Category: Trending

The viral video shows a person leaning over the side of a boat and tossing a rugby ball in the general direction of a beluga whale. The whale then brings back the ball as someone can be heard saying, “That’s crazy, yeah?”

Did You Know

Your funny bone is actually a nerve.

The name “funny bone” comes from the humerus bone, which connects the shoulder to the elbow. However, that’s not the source of the tingling sensation you feel when you bump your elbow just right. It’s actually the result of the humerus bone coming into contact with the ulnar nerve, which is responsible for telling the brain about feelings in the ring and pinky fingers.

Research shows that all blue-eyed people may be related.

At least, they may share the same distant ancestor. After studying the DNA of blue-eyed individuals from Scandinavia, Turkey, Jordan, and India, Danish researchers found that they all had identical gene sequences for eye color. They believe this trait comes from a single individual, called the “founder,” whose genes mutated between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. Before that, everyone had varying shades of brown eyes.

On a sunny day, a young child was trying to practise catching a fish in his fishing rod. His attempts to learn the tricks of the trade didn’t go in vain. He even managed to reel one in his rod and pulled it up. But, what happened next took many by surprise.

An alligator lurking nearby grabbed the fish from the rod, took it in its mouth and swam away. A man in the video even warned the child about the reptile, saying, “He’s right here. The alligator is coming, Connor. Pull it out”.” But before the boy could do anything, the alligator stole the fish from him.

Fun Facts

• Fish can swim backward
• The first fishing hooks were made out of bone, stone, or wood
• The most expensive fish in the world is the bluefin tuna

Did you know?

1. Want protection from UFOs?

In the US, there is such a thing as alien abduction coverage. This means that – should you be abducted by aliens, and can prove it, you may be able to make a claim if you suffer damages. It’s been a policy staple for over 30 years now, and even weirder is the fact that the UFO Abduction Insurance Company states that they have paid out!

2. Life insurance can skyrocket if you’re a celebrity.

There are some pretty steep life insurance policies out there on some of the most influential people on the planet. For example, you’ll likely not find a policy pricier than Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, who reportedly has a policy worth $1.2 billion.

3. Interesting insurance policies abound for astronauts.

It’s thought that the brave astronauts taking to the Apollo 11 mission chose to autograph items for their loved ones to sell on in case they didn’t come back. Why? Believe it or not, life insurance was not a thing for this mission – luckily, NASA has likely wised up to this in the decades that followed!

DID YOU KNOW?

One Nostril?
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.

Copper door knobs are self-disinfecting.
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.

According to Yahoo News, When Major League Baseball hosted its “Field of Dreams” game in Iowa in August, it was a celebration of small-town America. But less than 100 miles away, a small town is worrying that its local economy, that’s centered around baseball, is getting shut out. Kris Van Cleave traveled to Caledonia, Minnesota, where a factory partially owned by MLB is closing up shop and shipping jobs overseas.

Photo by David Clode on Unsplash