Looking for a way to impress your friends? These 13 weird facts about science will blow your mind. Some are quite believable and you probably already know a few. Others, however, are mind-boggling facts that you just won’t believe.
People don’t appreciate science enough and the incredible discoveries scientists make through it. Perhaps it’s the way we were taught in school.
We hope these amazing scientific facts will inspire you to learn something new every day. You can add your own science facts in the comments section below.
13 weird facts about science
1. A “jiffy” is an actual unit of time: 1/100th of a second.
2. At any given time, there are 1,800 thunderstorms in progress over the earth’s atmosphere.
3. Lightning strikes the Earth 100 times every second. How scary is that?
4. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match. Weird, isn’t it?
5. About 100 people, on average, choke to death on ballpoint pens every year.
6. Many lipsticks contain fish scales. Also known as “pearlescence”, this silvery substance is primarily sourced from herring. You can also find it in nail polishes and other cosmetic products due to the shimmer effect it creates.
7. A rainbow can only be seen in the morning or late afternoon when the sun is 40 degrees or less above the horizon.
8. Babies have about 300 bones at birth, with cartilage between many of them. This extra flexibility helps them pass through the birth canal and also allows for rapid growth. With age, many of the bones fuse, leaving 206 bones that make up an average adult skeleton.
More facts
9. A ten-year-old mattress weighs double what it did when it was new due to debris that it absorbs over time. That debris includes dust mites (their droppings and decaying bodies), mould, millions of dead skin cells, dandruff. Add that to animal and human hair, secretions, excretions, lint, pollen, dust, soil, sand, and a lot of perspiration. Whew!
10. Hot water can freeze faster than cold water. However, it does not always happen, nor has science explained exactly why it can happen.
11. Every human being has 99 per cent of their DNA in common. A parent and child share 99.5 per cent of the same. Also, you have 98 per cent of your DNA in common with a chimpanzee.
12. 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.
13. Stomach acid is strong enough to dissolve stainless steel. Don’t worry about your stomach lining. It protects itself by secreting an alkali bicarbonate solution and then entirely renews itself every four days.