Category: Science

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A Woman Caught a Fish with Two Mouths in Upstate New York

This woman’s fishing trip took a strange turn when she reeled in a fish with two mouths.

Debbie Geddes was fishing on Lake Champlain in upstate New York when she caught the unusual animal. She told Fox News that when the fish initially bit her line, she felt like it was a quite large one. But she had no idea what she was about to reel onto the boat.

“When we got it in the boat I couldn’t believe what I was seeing!” Debbie said. “Two mouths! And yet this fish was healthy and thriving! Pretty amazing.”

Debbie and her husband took photos of the unique fish, then released it back into the water. Debbie’s co-worker, Adam Facteau, knew that people had to see this, so he uploaded a photo to Facebook.

“She wasn’t convinced anyone would care about the catch,” Adam said. “I knew it would be popular.”

He was right. The photo went viral, and people have been debating over the cause of the two mouths ever since. Debbie personally thinks that the Lake Trout’s second “mouth” was created by a previous injury. Many commenters also blamed pollution.

“Well, I think everyone has an opinion, which makes it interesting for discussion,” Adam said.

He’s personally not so sure of the cause. He says an injury is “possible.”

Posted by Debbie Geddes on Saturday, August 18, 2018

“However, Lake Champlain is also known for being a sewage dumping ground from Canada and (Vermont). Plus, many of these fish are stocked.”

Regardless of the reason behind these apparent two mouths, this is certainly a catch that Debbie will remember forever.

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The Farmer’s Almanac Has Released Its 2020 Winter Predictions, and It’s Looking Pretty Brutal

Ready for a “polar coaster” this winter? Yeah, I don’t think I am, either. But we all better get prepared because that’s what the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting for the winter of 2020, along with a lot of snow and “frigid” and “freezing” temperatures. Great…

The editor of the Farmer’s Almanac, Peter Geiger, said, “Our extended forecast is calling for yet another freezing, frigid, and frosty winter for two-thirds of the country.” Last year’s prediction from the Almanac called for a long winter with a lot of snow and that turned out to be right on the money.

This year, the forecast says that people who live east of the Rocky Mountains all the way to the Appalachians will endure a particularly brutal winter with below-average temperatures and above-normal precipitation. The East Coast is also likely to see a mix of rain, sleet, and snow.

Folks who live in the western-third of the United States can expect a normal, mild winter with average temperatures and precipitation. The coldest temperatures of the year are predicted to occur in late January, affecting millions of Americans across the Northern Plains all the way to the Great Lakes. In other words, it’s going to be a long, cold winter.

Of course, we all know that weather predictions are never 100% accurate and there might be some wiggle room here, but it seems like this will be a pretty good indication of what the winter of 2020 will look like.

It might be time to move to California…

The post The Farmer’s Almanac Has Released Its 2020 Winter Predictions, and It’s Looking Pretty Brutal appeared first on UberFacts.

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Lightning Caused a Freak Toilet Explosion, so Choose Wisely When You Go to the Bathroom

I’m glad no one was injured (or killed) during this incident because this would be a really terrible way to go.

And of course this happened in Florida. Was there ever any doubt?!?!

The scene was Port Charlotte, Florida. During a lightning storm, the homeowners heard a huge crash-bang. When they investigated their home, they found that a toilet in their bathroom has EXPLODED from lightning. Windows in the house had shattered as well.

Let’s chalk it up to good luck that no one was doing their business at the time…

Posted by A-1 Affordable Plumbing inc. on Sunday, August 4, 2019

Jordan Hagadorn, the owner of A-1 Affordable Plumbing, said, “This is probably the first time in history something like this has happened” and that the lightning strike resulted in “perfect ignition inside the sewer.”

To explicate slightly – the lightening ignited whatever was in the sewer (poop gases like methane and such).

Hagadorn also said that 30 percent of the pipes in the house need to be replaced due to damage.

