35 True Science Facts You Didn't Know...Until Now

When Scientists Didn’t Exist

Before the 17th century, science and scientists were not truly recognized. At first, people like the 17th century genius Isaac Newton were called natural philosophers, because there was no concept of the word "scientist" at the time.

The Missing J

The only letter that doesn't appear on the periodic table is J. Don't believe us? Check it out for yourself. 

Expanding Cubes

An ice cube takes up about 9 percent more volume than the water used to make it.  

The Temperature of Lightning

A lightning strike can reach a temperature of 30,000 C or 54,000 F. About 400 people are hit by lightning each year. Shocking!

Rusty Mars

On Mars, iron oxide forms a rust dust that floats in the atmosphere and creates a coating across much of the landscape. 

When Hot Water Freezes Over

Hot water can freeze faster than cold water. However, it does not always happen, nor has science explained exactly why it can happen. 

Insects Sleep

Insects clearly rest at times and are aroused only by strong stimuli—the heat of day, the darkness of night, or perhaps a sudden attack by a predator. This state of deep rest is called torpor and is the closest behavior to true sleep that bugs exhibit.

Everyone's Your Relative

Every human being has 99 percent of their DNA in common. A parent and child share 99.5 percent of the same DNA, and you have 98 percent of your DNA in common with a chimpanzee.

What a Wingspan

The Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing is the world’s largest butterfly, with a wingspan of up to 12 inches. It is found only in Papua New Guinea and is considered endangered.

Einstein's Stolen Brain

After Albert Einstein's death in 1955, pathologist Thomas Harvey at Princeton Hospital conducted an autopsy in which he removed Albert Einstein's brain. Rather than putting the brain back in the body, Harvey decided to keep it for study. Harvey did not have permission to keep Einstein's brain, but days later, he convinced Einstein's son that it would help science. 

Ears on Their Stomach?

On each side of the first abdominal segment of a grasshopper, tucked under the wings, you'll find membranes that vibrate in response to sound waves. This simple eardrum, called a tympana, allows the grasshopper to hear the mating songs of members of their species.

That's Sharp

Six elements account for 99 percent of the mass of the human body: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. The human body contains enough carbon for 9,000 pencils.

Carrying Colorblindness

Women are usually just the carriers of the genetic mutation for colorblindness, which is passed on through the X chromosome. It is mostly men who inherit colorblindness, affecting about 1 in 20 men for every 1 in 200 women.

The Importance of Good Grooming

Termites spend a great deal of time grooming each other. Their good hygiene is important to their survival, as it keeps parasites and harmful bacteria under control within the colony.

The Usefulness of Spit

Humans can't taste food without saliva. Chemoreceptors in the taste buds of your tongue require a liquid medium for the flavors to bind into the receptor molecules.   

We're Mostly Bacteria

Scientists have estimated that about 95 percent of all the cells in the body are bacteria. The vast majority of these microbes can be found within the digestive tract. 

Mercury's Not Mooning About It

While the planet Mercury may resemble our own moon in many ways, it has no moon of its own. 

Going Out With a Flash

Over the next 5 billion years or so, the sun will grow steadily brighter as the hydrogen at its core gets used up, creating increased internal pressure and thus increased fuel conversion to helium. In 1.1 billion years, the planet could start to look like Venus. Eventually, the Sun will run out of hydrogen fuel and collapse. 

Sunscreen for the Tongue

Giraffe tongues are dark blue (or purplish or dark gray) and average around 20 inches in length. The length of their tongues allows them to browse for very highest, juiciest leaves on their favorite acacia trees, and the melanin in their tongues may protect them from UV rays—that is, getting sunburned.

Lime-Brained Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus was equipped with an unusually small brain, about the size of a lime, comparable to that of a modern golden retriever. Carnivorous dinosaurs' brains were bigger than those of leaf-eaters, as they needed more gray matter to hunt mobile prey.

Three-Hearted Cephalopod

Love octopi? They'll love you more, with their three hearts. Two hearts are used to pump blood to each of the octopus' lungs, and the third pumps blood throughout the body. 

Centenarian Tortoises

Galapagos tortoises can live to be well over 100 years old. They also are the largest of all living tortoises, measuring up to 4 feet (1.2 m) long and weighting of over 350 lbs (158.8 kg). 

Smoking Kills

Nicotine can be lethal to children in doses as small as 10 milligrams. Most commonly known as the addictive ingredient in tobacco products, nicotine is often mistakenly thought to be a harmless chemical. 

Killer Whales and/or Dolphins

The killer whale, or orca, is considered a dolphin. The animals' name originally translated as "whale killer" but got flipped around. But a dolphin is one of 38 species of toothed whales, so maybe the name isn't so far off after all.

Bat-Winged Flight

Bats are the world's only group of mammals that have wings. Although some other groups of mammals are able to glide using skin membranes, only bats are capable of true flight.  

Deadly Water

It is possible to die from drinking too much water. Water intoxication and hyponatremia result when a dehydrated person drinks too much water without the accompanying electrolytes. 

Floating Foul

What's one way to tell if an older egg is fresh? Put an egg in a container of water. If the egg sits at an angle or stands on one end, the egg is older but still edible. If the egg floats, it should be discarded if it smells or looks bad when cracked. Eggs accumulate air inside their air cell as they age, leading to increased floating as they get older.

Heavyweight Ants

Ants are capable of carrying objects 50 times their own body weight. Relative to their size, ant muscles are thicker than those of larger animals or even humans. This ratio enables them to produce more force and carry larger objects. 

Built-In Water Goggles

Penguins' eyes work better underwater than in the air. This perk gives them superior eyesight to spot prey while hunting, even in cloudy, dark, or murky water.

Radiating Bananas

Bananas contain high levels of potassium and thus are slightly radioactive. ​It's not something you need to worry about, because 0.01 percent of the potassium already in your body is the same radioactive type (K-40). Potassium is essential for proper nutrition.

Arthritis Afflicts Anyone

The most popular misconception about arthritis is that it is an old person's disease. In reality, arthritis affects people of all ages, including about 300,000 American children. However, children tend to have a more favorable prognosis than older adults.

The Acid That Melts It All

Even though it is highly corrosive and can dissolve glass, hydrofluoric acid is not considered to be a strong acid because it does not completely dissociate in water. Storage of it is usually in plastic containers, though, because it's so reactive with metal, ceramic, and glass.

Add Flowers to Your Salad

Both rose hips and rose petals are edible. Roses are in the same family as apples and crabapples, so the resemblance of their fruits is not purely coincidental.

Caution: Don’t use rose hips from plants that have been treated with a pesticide unless it has been labeled for use on edibles.

But It's Not Why the Sky Is Blue

Oxygen gas is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. However, the liquid and solid forms are a pale blue color. 

The Mysterious 95 Percent

Humans can only see about 5 percent of the matter in the universe. The rest is made up of invisible matter (called dark matter) and a mysterious form of energy known as dark energy.