Who else wants to know the 10 shocking facts
We often fail to notice the things around us that are tiny, the ones that don’t catch our attention easily, or the ones that need things to be traced all the way back to the source. Each of these so-called “useless facts” often times have special significance. A little effort made on their analysis could justify the real reason behind their presence. In this article, we have researched 24 “useless facts” that cover a wide range of domains that run the gamut from humans to animals to everyday things to science and statistics.
1. Some species of turtles can breathe underwater through their anus.
Some species of turtles even when submerged can pick up oxygen. In water, they slow their metabolism down so much that they barely need any oxygen. Turtles have a cloaca, which is the all-in-one opening for defecation, urination, reproduction, and egg-laying. They take a small amount of water into their cloaca, absorb the air in the water, use it and then expel it. Like most reptiles, they do have lungs which take in air through the mouth and nose. One of these turtles is the Fitzroy River turtle, which can stay underwater, ingest water through the cloacal opening, and extract oxygen for use in its system.
2. A peak of Mount Everest was calculated to be exactly 29,000 feet high but was publicly declared to be 29,002 feet in order to avoid the impression that an exact height of 29,000 feet was nothing more than a rounded estimate.
In 1856, the Great Trigonometric Survey of British India established the first published height of Mt. Everest, then known as Peak XV, at 29,000 feet, but was publicly declared to be 29,002 ft, in order to avoid the impression that an exact height of 29,000 feet was nothing more than a rounded estimate. The current official height of 29,029 feet, as recognized by Nepal was established by a 1955 Indian survey and subsequently confirmed by a Chinese survey in 1975.
3. Dead bodies can get goosebumps too.
After a person dies, the initial process of decomposition known as rigor mortis begins in which the joints and muscles of a body stiffen. The muscles contract and this causes the body to stiffen up. The tiny muscles just below the hair follicles also contract. When these muscles contract, the hairs stand on edge giving the appearance that the dead person has goosebumps. While goosebumps on dead bodies can occur, it is far from a common occurrence. Though the mechanism is the same as with the living, the trigger is not the same. Living people get goosebumps during cold or while experiencing strong emotions such as fear or
4. There are two types of belly buttons: “innies” and “outies”. Only 4% of people have “outies” out of total worldwide population.
In a research led by Jiri Hulcr, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research assistant, participants were asked whether they had “innies” or “outies.” Only 4 percent of those studied said they had outie-shaped belly buttons. According to Indianapolis plastic surgeon Barry Eppley, MD, the ultimate shape of the belly button depends on a number of factors, including how the scar attaches to underlying muscles, the looseness of surrounding skin, the fat under the skin, and how flat or protruding the belly is. The belly button shape could, however, change under one special circumstance, pregnancy. The expansion of the abdomen can cause some “innie” belly buttons to pop out and become “outies”, and then after birth, the belly button often retracts to its former shape.
5. Cats only meow for human interaction and not as communication among other cats.
Bradshaw, the author of Cat Sense, asserts that cats and their humans develop a secret language of meows. He claims that cats don’t really meow to communicate with other cats. During his research in his observations of feral cats, he said, “you get a meow about once every hundred hours. They’re very silent. And yet domesticated cats, as you know if you’ve got one, will often meow their little heads off, all day long. People think of it as an absolutely classic cat behavior but it’s something they’ve learned to do to get our attention, It’s really something they’ve adopted as a way of communicating with humans.”
6. “Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis” is the longest word in the English language.
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“Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis” is an English word that refers to a lung disease that is otherwise known as “silicosis”. It is the longest word in the English language published in a dictionary, the Oxford English Dictionary, which defines it as”
“An artificially long word said to refer a lung disease caused by inhaling very fine ash and sand dust.”
This word was invented at the annual meeting of the National Puzzlers’ League (N.P.L.) by its president, Everett M. Smith. The word was featured in the headline for an article published by the New York Herald Tribune on February 23, 1935, titled Puzzlers Open 103rd Session Here by Recognizing 45-Letter Word:
“Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis” succeeded “electrophotomicrographically” as the longest word in the English language recognized by the National Puzzlers’ League at the opening session of the organization’s 103rd semi-annual meeting held yesterday at the Hotel New Yorker. The puzzlers explained that the forty-five-letter word is the name of a special form of pneumoconiosis caused by ultra-microscopic particles of silica volcanic dust…
7. The groove in the middle of the space above your lips is called “philtrum”.
The philtrum is a vertical groove in the middle area of the upper lip and is common to many mammals. It extends from nose to upper lip in humans. The philtrum is a result of how faces are formed within the womb during development. Philtrum marks the location where different parts of the face merge into one.
8. Unicorn is the national animal of Scotland.
An American historian has uncovered the roots of how the unicorn became Scotland’s national animal in the late 1300’s. The historian found that the unicorn was believed to be the natural enemy of the lion, a symbol that the English royals adopted around a hundred years before. According to folklore, the lion and the unicorn hate each other, a tradition going back to the ancient Babylonians in 3,500 B.C. It was also believed that elephant was the unicorn’s second enemy. It was said, however, that the unicorn would always defeat the elephant, that it had an immense strength despite its diminished size. It couldn’t be beaten by something even as large and powerful as an elephant.
In the various depictions of the unicorn, the power to protect other animals have been highlighted. In one such story, a snake came up to a watering hole and poisoned it, but then the unicorn came along and dip its horn into the watering hole to purify it for all the other animals. So it had a combination of power to dominate, but instead of using the power in that way, it used it to protect and provide other resources for other animals.
In Western parts of the world, the unicorn was believed to be real for around 2,500 years and was adopted as Scotland’s national animal by King Robert in the late 1300s. The existence of the mythical creature was disproved in 1825 by scientist Baron George Covier, who said it was not feasible for an animal that had a split hoof to have a single horn coming from the top of its head.
9. Sea otters hold hands while sleeping, eating, and resting so they don’t drift away from each other.
Otters are marine mammals that can be found on the Northern Pacific Ocean coasts. They are the largest member of the weasel family. In the whole of the animal kingdom, they have the densest fur ranging from 250,000 to one million hairs per square inch. Otters are known to hold hands in groups, called rafts, while they eat, sleep, and rest to prevent families losing each other. Also, sea otters use sea plants that grow from the ocean floor to wrapping themselves in which also helps prevent them from drifting away.
10. A kangaroo can be almost permanently pregnant by pausing her pregnancy in times of drought. It’s called “diapause”.
Kangaroos, who are prolific breeders in good times, have developed a special mechanism to help them cope during harsh times. They can hit ‘pause’ on their pregnancy. Female kangaroos can be almost permanently pregnant, pausing the growth of their baby mid-way through development when conditions aren’t right. and then nursing multiple joeys when times are good.
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