Category: Science

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These 10 Compelling Facts Will Make You Think

It can be very difficult to impress people these days.

And when I say that, I mean that it can be hard to impress them with anything.

But we think our fact sets knock the ball out of the park on a regular basis. Because we work hard to curate our facts day in and day out.

So, without further ado, dive into these facts, let them sink in, and enjoy!

1. The effects of corporal punishment?

I have a feeling many parents don’t do this anymore…

Photo Credit: did you know?

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2. I really wish this wasn’t true.

There’s no such thing as “alternative facts”, people.

Photo Credit: did you know?

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3. Try to keep it separate.

If you can, that is…

Photo Credit: did you know?

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4. All hail the Ravenmaster!

A tradition that goes way, way back.

Photo Credit: did you know?

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5. Take that, Boomers!

Hey, leave those young people alone!

Photo Credit: did you know?

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6. Flatter than a pancake.

The verdict is in.

Photo Credit: did you know?

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7. That makes sense to me.

God bless Texas!

Photo Credit: did you know?

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8. A terrifying real-life killer.

The inspiration for a lot of movies…

Photo Credit: did you know?

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9. Next on the list.

Scary to think about.

Photo Credit: did you know?

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10. A total accident.

But we’re all glad it happened!

Photo Credit: did you know?

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There are some damn good facts in there, if I do say so myself.

Now we’d like to hear from all the readers out there.

In the comments, please share something interesting with us that you think we’d all enjoy: an interesting fact, a story, a unique photo, etc.

We look forward to hearing from you!

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A Woman Unexpectedly Falls in Love When Her Pet Shrimp are in Peril

We all love our pets. But most of that love is directed at the bigger, fuzzier kind of companion that will show us affection, or in the case of cats, tolerance. But have you ever formed a bond with a pet a little smaller?

When I was a kid I had hermit crabs. “Hermit” is literally in the name. These creatures live to hide in their shell, and if you do actually touch them, they will pinch you. Nothing could be further from a good pet. And yet, they’re a popular choice. And I loved mine till the day they died. RIP, embarrassingly-named-pet-crabs.

But this story is some next level unexpected pet love. A teacher who goes by @thebugchicks on Twitter shares a tale of freshwater shrimp, and near disaster. Read on.

They are strangely cute. Maybe it’s those big ol’ eyes?

I don’t know if freshwater shrimp literally have the capacity to care how big their house is, but, if they do, she’s cognizant of that need.

These two are clearly in very good hands.

Trips to the pet store are often dangerous for me, as well.

At this point in the story, I’m feeling a little bit bad that the last time I impulse bought shrimp was at a Red Lobster.

Despite what the internet may imply, it’s OK to not have strong feelings about absolutely everything.

Here’s where the story ramps up.

I can hear the tense string soundtrack in the back of my mind.

Dun dun DUUUN!

It’s never until we face the possibility of losing everything that we realize what we truly have.

Eat your heart out, Speilberg.

Just a second, adding the word “manpanion” to my lexicon forever.

Maybe this is exactly why he fell in love with you?

*munches popcorn with wide-eyes*

The DOG is the antagonist of this story? But he looks like such a good boy! I don’t know if I can deal with this new twist.

All moments of panic need a factoid or two to settle the mood.

Success!

I’m not crying about some lady’s shrimp. Nope. Not me.

Marty & Sal have no idea how good they’ve got it.

We should probably all be tracking our emotions a little more closely these days.

And that is the tale of crustacean-fascination-turned-infatuation that took the internet by moderate storm. You’re welcome.

What’s the pet you’ve bonded with the most?

Tell us about them in the comments.

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Tumblr Users Discuss Dragon Evolution and It’s Hilarious

Do you ever think about how dragons have eyes on the sides of their heads? Well, now you are.

That doesn’t make much sense, though. Dragons will kill you on sight, so shouldn’t their eyes be more forward set like other predators?

And if the thought of that is blowing your mind, you’ll love this Tumblr thread where this becomes a serious discussion.

