Scientific Knowledge

 

Here are some scientific facts for your edification.

Did you know that if a centipede is attacked it detaches some of its legs and throws them at his attacker? That way the attacker stops to eat the leg and the centipede runs away and hides. Unfortunately when the centipede returns to retrieve his lost shoes and socks he gets eaten anyway.

Also, did you know that silverfish can live for two to eight years unless you hit them hard with your shoe.

Before silverfish reproduce, they carry out a complicated ritual which may last over half an hour. First the male and female stand face to face, then repeatedly back off and return to this position. In the second phase, the male runs away and the female chases him. In the third phase, the silverfish do what they want in the privacy of their own home.

The thorny devil lizard can absorb water through its skin like a blotting paper. Then it drinks the water by opening and closing the mouth - they drink through their scales like sipping through a series of straws. 

The cricket chirps at night depending on the temperature. If it is very hot it could chirp 30 or 40 times a minute. If it is a little cooler it would chirp perhaps 15 to 20 times a minute. In very cold conditions it does not chirp at all because it is frozen out of its tiny mind.

The coldest temperature ever recorded is known as Absolute Zero. At Absolute Zero nothing happens. The buses will not run and don't even think of licking a lamp post because you'll be stuck there with no one to release you.

Talking of Zero ... scientists have built a chamber where you can simulate Zero Gravity. They put an elephant and a mouse in the chamber to find out whether, when there's no gravity, they would float at the same rate, rising at the same time. Surprisingly, they did float up at the same rate despite their different size. However, when they switched the gravity machine off the elephant fell with a bump on the mouse and killed it.

The ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus was killed by a tortoise dropped by an eagle which feed on tortoises by dropping them on hard objects. The eagle had mistaken his bald head for a rock suitable for shattering the shell of the reptile. Ironically, Aeschylus had been staying outdoors to avoid a prophecy that he would be killed by a falling object.

Did you know that Madagascar hissing cockroaches eat fresh vegetables and dry dog food pellets? The hiss is produced when they forcefully expel air through the specially-adapted respiratory openings under their wings. 

Whilst staying at a cheap hotel once I killed a cockroach in my room. Within minutes the place was infested by cockroaches who had come for the funeral.

Snails are amongst the slowest and most boring creatures on earth apart from lawyers and accountants. In Olden Days snails were as big as pigs. They were still very slow and left a trail of slime behind them which people would slip on and get injured. Because of their slowness they were all caught and eaten in a delicate  garlic sauce. Did you know that if a snail climbed up your leg it would be at least two days before you said  "OOOH !!!"

Did you know that flamingoes stand on one leg because if they were to lift it up they would fall?

Also, did you know that in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Polonius hides himself behind Gertrude's arras?

What's that to do with natural science? I hear you ask. Well ... I just thought that she must have had a big arras to hide a man behind!

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?

Human ears grow bigger in proportion to the rest of our bodies as we grow older. I knew a man with his ears sticking out quite a bit. He looked like a car with its doors open. On a windy day he would spin round like a revolving door.

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 bag is full of dirt and dust or whether it was empty?

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?

And 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?

It's true I tell you. All these facts have been well researched in a scientific book which I am writing.

The wonders of nature

 

Every so often I like to research some interesting facts and share them with you so you can enthral and fascinate your friends at parties and other gatherings like at the dentist's waiting room.

Did you know that the crow in Japan has developed an intelligent trick to crack walnuts? He sits on the traffic lights and waits for the lights to go red. Then he flies down and places the walnut under the tyre of a vehicle and flies back on the traffic lights. When the lights go green and the cars move forwards they crack the nut. The bird waits until it goes red again and picks up the broken nut pieces. 

Also, eagles have learnt that one way to crack a tortoise and eat the insides is to drop it from a height and then fly down after it. The ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus was killed by a tortoise. It was dropped by an eagle from a great height and landed on his head. Ironically, Aeschylus had been staying outdoors to avoid a prophecy that he would be killed by a falling object.

The centipede when it is chased by a predator it detaches one of its legs and throws it at the predator. The predator stops to eat the leg whilst the centipede runs away to safety. Unfortunately, many centipedes die shortly afterwards when they return to retrieve their shoe.

As you know, the rhinoceros is very short sighted. Some scientists tried to remedy the situation by designing special spectacles that would fit around the rhino's head and over the eyes, like some scuba diving people do. They failed because the rhinoceros would not sit in the optician's chair. He wriggled left and right trying to escape, and he knocked the whole place about with various equipment and lenses flying all over the place. Also, he could not read the various sized alphabets on the reading chart.

Did you also know that you cannot talk to earwigs? In their language they do not have any vowels. Just consonants like MMMMMM for tasty food, NNNNNN for No, PPPPPP for doing No. 2 and so on. Scientists say the tiny creatures have turned a deaf ear to communicating with humans.

Some people relax by listening to the song of whales on CDs or tapes. Also on You Tube. You can hear them go Woooooo Woooooo Wooooo and it is very relaxing. Whales however relax to a totally different tune!

