Infants are born with reflexes that support their survival. Newborns are making adjustments to living outside of the womb and do not have time to worry about survival. Fortunately, these reflexes support them in the first few months of life.

One reflex is the rooting reflex. This reflex occurs when the cheek or mouth is stroked and results in the baby turning its head toward the stroke. This reflex helps the baby find the nipple when it is time to eat. This reflex disappears around 4 months of age.

Another reflex is the sucking reflex. Whenever something touches the roof of the baby’s mouth, it will begin to suck. While this reflex is active before birth, babies that are born prematurely sometimes have difficulty coordinating their sucking ...

Human smell has often been characterized as being deficient when compared to the smell abilities of some lower organisms. Summarized below are four myths about human smell that have been contradicted by research.

Myth 1: Human smell is less sensitive than that of other animals.

Research indicates that the individual smell receptor cells in humans will respond to a single odorant molecule. The difference in overall sensitivity appears to be due to the fact that some lower organisms, such as dogs, have more smell receptors.

Myth 2: Humans have a relatively poor ability to detect changes in smell intensity.

Although earlier research indicated that the difference threshold for smell was the largest of all the senses, more recent research, carefully ...

Did you know that the Moon's rotation is locked to its orbit around Earth by a bulge of material under the Moon's surface? This material is denser than the rest of the Moon's surface material, and Earth's gravity pulls on it especially strongly. The side of the Moon containing the bulge always faces Earth. We call it the near side and we call the other side, which we never see from Earth, the far side. People often mistakenly use the term "dark side" when referring to the far side of the Moon, forgetting that the far side is fully illuminated by the Sun whenever we see a new moon from Earth.

If we were to look from high above the Earth-Moon system, we would see the Moon rotate once per month with respect to the stars. This is its sidereal ro ...

Rodents are mammals characterized by a pair of broad, sharp-edged, chisel-like incisor teeth that are firmly inserted in both jaws and are used in gnawing vegetation. The front surface of each incisor tooth is composed of enamel, and the hind surface is of soft dentine wears away during the process of gnawing so that the teeth are constantly kept sharp. Shown above is a beaver sporting bright orange teeth; the reason they are orange is because of an unusually high concentration of iron in the enamel.

Unlike human teeth, the incisors of rodents don't have roots, and they never stop growing! To keep these teeth from growing into their brains, rodents grind their teeth against each other. This friction is similar to using a grindstone to sharp ...

Birthmarks are congenital marks on the skin that appear at birth and occasionally disappears spontaneously. The term nevus refers to a benign cutaneous tumor consisting of blood capillaries. Such tumors, which rarely spread from their original site and are not dangerous, vary in color according to whether the capillaries composing them carry arterial or venous blood. The popularly termed cherry marks and port-wine stains (shown below) are nevi on a level with the surface of the skin. Certain other vascular nevi, commonly known as strawberry or raspberry marks (scientifically known as hemangiomas), are slightly elevated above the surface. These can appear anywhere on the body's surface, including the airway within the nose. The former Soviet ...

Summer is officially over, and fall has arrived. With this season comes runny noses and doctor visits. Save yourself the time and money, because it's either the common cold or the flu, both of which have no cure other than to rest and endure the discomfort. Luckily, you can be immunized for the flu, but not the cold. In fact, many people battle the cold several times a year, rather than developing a natural immunity towards it, why is that? 

The primary reason that immunity generally does not develop against the common cold is that there is not a single cause of the disease. Over 200 serotypes of viruses, including enteroviruses (previously called rhinoviruses), coronaviruses, and adenoviruses, can cause the symptoms of the common cold. Ther ...

Regardless of your size, men and women, big or small, all pee at the same average rate — between 1/3 and ½ ounces per second (10 ml to 15 ml per second). Since the mean urine quantity ranges between 1 to 2 quarts a day (1.4 L, on average), we are condemned to spend one to two full minutes peeing daily.

The average lifespan in the United States today is 27,375 days. If we multiplying 27,375 days by 2 minutes per day peeing, that's 54,750 minutes, or 912.5 hours of your lifetime urinating. That also translates into roughly 38 days of your lifetime ...

Some mammals, such as camels, polar bears, and seals, have full nictitating membranes. That is the transparent or translucent third eyelid that can be drawn across the eye for protection and to moisten it while maintaining visibility.