While this story sounds like a one-in-a-million incident, it does happen from time to time. John Jensenius, a lightning expert from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), says, “There have been documented incidents of people injured on toilets. It [lightning] went through the pipes and through the water. If lightning strikes your home, it often finds its way into the plumbing.”

We’re just entering hurricane season, so please be careful and take note of impending storms.

A word to the wise: don’t do your business anymore if there’s a lightning storm outside…no one wants to have to explain that in a loved one’s obituary. Got it? Good!

The post Lightning Caused a Freak Toilet Explosion, so Choose Wisely When You Go to the Bathroom appeared first on UberFacts.

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Lightning Caused a Freak Toilet Explosion, so Choose Wisely When You Go to the Bathroom

I’m glad no one was injured (or killed) during this incident because this would be a really terrible way to go.

And of course this happened in Florida. Was there ever any doubt?!?!

The scene was Port Charlotte, Florida. During a lightning storm, the homeowners heard a huge crash-bang. When they investigated their home, they found that a toilet in their bathroom has EXPLODED from lightning. Windows in the house had shattered as well.

Let’s chalk it up to good luck that no one was doing their business at the time…

Posted by A-1 Affordable Plumbing inc. on Sunday, August 4, 2019

Jordan Hagadorn, the owner of A-1 Affordable Plumbing, said, “This is probably the first time in history something like this has happened” and that the lightning strike resulted in “perfect ignition inside the sewer.”

To explicate slightly – the lightening ignited whatever was in the sewer (poop gases like methane and such).

Hagadorn also said that 30 percent of the pipes in the house need to be replaced due to damage.

While this story sounds like a one-in-a-million incident, it does happen from time to time. John Jensenius, a lightning expert from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), says, “There have been documented incidents of people injured on toilets. It [lightning] went through the pipes and through the water. If lightning strikes your home, it often finds its way into the plumbing.”

We’re just entering hurricane season, so please be careful and take note of impending storms.

A word to the wise: don’t do your business anymore if there’s a lightning storm outside…no one wants to have to explain that in a loved one’s obituary. Got it? Good!

The post Lightning Caused a Freak Toilet Explosion, so Choose Wisely When You Go to the Bathroom appeared first on UberFacts.

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There Could Be a Cure for Peanut Allergies as Soon as 2020

Allergies to peanuts are very common among children, so much so that many schools have simply banned peanuts altogether. Peanut allergies are life-threatening for many sufferers. Simply being in the same room as peanut dust can trigger a deadly reaction, which is an incredibly scary way to live life for young kids and their parents. There is no cure for peanut allergies…

Yet. Scientists are currently working on a treatment that would make it possible for allergic children to eat peanuts.

Today reports that there are at least 17 new therapies currently under study for treating peanut allergies, and some are mere months away from FDA approval. Dr. Kari Nadeau, director of Stanford University’s Sean Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, says that these therapies could potentially serve as a cure for some patients.

Photo Credit: iStock

“There’s going to be some groups that might need to have therapy every day for the rest of their lives,” Dr. Nadeau told Today. “But there might people that can stop therapy and do fine.”

One treatment is a “peanut pill,” a pill filled with a precise dose of pharmaceutical-grade peanut powder. The dose would gradually increase over time, building patients’ tolerance until they can tolerate eating whole peanuts. The pill was successful in up to 80 percent of patients in a clinical trial.

There’s also a “peanut patch,” which is a similar concept, but the dose is administered through the skin instead of orally. Additionally, there’s a vaccine that could treat patients without introducing them to the allergen at all.

Photo Credit: iStock

One young patient, Violet, successfully went through a trial for the peanut pill. Two years later, she can be in the same room as peanuts and eat cross-contaminated foods without a reaction. The treatment has allowed her to go places and do things she never could before, and she only has to eat a couple of peanut M&Ms each night to maintain her tolerance — not a bad prescription!

The peanut pill is for children ages 4 to 17 and could be available as soon as early 2020.

