Important Scientific Facts You Should Know

I was reading a science book the other day and I was fascinated by the number of facts which I did not know. In fact the more I read the more I realised how much I did not know and how ignorant I really am.

Did you know for example that DNA was discovered when they realised that people were eating too many alphabet soups and alphabet pasta with tomato sauce. Scientists found the letters DNA within our bodies and they tend to stick together like a spiral. In Australia, the DNA spiral of people living there goes round the opposite way than people in the Northern hemisphere; and it is spelled AND.

When I was at school a friend of mine was dyslexic. His parents did not give him alphabet pasta in sauce but spaghetti instead.

Also; did you know that the majority of men with beards (about 68%) sleep with their beards tucked under the bed covers rather than over the bed covers?

And that beards grow faster and longer than hair on men's heads?

And that human ears grow bigger in proportion to the rest of our bodies as we grow older? As a result, older people can hear round corners. It's called eavesdropping. Not leaves dropping. That's an entirely different thing that happens in Autumn. Remember, if you're ever eavesdropping be careful you don't catch your ear on the hinges side of the door if someone closes the door abruptly. This could seriously damage the door as it comes off its hinges.

Did you know that if you had a meal in a restaurant that is totally dark you would not be able to tell the difference between steak and a beefburger?

Did you also know that if you're in a vacuum and you shout loud no one would hear you? And it would make no difference whether the vacuum cleaner is switched on or off, or whether the bag is full of dirt and dust or whether it is empty?

And also, if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to see it, it will remain standing.

Do you realise that if you had a small bird in a cage, and as you happen to weigh the cage, if the bird jumped up from its perch then its weight would not register on the scale? Also, if you were to weigh the cage under water the small bird would drown?

Did you know that a farmer in England cross-bred chicken and turkeys with race horses to create birds with four legs so that at Christmas more people could have a leg to eat? Unfortunately the birds ran so fast no one could catch them.

By the way, years ago my hobby was pigeon racing. I gave up when I lost every race.

Some people prefer to race snails. It's much slower though. Did you know that if a snail climbed up your leg it would take a week before you're surprised?

They say that dinosaurs were all killed when an asteroid or meteor hit the earth a long time ago. Do you realise that this would not have happened if they were not all standing in the same place. Apparently they were all together at a conference to discuss changes in climate. It was a period known as the ice age when the world had a plentiful supply of ice cream and prices of the product tumbled.

It was during this period that they discovered the ice caps, known as the North and South Poles. But I bet you did not know that an ancestor of mine discovered the West Pole. It was there near the Equator but it kept moving as the earth went round. It eventually melted because of the heat on the Equator. 

Did you know that in order to peel and cut an onion without tears you have to do it under water; that is if you can hold your breath for that long?

Did you also know that yawning is contagious? If you yawn, other people are likely to yawn too. And that babies yawn in the womb before they are born because they do not have a cell phone and social media. And women yawn because the headache excuse has worn thin. And that when fish yawn they can drown because water gets in their mouth.

Yawning can be a prelude to going to sleep. Especially when you're at the opera or ballet. Did you know that if you parachute jump the adrenaline rush you get can make you yawn and fall asleep. That's why you should parachute in a bed.

Talking of which, did you know that in the UK 13% of babies are conceived in an IKEA bed? Which is surprising since those shops are usually well lit.

Finally, did you know that the manager of our local IKEA shop died last week. The funeral was delayed because no one could assemble the coffin.