moonquakes are believed by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists to occur due to tidal stresses connected to the distance between the Earth and the moon.
Did you know... Goosebumps are meant to ward off predators.
Why do we get goosebumps? In this physiological reaction, small muscles attached to individual body hairs contract, which leads the hair to stand on end. We inherited this ability from our ancestors in part as a way for our (then) coat of body hair to capture air beneath it and in that way retain heat. But, as George A. Bubenik, a physiologist and professor of zoology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, explained to Scientific American, it also caused our ancestors to appear bigger than they were, helping to ward off predators when they were frightened or on the defense. With modern humans having less body hair, goosebumps no longer cause us to look that much more intimidating.
Did you know... There's no such thing as "pear cider."
"Wait," you're probably thinking, "I had pear cider last week." Actually, "cider" is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented apples, and only apples. Alcoholic beverages can be made from pears, but that drink is known as "perry." The drink was popular in England for centuries but fell out of favor during the second half of the twentieth century. That turned around in the 1990s when the drink was rebranded as pear cider.
Did you know... Pineapple works as a natural meat tenderizer.
The fruit is packed with the enzyme bromelain, which breaks down protein chains, making it an ideal marinade for meats when you don't have a lot of time. But for the same reason, pineapple does not work for jams or jellies, since the enzyme breaks down gelatin as well. The bromelain is so strong that pineapple processors have to wear protective gloves, otherwise over time the enzyme eats away at the skin on their face and hands, leaving dry skin and small sores
Did you know... The feeling of getting lost inside a mall is known as the Gruen transfer.
We've all heard how casinos are designed to deliberately disorient visitors, causing them to lose track of time and where exactly they are. But did you know that there's a similar strategy behind the design of shopping malls as well? Officially known as the "Gruen transfer," this phenomenon was named after Austrian architect Victor Gruen, who identified how an intentionally confusing layout could lead to consumers spending more time and money in a shopping venue (though he would later disavow the approach).
Did you know... The wood frog can hold its pee for up to eight months.
Talk about having to go! Wood frogs in Alaska have been known to hold their urine for up to eight months, sticking it out through the region's long winters before relieving themselves once temperatures increase. The urine actually helps keep the animal alive while it hibernates, with special microbes in their gut that recycle the urea (urine's main waste) into nitrogen.
Did you know... The hottest spot on the planet is in Libya.
Specifically, the hottest spot ever recorded on Earth is El Azizia, in Libya, where a temperature of 136 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded on Sept. 13, 1922. While hotter spots have likely occurred in other parts of the planet at other times, this is the most scorching temperature ever formally recorded by a weather station.
Did you know... You lose up to 30 percent of your taste buds during flight.
This might explain why airplane food gets such a bad reputation. The elevation in an airplane can have a detrimental effect on our ability to taste things. According to a 2010 study conducted by Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, the dryness experienced at a high elevation as well as low pressure reduces the sensitivity of a person's taste buds to sweet and salty foods by about 30 percent. Add that dry cabin air affects our ability to smell, and our ability to taste is reduced further.
Did you know... Your nostrils work one at a time.
When we breathe in and out of our nose during the day, one nostril does most of the work at a time, with the duties switching every several hours. This "nasal cycle" is dictated by the same autonomic nervous system that regulates heart rate, digestion, and other unconscious bodily functions and is the reason why—when our nose gets stuffed up—it does so one nostril at a time.
Did you know... Only two mammals like spicy food: humans and the tree shrew.
While humans have long had the rare distinction of being the only mammal that actually enjoys spicy food, that list has seen a new addition, as a study by Chinese researchers found that tree shrews have a mutation in their ion channel receptor, TRPV1, which makes it less sensitive to the "hot" chemical in chili peppers. As a result, the adorable critters happily gobbled up corn pellets laced with capsaicin (the compounds that give peppers their spice) while other mammals in the study avoided them.