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This Twitter Account Hilariously Mocks the Absurdity of Modern Technology

I’m all for modern technology, but sometimes it feels like it’s kind of out of hand.

We all think we’re so enlightened and our lives are so advanced, but maybe we’re getting dumber? And maybe we don’t really need all of this stuff after all?

Check out some hilarious (and accurate) examples from the “Internet of Sh*t” Twitter account.

1. Oops

2. Patronizing

3. Close the door!

4. Thanks a lot, Roomba

5. In distress

6. What a time to be alive

7. WRONG

8. It’s in your best interest

9. Hacked

10. Love it!

11. Very helpful

12. Time to start yelling

13. No way

14. What year is it, again?

15. That’s enough

Can we go back to the Stone Age yet?

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Parents in Britain Are Trying to “Cure” Their Kids’ Autism by Forcing Them to Drink Bleach

Yes, the world is getting dumber by the minute.

Autism is a disorder that affects up to 1 in 100 children, and there currently is no cure.

A fact that is not, sadly, stopping U.K. parents from forcing their autistic children to drink (or take an enema of) a dangerous chemical cocktail that is mostly made of bleach.

The Mirror reports that 6 different police forces have questioned parents after their children were reduced to vomiting or experiencing severe diarrhea after ingesting bleach in some form – it’s even being marketed as a “Master Mineral Solution,” and sold for $37 online.

Bleach. For kids. To drink.

This “Master Mineral Solution” is sodium chlorite mixed with citric acid powder – very literally industrial strength bleach – and not only does it not cure a damn thing, doctors say it will eventually kill one of these unsuspecting children. ABC did an investigate report on the MMS, in which they confronted the bishop of the ‘church’ that hawks the product as a literal miracle cure.

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Sounds like #zerbos #weirdos #drinkingbleach

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Everything from older mothers to pollution to, of course, vaccines has been blamed for the rise in autism diagnoses, but there are currently no definitive answers from the medical community. There are several different treatment regimens available, depending on where your child falls on the spectrum of autism, which include different kinds of therapies to improve speech and behavior, and maybe medications if there are related medical conditions.

Which is a good thing to remember the next time you wonder whether poisoning your child is better than working with your doctor to improve his or her quality of life.

The post Parents in Britain Are Trying to “Cure” Their Kids’ Autism by Forcing Them to Drink Bleach appeared first on UberFacts.

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500 Million Brazilian Bees Died in Only Three Months

You’ve probably heard by now that the world’s ability to produce food is connected to the availability of a thriving bee population. Bees are nature’s most integral pollinators, responsible for pollinating 75% of the world’s crops.

And they’re dying at a rate that’s almost impossible to comprehend – to the tune of 500 million bees in Brazil alone in just three month’s time.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Between December 2018 and February 2019, 400 million bees in Rio Grande do Sul, 7 million in Santa Catarina, and 45 million in Mato Grosso do Sul lost their lives, and Aldo Machado, the vice president of Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul’s beekeeping association, is concerned.

Image Credit: scrural.gov

“As soon as the healthy bees began clearing the dying bees out of the hives, they became contaminated. They started dying en masse.”

Researchers are blaming Brazil’s decision to allow the use of 300 new pesticides on crops in 2019; many of the dead bees contained traces of fipronil, an insecticide commonly used to rid dogs and cats of fleas and ticks.. The U.S. EPA classifies it as a possible human carcinogen, but if you’ve got a dog, you may have some in your house.

Image Credit: scrural.gov

Alberto Bastos, the president of the Apiculturist Association of Brazil’s Federal District, told Bloomberg that the “death of all these bees is a sign that we’re being poisoned.”

Not to mention that bees provide billions of dollars worth of agricultural benefits that will disappear along with them if they go.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Will people listen? Will it be too late by the time food shortages begin to make their way into developed corners of the world?

Only time will tell, but the people who are hearing what the bees have to tell us are already beating the drum.

