Useless Facts

[01dragonslayer]

Pineapple works as a natural meat tenderizer.​

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The fruit is packed with the enzyme bromelain, which breaks down protein chains, making it an ideal marinade for meats when you don't have a lot of time. But for the same reason, pineapple does not work for jams or jellies, since the enzyme breaks down gelatin as well. The bromelain is so strong that pineapple processors have to wear protective gloves, otherwise over time the enzyme eats away at the skin on their face and hands, leaving dry skin and small sores.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Humans are the only animals that blush.​

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We are also believed to be the only animal that feels embarrassment—a complicated emotion requiring understanding others' opinions and other factors. Charles Darwin called blushing "the most peculiar and most human of all expressions," while Mark Twain said, "Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to."

 

[01dragonslayer]

The feeling of getting lost inside a mall is known as the Gruen transfer.​

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We've all heard how casinos are designed to deliberately disorient visitors, causing them to lose track of time and where exactly they are. But did you know that there's a similar strategy behind the design of shopping malls as well? Officially known as the "Gruen transfer," this phenomenon was named after Austrian architect Victor Gruen, who identified how an intentionally confusing layout could lead to consumers spending more time and money in a shopping venue (though he would later disavow the approach).

 

[R2D2]

Really enjoying these. thanks bro

 

[01dragonslayer]

Really enjoying these. thanks bro

 

[01dragonslayer]

The wood frog can hold its pee for up to eight months.​

Shutterstock/Jay Ondreicka
Talk about having to go! Wood frogs in Alaska have been known to hold their urine for up to eight months, sticking it out through the region's long winters before relieving themselves once temperatures increase. The urine actually helps keep the animal alive while it hibernates, with special microbes in their gut that recycle the urea (urine's main waste) into nitrogen.

 

[01dragonslayer]

The hottest spot on the planet is in Libya.​

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Specifically, the hottest spot ever recorded on Earth is El Azizia, in Libya, where a temperature of 136 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded on Sept. 13, 1922. While hotter spots have likely occurred in other parts of the planet at other times, this is the most scorching temperature ever formally recorded by a weather station.

 

[GRIM]

The wood frog can hold its pee for up to eight months.​

View attachment 34764Shutterstock/Jay Ondreicka
Talk about having to go! Wood frogs in Alaska have been known to hold their urine for up to eight months, sticking it out through the region's long winters before relieving themselves once temperatures increase. The urine actually helps keep the animal alive while it hibernates, with special microbes in their gut that recycle the urea (urine's main waste) into nitrogen.

wish i was that lucky

 

[01dragonslayer]

You lose up to 30 percent of your taste buds during flight.​

Shutterstock/norikko
This might explain why airplane food gets such a bad reputation. The elevation in an airplane can have a detrimental effect on our ability to taste things. According to a 2010 study conducted by Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, the dryness experienced at a high elevation as well as low pressure reduces the sensitivity of a person's taste buds to sweet and salty foods by about 30 percent. Add that dry cabin air affects our ability to smell, and our ability to taste is reduced further.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Your nostrils work one at a time.​

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When we breathe in and out of our nose during the day, one nostril does most of the work at a time, with the duties switching every several hours. This "nasal cycle" is dictated by the same autonomic nervous system that regulates heart rate, digestion, and other unconscious bodily functions and is the reason why—when our nose gets stuffed up—it does so one nostril at a time.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Only two mammals like spicy food: humans and the tree shrew.​

Shutterstock/Vladimir Wrangel
While humans have long had the rare distinction of being the only mammal that actually enjoys spicy food, that list has seen a new addition, as a study by Chinese researchers found that tree shrews have a mutation in their ion channel receptor, TRPV1, which makes it less sensitive to the "hot" chemical in chili peppers. As a result, the adorable critters happily gobbled up corn pellets laced with capsaicin (the compounds that give peppers their spice) while other mammals in the study avoided them.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Rabbits can't puke.​

Shutterstock/Victoria Paladiy
Unlike cats or other animals that can cough up hairballs when they digest too much fur and other indigestible materials, rabbits are incapable of spewing. Their digestive system only goes one way, so the furry critters swallow plenty of roughage, which keeps things moving in the right direction.

