Hey, there! Are you ready to nerd out! I’m not talking trash, I mean that in a good way!
In fact, I wish I knew more about science…it was never my strong suit. I think I took Biology 101 three times in college and always failed miserably…
But I’m ready to get smarter today with some cool science facts!
Let’s get nerdy with some folks on AskReddit.
1. I did not know that!
“Time is slightly slower between higher altitudes and lower altitudes, to infinitesimal fractions of a second.”
2. It’s all about the pulling.
“Muscles can only contract. Muscle tissue can’t push.
Doesn’t sound like a big deal until you realize that actions like sticking your tongue out of your mouth are completely the result of pulling, not pushing.”
3. Wow!
“You’re closer to space than you are to anything more than about an hour’s drive away.
Seattle is closer to space than to the Pacific Ocean.”
4. Interesting.
“Female bedbugs don’t have v*ginal openings on their bodies.
Instead the male bedbug has a sharp pen*s that stabs her and ej*culates into her bloodstream and the sperm cells float around until they get to their destination.”
5. Good to know.
“When you cry really hard, your nose runs because it’s connected to the same pipes as your tear ducts, so your nose is also helping you get your tears out.”
6. Not forever.
“Diamonds aren’t forever. In fact, the are dust at 500 degrees in your oven for a few hours.
Diamonds aren’t pressure/temperature stable at the surface. If you heat them without also applying incredible pressure, they become CO2 and a little pile of carbon.”
7. The sun also rises…a lot…
“The sun rises on the International Space Station every ~90 minutes which is the time it takes to orbit the earth and so astronauts experience about 16 morning every day.”
8. Time to eat up.
“If you ever get a cut and it won’t seem to stop bleeding chances are you’re low on vitamin K as it’s the one that helps your blood clot.
Vitamin K can be found in most vegetables.”
9. Booze facts.
“When you take a shot of alcohol it actually activates the receptors in your body to indicate your body is on fire/exposed to heat, which is why alcohol burns on the way down.
This is less of a science fact and more of an alcoholic fact.”
10. Still going strong.
“Koalas have smooth brains and thick skulls that function as helmets cause they fall off trees a lot.
Why aren’t they extinct yet?”
11. More salt, please.
“Some people need more salt in their systems than others (mainly Nepalese), and if they are forced to use less they can have brain damage.”
12. Makes sense.
“Google’s secretive X Lab showed 10 million YouTube images to a neural network of 16,000 computer processors for machine learning.
The first thing the network did was invent the concept of a cat.”
13. Egg colors.
“Chicken eggshells are either white or blue all the way through the shell.
If you have an egg any other color (cream, brown, green, olive) it is because the chicken’s reproductive tract painted the blue or white egg with a brown pigment late in the egg laying process.”
14. The more you know.
“The earth makes a full rotation in about 23 hours and 56 minutes, not 24 hours.
But during that rotation, it’s also revolved 1/365th of the way around the Sun, so it takes about another 4 minutes of spinning before every individual point on Earth gets back to the same (approximate) angle it was at 24 hours ago relative to the Sun (approximate because there’s also axial tilt which causes seasons).”
15. Interesting…
“Severe diabetic neuropathy in the feet causes a walking gait similar to people with leprosy. Normally you change your gait throughout the day from longer to shorter strides, and alter your foot position as they get achey or tired.
Since diabetic neuropathy damages both sensation and position sense, diabetics do not change their gait to alleviate pain, can develop a “slapping” gait (so they can feel the ground) and are susceptible to falls. They develop Charcot joint as a result of repeated injury (destruction of ankle joint), can have “rocker bottom” feet, toe deformities, and of course, diabetic foot ulcers.
Interestingly both diabetics and lepers can develop an indifferent attitude toward the significant foot injuries, even when amputation is threatened. “It doesn’t hurt, what’s the big deal?”
A lot of research regarding diabetic neuropathy was done in Louisiana using armadillos which can carry leprosy. BTW leprosy also attacks nerves, usually in the coolest body areas: nose, elbows, hands, feet. Fun fact: people with leprosy lose their eyebrows.
Source: I’m a doc and yes I’ve seen leprosy in a patient.”
How about you?
What cool science facts do you know?
Talk to us in the comments!