A flamethrower is not a precision weapon.

Behold, the Gentle Cow

Not a meat-eater. Eyes on the sides.

Photo Credit: Imgur

And the Fearsome Dragon?

Definitely likes its meat.

Photo Credit: Imgur

An Apex Predator If There Ever Was One

The eyes however…

Photo Credit: Imgur

Are on the Sides!

Like a damn cow.

Photo Credit: Imgur

Let the Debate Begin

Dragons are like chameleons. Of course!

Photo Credit: Imgur

Let’s Do a Deep Dive

Lots to unpack here.

Photo Credit: Imgur

“A Flamethrower is Not A Precision Instrument”

Just ask Godzilla.

Photo Credit: Imgur

Dragons Have Been Here (Sort Of) For Thousands of Years

Their eye placement seems to be working.

Photo Credit: Imgur

I don’t know about you, but this thread has answered a question I never really had.

Still, the next time I see a dragon in a movie or on TV, I can say,

“For the love of Smaug, do you see how perfectly that dragon’s eyes work on the sides of his face? I would have thought such a predator would have his eyes up front like a wolf.

But does it matter? It’s not strictly a mammalian thing and a flamethrower is not a precision weapon by any stretch.

Pass the popcorn.”

And, everyone would look at me, like, whoa.

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This Strangely Compelling TikTok Video Explains Why Women Get Period Cramps

There are way too FEW men in this world who are taught about the female reproductive system, and not nearly enough who take it upon themselves to learn, either. They make faces and ewww when their sisters, friends, or partners talk about their periods or all of the crap that goes along with it.

They brave delivery rooms, but only because they feel as if they have to, and the things they see in there they don’t want to discuss or really remember at all.

Understanding and education are important, though, especially if we ever hope to totally dispel the odd but persistent cultural idea that menstruation – the thing that allows for the survival of the species – is somehow any dirtier or grosser than any other human bodily function.

Enter TikTok, the latest “it” social media platform for the younger set – and this really interesting, educational video on why women get cramps along with their monthly period.

@instituteofhumananatomyPERIOD CRAMPS!! Swipe over to our bio page to find our YouTube channel! #period #science #biology #education #todaywelearned #youshouldknow♬ original sound – instituteofhumananatomy

The video, which has 4 million views and counting, was posted by The Institute of Human Anatomy, run by physician’s assistant Jonathan Bennion, MBA Jeremy Jones, and massage therapist Justin Cottle. The vid is definitely in line with their mission of educating the public about human anatomical functions.

Jeremy Jones spoke with Buzzfeed about their business and mission.

“We believe that people should have access to this knowledge in order to help them better understand how their body works, make informed choices about their health, and to inspire people to pursue careers that will help other people live happy and healthy lives.”

He also said this particular video was inspired by the fact that they get many, many questions about the female menstrual cycle from both men and women.

“Women obviously have to deal with this frequently, so we thought it would be great to explain what was going on during just one part of this cycle.”

Which is awesome, because even though it’s true that men largely are not educated, the sad truth is that there are also women out there who don’t understand how their bodies work and why they do what they do.

If we expect people to be responsible for the functions and products of their own bodies, the least we can do is make sure they understand how they work, and what the consequences of certain actions will always be.

Don’t you think?

Thanks, TikTok!

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Crying Is a Sign of Emotional Intelligence and It’s Necessary

We have this strange idea that crying, or letting people see us upset, somehow diminishes us in their eyes.

That it makes us weak, like someone who can’t take care of themselves or handle what life throws our way, and I don’t know how this idea began or why it became so engrained, but it’s wrong.

Totally, 100% wrong.

One of my favorite quotes is from Charlotte Bronte:

Image Credit: Pixabay

“Crying does not indicate that you are weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you’re alive.”

We are human, and actually, a crying when you feel like it is a good way to “reset” both your body and your mind, to free yourself of negative emotions, and focus on what caused them and how to avoid the situation in the future.

Roger Baker, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Bournemouth University, has further thoughts about why we cry, and why it’s necessary.

