We, humans, are curious creatures, with an infinite need to discover new things. We thrive on the unknown and upon the enlightenment of the knowledge of different cultures, animals, and places. This need has led us to explore, travel, and find out more about the world around us. That’s why we want to quench your thirst for knowledge with some facts about our world that will make you stop in your tracks.
1. Sometimes you can see a rainbow at night. The only catch is that it’s called a moonbow. It is an optical phenomenon caused by the refracted light from the moon through water droplets in the air. Even with the brightest full moon, the amount of light available is far less than that produced by the sun, so moonbows are extremely faint and rarely seen.
2. Dogs have 3 eyelids. The third eyelid protects the eye and cornea while also spreading tears across the eyeball surface.
3. The blood of crocodiles has antibiotic properties, and it has a huge potential in the future of medicine and supplements.
4. The chances of giving birth to identical quadruplets are one in 15 million.
5. Brains can be hotter than the rest of our bodies. However, women’s brains are hotter than men’s, reaching nearly 105.8°F (41°C). This difference is most likely caused by the menstrual cycle, as most females were scanned during the post-ovulation phase of their cycle.
6. The only part of the human body without a blood supply is the cornea, which gets oxygen from the air.
7. A fingernail grows faster than a toenail. Though scientists don’t know why for sure, the most common theory is that we move our fingers more than we use our toes. As a result, the fingernail matrix’s cells undergo extra microtraumas.
8. Your dog can learn around 165 words and with intense training, they can learn closer to 250 words. This is because dogs have the same level of intelligence as a 2-year-old.
9. The average person walks the equivalent of 3 times around the world in their lifetime.
10. Older adults who own a dog are half as likely to experience disability-related problems as their age advances.
11. The skin on the elbow is thicker than the rest of the body. Tough skin has fewer pain receptors. This is why we barely feel a thing when we pinch our elbows.
12. There was a dog 11,000 years ago that had cancer. But the nature of cancer causes the cells to stop living for the organism and start living for themselves, growing, making copies, and evolving. Our ancient dog bequeathed its cancer as a hereditary disease carried by future cancerous cells that would form, grow, and evolve in future dogs, generation after generation. One particular pup’s cells lived through generations of dogs. It means that today, there are still living cells of the one exact dog that died a thousand years ago, a single-cell dog.