 

[01dragonslayer]

The "M's" in M&Ms stand for "Mars" and "Murrie."​

Shutterstock/BORIMAT PRAOKAEW
That would be Forrest Mars and Bruce Murrie, the two businessmen who created the candy-coated chocolates. The two actually had a very contentious relationship, as Mars leveraged Murrie out of his 20 percent share in the company in 1949—years before M&Ms would become the best-selling candy in the U.S., paying him just $1 million for a share of business that would quickly be worth billions.

 

[01dragonslayer]

The human body literally glows.​

Shutterstock/PKpix
It might be hard to see with your naked eye, but everyone you pass by every day is literally glowing. The human body emits a small quantity of visible light ("visible" in the technical sense—the illumination is about 1,000 times less intense than levels of light that we would actually be able to see). Researchers in Japan used a special camera to track this glow and found that it fluctuates throughout the day, with the body emitting its lowest levels of light around 10 a.m. and highest at around 4 p.m., a rhythm the scientists attribute to the changes in one's metabolism.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Copper door knobs are self-disinfecting.​

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Copper and its alloys, such as brass, have long been popular materials for manufacturing door knobs. It turns out, this may not just because the metal's hue makes it look nice. In fact, the material has been found to kill bacteria. According to one study from the National College of Kathmandu in Nepal, "the metal ions denature protein of the target cells by binding to reactive groups resulting in their precipitation and inactivation. The high affinity of cellular proteins for the metallic ions results in the death of the cells due to cumulative effects of the ion within the cells." In other words, brass sterilizes the bacteria that can build up from all those (potentially unwashed) hands that grip it.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Cotton candy was invented by a dentist.​

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It is not known whether William Morrison had an ulterior motive for inventing the soft confection, but the dentist no doubt helped ensure others in his profession continued drawing in plenty of customers. In 1897, he partnered with candy-maker John C. Wharton to develop the cotton candy machine (which at the time was known as "Fairy Floss"), and it's been bringing kids cavities ever since.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Marie Curie is the only person to earn a Nobel prize in two different sciences.​

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The pioneering researcher won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 (shared with her husband) for her study of spontaneous radiation, and then won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911 for her work in radioactivity. That makes her one of just six recipients to receive multiple Nobel prizes, and the only person to receive it in two different sciences. (Chemical engineer Linus Paulding earned a Nobel Chemistry Prize and Nobel Peace Prize, but all other multiple winners received theirs in the same category).

 

[01dragonslayer]

Fingernails don't grow after you die.​

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Despite what you may have seen on other lists of random trivia, your fingernails and hair do not, in fact, continue to grow after you die. To grow, these must have a steady supply of glucose, which is cut off after the heart stops beating, preventing any further growth. In fact, the skin around the hair follicles and nails dehydrates after death and partly retracts, which can make them appear longer.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Creedence Clearwater Revival has the most No. 2 Billboard hits—without ever hitting No. 1.​

Fantasy
John Fogerty's swamp rock band has the odd distinction of having seen more of its singles hit No. 2 on the charts, without ever hitting No. 1, than any other musical act. Between March 1969 and Oct. 1970, the band scored five No. 2 singles on the Billboard Top 100—"Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Travelin' Band," and "Lookin' Out My Back Door"—but never saw one of its songs get to the top spot. No other act has topped this dubious honor since.

 

[01dragonslayer]

The U.S. wastes 160 billion pounds of food per year​

Think twice before you get rid of that carton of milk, because, according to a Los Angeles Times report, that sell-by date isn't as accurate as you may think. The sell-by date is actually not intended to convey safety information but rather communicate the manufacturer's estimate of how long the food will taste best. Who knew?

Well, apparently not many people: the U.S. alone wastes 160 billion pounds of food, or nearly 40 percent of food produced in this country, per year. All in all, more than 90 percent of individual consumers have tossed out food that's totally fine because of a mostly arbitrary date. Yikes.