Image Credit: Pixabay

“Crying does help us process faster than if we don’t cry at all, but it’s not the only thing – it’s part of a package of expressing it. If your father died, your natural reaction would be to cry.”

He adds that it’s not the passage of time that eases pain, but how quickly and honestly we’re able to look at and process the emotions that go along with it.

And Dr. Judith Orloff agrees that crying plays an important role in human life.

Image Credit: Pixabay

“Crying makes us feel better, even when a problem persists.

In addition to physical detoxification, emotional tears heal the heart. You don’t want to hold tears back. …Try to let go of outmoded, untrue, conceptions about crying. It is good to cry. It is healthy to cry. This helps to emotionally clear sadness and stress.

Crying is also essential to resolve grief when waves of tears periodically come over us after we experience a loss.”

In short, you don’t need to feel badly or apologizing for expressing the full gamut of human emotion. It happens to everyone, it’s totally normal – and healthy. We should also keep this in mind the next time someone cries in front of us and tries to say they’re sorry.

Assure them there’s nothing to be sorry for, then maybe give them a cookie.

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This Tumblr Thread Depicts Prehistoric Males as the Coolest of Dudes

No one knows for sure what prehistoric humans acted like – were they mostly like us, were there big differences, or (most likely) were they a little bit themselves and a little bit what they would one day become?

It’s fun to think about all of the possibilities, which is exactly what this really funny Tumblr thread did when they asked themselves…what if prehistoric dudes were just dudes?

It all began with a facial reconstruction done of a Homo sapien and a Neanderthal man who honestly, looks like he just needs a hug (and maybe a joint).

And then, someone got really into it, creating a whole world and society just based on one man’s potential face.

What sort of music would he like?

Would he appreciate your jokes?

We may never know for sure…

This man’s hair made an appearance because, well, it slaps. And so does that smirk of the guy below.

And then this child, who is objectively adorable, plus bonus Lucy and other species.

You cannot argue this is a face with a soul.

These images are actually beautiful, as is the fact that humans now can look at them and see ourselves in their eyes.

I’m honestly a little choked up about it and I’m not sure why.

Maybe I should look into that.

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For the First Time, Penguins Have Been Documented Using the Same Speech Patterns as Humans

It seems like there have been more and more reports of different animals displaying increasingly human characteristics, like making and developing tools, but most of the instances have been in our closer genetic relatives.

So it feels a bit off to say it’s not monkeys, but penguins, whose speech patterns could closely mirror those of people.

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African Penguin – nearly adult

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Historically, a normal penguin call ranges from a gently peep to a cringe-y squawk, but even though they don’t use words, researchers have found that they’re officially the first non-primates to use the same patterns of speech as human beings.

Scientists studying the songs of African penguins have learned that they use shorter sounds for “words” and longer vocalizations with more syllables when communicating more complex messages, both of which are linguistic principles of human speech around the world.

Zipf’s Law of Brevity postulates that the more often a word is used, the shorter it will be, and vice versa, due to selective pressures to communicate accurately and efficiently.

The Menzerath-Altmann Law says that the longer a word or sentence, the shorter its components will be.

Both principles have been documented in humans and non-human primates, but the penguins are a first.

The authors write in Biology Letters,

“Our results provide the first evidence for conformity to Zipf’s and Menzerath-Altmann laws in the vocal sequences of a non-primate species.”

To come to these conclusion, the researchers studied the calls of 28 adult African penguins, collecting and analyzing 590 display songs during a single breeding season. They found that a sequence of three distinct sounds made up the songs – the first two, a short croak and a longer, exhaled noise that occurred most often, and a third, inhaled vocalization of varied length.

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#bemyvalentine

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The scientists theorized that the first two were simply announcing their presence and availability, while the longer one was some kind of argument about why they were the fitter partner.

“As predicted, we found that the duration of the syllables was inversely correlated with the frequency of occurrence.”

The conclusions seem to point toward language laws not being intrinsically about semantics and syntax, but about the fundamental need to communicate efficiently.

