10 Fun Facts About Science & History
Why are female sharks so thick-skinned? How many bones do you have in your body? What color are a scallop's eyes? What did people do before toilet paper existed?
Find out the answers to these and other questions in this unusual list of science and history fun facts.
Female sharks have thicker skins than males
Male sharks have thinner skin than female sharks. Scientists believe this is due to males' strange proclivity to bite females while mating. Despite this, sharks can still congregate in large numbers at times. Researchers reported in February 2016 that more than 10,000 blacktip sharks were congregating off the coast of Florida. Pregnant female sharks, on the other hand, appear to avoid males on migration routes, which is understandable. Who wouldn't want to?
The ocean is 8 Empire State Buildings deep
On average, the ocean is 12,080.7 feet (3,682.2 meters) deep. That's equivalent to stacking eight Empire State Buildings on top of each other. The deepest part of the ocean, on the other hand, is approximately 36,200 feet deep (11,030 m). That's the equivalent of 25 Empire State Buildings.
Your hand has a built-in snuff box
Extend your thumb and look at the back of your hand. See how those two little tendons protrude from your wrist and form a triangle between your wrist and first thumb joint? Scientists refer to that triangle as the "anatomical snuff box," because people used to sniff powdered tobacco from this fleshy depression.
The plumbing in Pompeii was ahead of its time.
In terms of necessities, residents of ancient Pompeii could pee upstairs. Though the Mount Vesuvius eruption in A.D. 79 destroyed many second stories, pipes left behind reveal traces of feces, and the ruins still contain the occasional upstairs toilet.
We're made up of 206 bones
The adult human skeleton consists of 206 bones. The smallest bone in the human skeleton is the stapes or stirrup, the innermost of three bones in the middle ear; the femur (thighbone) is the longest and strongest, and the tibia in the lower leg is the second largest. What you may not realize is that babies are born with approximately 270 bones. Some people's bodies fuse together as they grow.
These roaches hiss to attract mates.
What is the origin of the Madagascar hissing cockroach's name? It, of course, hisses. But the way it hisses is a little strange. The massive insect breathes gas through tiny breathing pores on its thorax and abdomen known as spiracles. Cockroaches hiss when they are surprised, when they challenge other cockroaches to a fight, and when they are trying to attract mates.
On the moon, you'd weigh a lot less.
The moon's gravity is one-sixth that of Earth's. A person weighing 150 pounds (68 kg) on Earth weighs only 25 pounds (11 kg) on the moon. Because the moon is only 1% the mass of Earth, its gravity is much lower. Your weight on each planet would be very different. You'd weigh more than twice as much if you could stand on Jupiter.
Bathroom etiquette dates back thousands of years.
Although toilet paper is a relatively new invention, the ancients still had to wipe it. Seneca, a Roman philosopher who lived from 4 B.C. to A.D. 65, described the use of a sponge attached to a stick to do the job. The tool (known as terrorism) sat in a bucket of saltwater or vinegar water between uses.
Camels do not store water in their humps.
Camels can consume 30 gallons (113 liters) of water in 13 minutes. Water is stored in the camel's bloodstream rather than its fatty hump, which serves as a source of nutrition when food is scarce.
Salamanders' tongues can reach great lengths.
Bolitoglossa dofleini, a Central American salamander, can extend its tongue more than half its body length in 7 milliseconds, which is 50 times faster than blinking an eye.
Related: 44 Fascinating Science Facts for Kids
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