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This Isn’t Good…Microplastics Are Falling from the Arctic Sky

Do you know about microplastics?

Microplastics are defined as any plastic fragment less than 5 millimeters in length, and at this point they have been found in every corner of the globe. They come from any number of sources – from rubber tires to paint and cosmetics to toothpaste tubes and synthetic clothing – and the ubiquitous nature of them in the environment has scientists worried about harm.

In fact, they are so ubiquitous at this point, that they’ve been documented falling with snow in the Arctic…even though there’s practically no people there.

A new report in Science Advances documents tiny plastic fibers found across two dozen Northern Hemisphere locations, from the remote Arctic ice to the Swiss Alps. Perhaps most concerning was finding that the “pristine” Arctic snow contained up to 14,400 microplastic particles per liter (snow in parts of rural Bavaria, in southern Germany, contained up to 154,000 ppl).

Because they’ve been found falling from the sky, there’s now a question of whether people might be breathing microplastics. Though scientists are currently uncertain what, if any, impact inhaling (inhaling!) them could have on humans and other wildlife, there have been plenty of documented cases of marine life ingesting larger plastic pieces to extreme detriment, and that might definitely lead one to worry, says Dr. Melanie Bergmann.

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Clearly there is no place on Earth that micro-plastic can not reach – having been repeatedly found in seawater, drinking water and all species of animals. But these minute particles are also transported by the atmosphere and subsequently washed out of the air – especially by snow – in remote regions of the Planet – such as the Arctic and the Alps. This was demonstrated in a study conducted by experts at the Alfred Wegener Institute which recently published their finding in the journal Science Advances. It would be interesting to discover how much micro-plastic is ingested by humans and the amount retained in our bodies during ones lifespan. #microplastics #environment #planetearth #awarenessbuilding #alfredwegenerinstitut

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“To date, there are virtually no studies investigating the extent to which human beings are subject to microplastic contamination. But once we’ve determined that large quantities of microplastic can also be transported by the air, it naturally raises the question as to whether and how much plastic we’re inhaling.”

Now that microplastics have fallen with the snow in the most remote Arctic locations, there can be no doubt that our addiction to plastics out of control. And if that’s not disturbing enough, we’re almost definitely breathing in small fibers every single day.

The pieces of plastic found in the study ranged from 11 micrometers to 5 millimeters and consisted of rubber, varnishes, and other forms of plastic.

Like plant pollen, the tiny fibers are swept up into the air where they tumble along in currents that flow from one end of the earth to the other, only to fall down with the rain or snow wherever it washes onto the earth.

Which is to say, we can’t escape the problem we’ve created.

The only question left is, how much is it hurting us?

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According to Science, You Can Only Have up to 150 Friends

No matter how incredibly charming you are, there is apparently a natural limit to how many friends you can have: and that number is 150.

It’s known as “Dunbar’s number” because British anthropologist Robin Dunbar came up with the figure. Dunbar defines a friend as “the number of people you would not feel embarrassed about joining uninvited for a drink if you happened to bump into them in a bar,” and back in the 1990s, he asserted that people can only maintain 150 social relationships that stable at any given point in time.

Photo Credit: iStock

Dunbar went on the claim that we devote 40% of our social time to the five people who are closest to us. The next 20% is devoted to the next closest 10.

These numbers are now widely accepted in social science. Some companies, like W. L. Gore and Associates (the producers of Gore-Tex) even limit the size of their offices to 150 employees.

Dunbar’s number didn’t appear out of thin air; he came up with it by studying primates. He found that primates with bigger brains were able to track more social relationships, and from his research he predicted an average human social network size of 148 based on the size of the human brain.

Then he rounded up.

Photo Credit: iStock

Not all social scientists agree with Dunbar. But the 150 figure is consistent with other figures throughout history, such as the estimated size of neolithic farming villages and the average size of army units from Roman times to the present day.

So, the next time you want to gently turn down a new friend, just tell ’em you’ve already reached your Dunbar number.

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