Various facts and other things

 

Amazing the things you learn every day. I was reading a book recently entitled "100 Things You Did Not Know And It Did Not Matter Anyway".

It is full of useless facts that most probably do not apply to you, or if they did, you would be panicking about them at the time to bother to remember the remedy or action required to deal with the situation.

For example:

Did you know that if you are stung by a jellyfish in the foot or leg the best remedy is to wee on it? I'll admit, it is not always possible to run to the nearest toilet and put your foot in the urinal or toilet bowl; but apparently it is the best remedy. The alternative, it said in the book, is to get someone to stand next to you and wee on your leg. It should be a human of either sex, but not a dog.

Also, did you know that if you are bitten by a shark the best remedy is to wee on it? The bite, not the shark. It takes all the sting away from it.

And if you are bitten by a snake or a scorpion, you pour tomato ketchup in the wound to simulate blood and get someone to suck the poison out just like they do in films. 

Another solution is to ring for an ambulance if you can get a good reception on your cell-phone in the middle of a desert or forest. 

Also, did you know you are more likely to be injured or killed by an attacking hippopotamus than being bitten by a shark. That's because there are no sharks in the jungle. Unless you took one in your suitcase.

Did you know that Scuba divers always fall backwards off their boats? They have to fall backwards. If they fell forwards, they'd still be in the boat.

Another important fact, did you know that the most famous phrase in French is "La plume de ma tante"? It is in all the books that teach French. If you're ever in France and want to ask for directions just say it and they'll understand you.

Learning French is useful. One year I went to France on holiday and saw an old lady in  Montmartre in Paris sitting on the side-walk knitting. She had a jar of marmalade beside her. She looked at me and said, “Voulez vous crochet avec moi? Ce soir!”

And another thing, did you know that snails remember more than elephants? They say elephants never forget. That is not true. I have never received a birthday card from an elephant.

Snails are different. I once found a snail on my doorstep. In order to save him from being trodden on and killed I picked him up and threw him in a bush. A week later he returned and rang my door bell. When I opened he said, "What's the big idea throwing me in a bush?" 

 Did you know that if a snail climbed up your leg it would take three days before you're surprised?

Did you also know that in some Northern European countries where it is very cold people enjoy a swim in the sea followed by a hot sauna? They sit naked together, men and women, in wooden cabins with a hot fire burning and steam everywhere discussing politics. It is their way of airing their differences.

Another interesting fact, tortoises can be dangerous and can kill people. The ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus was killed by a tortoise. It was dropped by an eagle which feeds on tortoises. The eagle had mistaken the man's bald head for a rock suitable for shattering the shell of the reptile. Ironically, Aeschylus had been staying outdoors to avoid a prophecy that he would be killed by a falling object.

Did you know that flamingoes stand on one leg because if they were to lift it up they would fall? Also, in some zoos they put mirrors in the flamingoes' enclosure. This is because flamingoes do not breed unless there's a certain number in the flock. The mirrors make them think there's more of them than there really is so they get together and breed.

Also, fish do not yawn because water would get into their lungs. 

When Edison invented the light bulb a little lit candle appeared above his head because light bulbs did not exist until then.

Scientists have discovered that it is too dangerous to read between the lines, especially if you are standing in a railway station at the time.

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?

Knowledge is useful ... sometimes

 

There is really no limit to the amount of research I do to bring interesting facts to my readers. My job is to inform and entertain.

Did you know, for instance, that the universe is for ever expanding. The universe is the term we use to encompass all that there is. All that exists. For example, all the planets, moons, stars, galaxies, solar systems and so on. Everything, put together in a big shopping bag, is the universe.

And it is for ever expanding. Don't ask me into what; because I don't know. If everything that exists is the universe then there is nothing outside it, so how can it expand into nothing that exists? Try that on your friends at your next party and they'll avoid you like a fart in a space suit.

Coming back to earth. Did you know that pigeons recognise you if you've been unkind to them? They recognise vivid colours that you wear. Say you are in a park wearing a yellow coat and you've shooed away a pigeon. The next day, if you're in the same park in the same coat and the same pigeon is there he'll recognise you and drop a deposit on you.

Have you ever dropped a wallet or purse? Did you get it back I wonder? A study was carried out and apparently a wallet with a lot of money in it is more likely to be handed in to the police than one with a little money, or no money at all. Also, there is a better, or lesser, chance of your wallet being handed in depending on which photos it contains. A wallet with a photo of a baby is more likely to be handed in than a wallet with photos of old people, or one's spouse, or a pet, or no photo at all. There seems to be a pecking order as to which photo is more likely to result in the wallet being returned to you. Mine contains a photo of a boomerang!

Did you know when a centipede is chased by a predator it cuts one of its legs and throws it at the predator? Whilst the predator is eating the leg the centipede runs away. Unfortunately, most centipedes eventually die when they return to look for their shoe.

Also, did you know that there is a species of dragonfly where the female pretends to be dead to avoid having sex with its partner? I bet a number of men can testify to similar experiences.