Which means that, if we apply their findings across the board, it may be more likely that we can truly understand what’s being communicated between members of many species.

I can’t wait until we can divine what our cats are thinking. What a day that will be!

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Here’s Your Ultimate Guide to Loading a Dishwasher Correctly

Did you know nine out of ten marriages end because SOMEONE feels the need to unload and reload the dishwasher after someone else already loaded it?

I exaggerate only because I’m defensive.

The fact is, fights between couples over loading the dishwasher the correct way are fairly common.

Photo Credit: Pixnio

As someone who is unfairly accused of being a dishwasher loading dud, I’ve found an expert guide on how to do this stupid chore the right way.

It turns out everyone’s wrong. Even you. So read this, get on the same page with your honey, load the dishes, then you can both go see a movie.

First, cups and small bowls should be placed on the top rack upside down. Lean them if water tends to collect on the bottoms.

Photo Credit: Pxhere

Chef and blogger at Home Kitchen Land, Heloise Blaure, says, “All plastic items should go on the top rack, too, because the heat comes from the bottom and can warp plastics.” Large utensils like spatulas and ladles should lie flat on the top rack to get properly cleaned as well.

The bottom rack gets all the plates, large bowls, pots and pans, with the biggest pieces along the sides.

Spoons and forks go in the utensil holder handle end down. Knives go in blade down (but it’s much better to hand-wash kitchen knives).

Photo Credit: PublicDomainPictures.net

That’s all sort of common sense, but there are also important ways to load dishes that do prevent everything from getting properly cleaned.

Avoid overloading. According to Whirlpool, anything nesting will not get clean.

Do not put large flat items against the door. Baking sheets and platters should be in the rack so that detergent can get out of the door and reach the rest of the washer.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Don’t lay pans face down on the bottom rack if your machine doesn’t have an upper spray arm. Items placed like this and not on their side in the rack blocks water from getting up top.

Before closing the door and starting the dishwasher, give the upper rack spray arm a spin to see if it hits anything. Rearrange your items until the arm spins freely.

Also – and this is key – water comes from the center of the sprayer, so point your dirty dishes toward the center instead of placing them all facing the same way.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Melissa Maker, host of the YouTube channel Clean My Space, says to go ahead and remove bits of food from your dishes before loading, since etoo much food waste can sit in your washer and mold. But don’t go crazy on pre-rinsing. That just wastes water.

Don’t use your dishwasher to clean cast iron pans, non-stick pans, fine china, metal finishes, wood utensils and cutting boards, or your cooking knives. All the water running through the machine will ruin these items. Also, check other items for labels that show they are hand wash only.

To keep your dishwasher running properly, keep it clean by checking for left-over food bits and by running a cycle with vinegar once a month.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Pre-heat the water by running your hot water faucet so your washer doesn’t start with cold. And you can save energy by not using the heated dryer cycle.

This isn’t just a guide for cleaner dishes, folks. This is a guide for happier, healthier marriages.

Also good for roommate and parenting situations.

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A YouTuber Builds an Impressive “River Table” With Thousands of Colored Pencils

Nick Zammeti calls himself an “artist, woodturner, maker,” though I’d probably go with “crafting wizard.”

He handmakes everything from beaded-bowls to Baby Yodas to Borg cubes and shows off the creations on his youtube and instagram.

One of his recent projects went viral for its novel concept and satisfying build process.

Behold the Colored Pencil River Table!

“What’s a colored pencil river table?” you may ask.

It’s pure whimsical goodness, is what it is.

Nick encased thousands of colored pencils in a clear epoxy, and shaped it into a sort of suspended liquid design perfectly slotted into the table and spilling out onto the floor.

It’s the sort of thing most of us would never even think of, much less have the skills to pull off.

It’s dirty work, but by golly, it’s gotta be done.

Check out the full build video from his channel:

What’s the thing you’ve made that you’re proudest of? I’m sure there’s something, right? Right???

Let us know in the comments!

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