1. All the fish you eat contains microscopic plastic particles
A recent study that examined 5 different types of seafood. It found traces of plastic particles in every single sample examined. We know that plastic pollution affects the health of sea inhabitants, but this study suggested that humans may also be subject to microplastic pollution, although we don't know how it may affect our health.
2. Some microscopic mites can live in your eyelashes
There is a species of tiny mites called Demodex folliculorum that lives in facial hair, including the eyelashes. Nearly 10-20% of humans carry the mites, with the elderly being most commonly affected by the parasite. Luckily, these tiny mites are invisible to the naked eye and they usually won’t cause your eyes any harm.
3. Dogs like squeaky toys because they mimic the sounds of prey
Have you ever wondered why your puppy enjoys squeaky toys so much? Well, it turns out that it's an instinct, and most dogs like these toys make because the sounds they produce are reminiscent of the sounds of their prey. According to one theory, some dogs intentionally rip out squeaker from a toy because they think that the toy is alive as long as it squeaks.
4. The creepiest fact yet is about chocolate
We thought we'd never have to say this, but we all are just eating too much chocolate! We're serious, as it turns out that we are currently in the midst of a 50-year long chocolate deficit, and things only keep getting worse. In 2013, the world ate 70,000 more metric tons of cocoa than it produced, for example, and large cocoa producers say that things are only getting worse now.
5. The Catacombs of Paris hold the remains of 6 million people
The city of love hides some pretty dark secrets underground. It has been estimated that 6-7 million people have been buried in the catacombs of Paris. Some of the people were the victims of the French Revolution, including guillotine victims such as famous revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre, Antoine Lavoisier, and Georges Danton. The remains of the people are artfully arranged into different patterns, as seen in the image above.
6. Enormous dragonflies once inhabited the earth
Sometime between 317 and 247 million years ago, from the Late Carboniferous to the Late Permian age, giant predatory dragonflies plied the skies. It had an impressive (and creepy) wingspan of 71 cm (28 in) and a body length of around 43 cm (17 in). It's almost lucky that humans weren't around at the time...
7. The creepiest part of the mummification process in Ancient Egypt involved the brain
Ancient Egyptians believed that mummification ensures the person will pass on into the afterlife. The internal organs and brain were removed during the mummification process to preserve the body better. The removal of the brain called excerebration is probably the creepiest part of Egyptian mummification.
To do so, they first scrambled up the brains with a long iron contraption and then drew the brain through the nostrils. The brains were then put into a special urn and preserved next to the sarcophagus.
8. We know less about the deep ocean than we do about the surface of the Moon
As of 2020, about 80% of the ocean is unexplored and unmapped. The reason why we know so little about the deep ocean is because of, well, the water. Unlike air or space, including the surface of other planets and the Moon, which are illuminated by light and easy to study with the help of telescopes and radio signals, studying waters proves to be a lot more difficult because it is almost completely dark, and hence tricky to study with the same tools.
9. The Overlook Hotel from The Shining was inspired by a nightmare
In September 1974, Stephen King and his wife, Tabby, stayed at The Stanley Hotel, seen above. They spent the night in room 217, and they were the only guests on the entire property. Already then, the hotel was known to be haunted, and at night, the author had a nightmare.
In the dream, his 3-year-old son was chased by a firehose and was running and screaming down the hotel's hallways. The dream became the inspiration for 'The Shining' and The Stanley Hotel was the prototype for the infamous Hotel Overlook.
10. The average human lifespan is around 4,000 weeks
It doesn't seem like a long time, 4,000 weeks, doesn't it? Unfortunately, it is approximately 76.7 years, which is the average life expectancy of an American.
11. We have bad news for those of you who are afraid of spiders
We're sorry to break it to you, but it turns out that spiders can survive in space. This has been proven experimentally when a jumping spider named Nefertiti was taken to the International Space Station for 100 days. Nefertiti survived the low gravity environment and re-adjusted to life on Earth, too, when she returned. Eventually, she died of old age.
12. Around 27,000 trees are cut down every day to meet our toilet paper needs
We've all learned the approximate value of toilet paper in the spring of 2020, but to fully understand what our toilet paper needs cost for the planet, let these stats sink in - 27,000 trees are cut down every day to produce enough toilet paper for the entire human population.
13. Chewing a pen kills 100 people every year
Pens cause 25 times more deaths than sharks every year. On average, 100 people die from chewing on a pen every year. The fatalities are caused by asphyxiation - the pen cap becomes loose, is stuck in the person's throat, and causes the person to suffocate.
14. If the sun exploded right now, we wouldn't know about it for 8 minutes
The energy from the explosion would travel at the speed of light. We wouldn't be able to notice that the Sun has exploded for 8 minutes because it would take precisely that much time for the light to travel the distance from the Sun to the Earth. Whatever the catastrophe that destroyed our star would be, we wouldn't know about it for 8 minutes.
15. Around 9.4 million American adults have diabetes but aren't aware of it
We're all well aware of the dangers of diabetes, such as vision loss, nerve damage, and even amputation. It turns out that millions of Americans don't even know that they have the condition and are left untreated.
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