Also, somewhere in Europe there's a library with many ancient and very valuable books. So valuable that you are not allowed to touch them in case you ruin these very ancient documents. So they've decided to put all these documents on one Kindle type tablet; or better still on one USB stick. When they finish the transfer, there will be this huge ornate building totally empty with just one USB stick which you can borrow.

Are you aware that you must never go swimming after you've had a meal. My grandfather once went swimming straight after eating a burger and fries and was attacked by a shark. Luckily he survived because the shark was vegetarian.

You are more likely to be attacked by a hippopotamus than being bitten by a shark. That's because there are no sharks in the jungle. Unless you took one in your suitcase.

House flies have compound eyes made up of thousands of individual visual receptors, called ommatidia. When a fly lands on a mirror it says, "That's another way of looking at it!"

Also, did you know that silverfish can live for two to eight years unless you hit them hard with your shoe.

Did you know that you should not sleep with your head under the pillow otherwise the tooth fairy will take all your teeth away?

Finally, Marriage Guidance Counsellors report that generally husbands do not remember their mistakes. There is no point in both couple remembering the same thing. Also, husbands are best at keeping secrets because they never listen anyway. And archaeologists make the best marriage partners; the older you get the more interested they are in you.

I am very good at keeping secrets. Years ago friends of mine got married in secret in a far away town. They only invited very few well trusted friends like me. On the morning of the wedding I called a taxi at my hotel. The taxi driver asked me where I wanted to go and I did not tell him. He asked several times and I kept the secret safe with me. 

Au naturel

  

Isn't nature wonderful? Look at that little dog. Isn't he sweet? He is real you know! Not battery operated or just a stuffed toy. Not much of a guard dog, I'm afraid. 

I love nature and all the different species of animals, and birds, fishes, plants and so on. Don't you? 

I thought I'd devote a post every now and then to nature and share with you the wonders of the world in which we live.

 

Did you know for instance that the centipede when it is chased by a predator it detaches one of its legs and throws it at the predator? The predator stops to eat the leg whilst the centipede runs away to safety. Unfortunately, many centipedes die shortly afterwards when they return to retrieve their shoe.

 

Now the clever ones amongst you will have noticed that the picture above is not a centipede. It is in fact a sloth. A totally different creature altogether. Not an insect, but an animal. Now there is a reason why I put up that picture instead of a centipede. I just could not find a photo of a centipede.

 

Did you know that the sloth just hangs there upside down from a tree and sleeps for up to 18 hours a day waiting for humans to arrive and save him from extinction? Also, this hanging upside down for most of the day makes it very difficult when he has to go to the toilet. Silly sloth!

 

Let us now consider another creature.

The tarantula spider. Did you know that there are more than a 1000 different species of tarantula spiders? And that they live all over the world? South America, Africa, Asia, Australia and some parts of Europe?

 

Did you know they have urticating hairs on their legs? Urtica is the Latin word for nettles. The tarantula's hairs are like those on nettles or like bristles. They are part of their defence mechanism. Tarantulas can bite and poison people. But also they can shake themselves and those bristles on their legs would fly off and would cause a serious rash on your skin. Or if you breathe them you would cough and splutter onto the afterlife. Or they could blind a person if they stick to the eyes like tiny arrows.

 

Another thing about the spider. It has a symbiotic relationship with other creatures. It is almost telepathic. It sends messages with their brains to other creatures to warn them of danger or to ask for help. For example, you could be in the jungle and you've caught a tarantula captive. It sends its telepathic message to nearby creatures; and you are suddenly attacked by an elephant or rhinocerous from behind!

 

So always keep a look-out for wild animals whilst hunting for tarantulas.

 

Can you imagine if we humans had hairs like the tarantula's on our arms and legs? We could shake ourselves and attack everyone close by with thousands of little arrows flying everywhere. That would certainly keep me away from that girl in the mini skirt and sleeveless blouse on the dance floor! 

 

Also, did you know that silverfish can live for two to eight years unless you hit them hard with your shoe?

 

And the thorny devil lizard can absorb water through its skin like a blotting paper. Then it drinks the water by opening and closing their mouth - they drink through their scales like sipping through a series of straws. So remember, never let one of these lizards stand in your glass of wine or else he'll get drunk and start singing, "I did it my way!"

 

The cricket chirps at night depending on the temperature. If it is very hot it could chirp 30 or 40 times a minute. If it is a little cooler it would chirp perhaps 15 to 20 times a minute. In very cold conditions it does not chirp at all because it is frozen out of its tiny mind.

 

The fish cannot blink if it gets water in its eyes. And it can drown if not taught to swim properly. The shark on the other hand would only attack if threatened. You are more likely to be killed by a charging hippopotamus than by a shark. This is because there are no sharks in the middle of the jungle. Not unless you took one there in your luggage; in which case it serves you right if it bit you in the backside!

 

Leave sharks alone! That's my motto.

 

Coffee is not everyone's cup of tea. That's another of my mottos.

 

Don't cry over dropped ice cubes. It is water under the fridge. Yet another of my mottos.

If one motto does not suit you, invent another one. That's my latest brand new motto.

What's yours?