In humans, the plica semilunaris (also known as the semilunar fold) and its associated muscles are thought to be homologous to the nictitating membranes seen in other animals. In most primate species, a plica semilunaris is present, but a fully developed nictitating membranes still exists in lemurs and lorisiform primates.

Unlike the upper and lower eyelids, the nictitating membrane moves horizontally across the eyeball (shown below). In some diving animals, such as beavers and manatees, it moves across the e ...

If you were to guess, what do you think ancient humans used as contraceptives? It's definitely hard to list even a couple of ideas given how far we've come since the start of the 20th century. 

According to historians, the first-known contraceptive was crocodile dung, used in Egypt in 2000 BC. Dried dung was inserted into the vagina to form an impenetrable barrier. Other pessaries used back in the day included tree sap, lemon halves, cotton, wool, sea sponges, and elephant dung.

Later on, however, condoms made of animal bladders or intestines were also reportedly used. Luckily, in 1844, Charles Goodyear obtained the first patent for a rubber condom. ...

There are two measurement systems used in the world today: the imperial system (also known as the English system) and the metric system.

The imperial system was developed in England hundreds of years ago and was brought to the the United States by the colonists. The metric system is the accepted measurement system used in most countries of the world. It is a system based on multiples of 10. The metric system was developed in France around 1790 and has been revised several times. Its official name today is the International System of Units or SI Units for short.

Both systems have come a long way since their conception. Here are some noteworthy facts about both, which may have been "lost" in history, but are still worth mentioning today.

Base u ...

The Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) is a blind, freshwater cave fish native to central and eastern parts of Mexico. Growing to a maximum total length of 12 cm (4.7 in), this species is notable for having no eyes or pigment; it has a pinkish-white color to its body (resembling an albino).

The Mexican tetra spends most of its time in midlevel water above the rocky and sandy bottoms of pools and backwaters of creeks and rivers of its native environment. Coming from a subtropical climate, it prefers water with 6.5–8 pH and a temperature range of 20 to 25 °C (68 to 77 °F). In the winter, some populations migrates to warmer waters. Its natural diet consists of crustaceans, insects, and annelids.

Given their peaceful nature, this species is popu ...

One-time use technology or throw-away electronics are becoming increasingly popular with consumers and product manufacturers. Apart from the disposable cameras offered in the 1980s and into the late 90s, tech-based companies could rarely offer such convenience due to the cost of certain parts required. The main reason why companies can now offer inexpensive products, including smartphones and computers, without compromising on modern technology or quality is due to the wide-spread production and availability of transistors – a major component of computers or any microprocessor (shown above).


A transistor is simply an on/off switch made ...

The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the largest canid found in the grasslands of southern Brazil. Its markings resemble those of foxes and wolves, yet it's neither related to wolves nor foxes despite its appearance and name, but is actually closer to dogs. And, unlike other large canids, the maned wolf does not form packs. It hunts alone, usually between sundown and midnight, and kills its prey by biting on the neck or back. Interestingly, a large fraction of its diet (over 50%, according to some studies) consists of vegetable matter, including sugarcane, tubers, and fruit; this is unusual for canids.

The maned wolf is generally shy and flees when alarmed by humans, and it poses little direct threat to humans. Luckily, the animal is w ...

It's a common knowledge that different breeds of chickens lay different colored eggs. Here I'll explain what chemicals and conditions give rise to these differences.

White eggs

All eggshells are made of calcium carbonate and the white ones have no pigment added.

Brown eggs

The brown colour is caused by protoporphyrin IX, from the hen's haemoglobin, and is coated on the outside of the egg as it moves through the oviduct.

Blue eggs

Blue eggshells have the pigment oocyanin, which does permeate the shell, so the blue coloring will be all the way through.

Green eggs

If a brown layer and a blue layer are crossbred, chances are you will get a green egg when the protoporphyrin IX layer is deposited over the blue oocyanin shell.

Pink eggs

The pinkish tint ...

A hiccup is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm that typically repeats several times a minute. The sudden rush of air into the lungs that's created by each spasm causes the glottis to close, creating the "hic" noise. A bout of hiccups generally resolves by itself, although many home remedies are in circulation to shorten the duration. The medical term for hiccuping is singultus.

While many cases develop spontaneously, hiccups are known to develop often in specific situations, such as eating too quickly, taking a cold drink while eating a hot meal, eating very hot or spicy food, laughing vigorously or coughing, or drinking an excess of an alcoholic beverage. Hiccups may be caused by pressure to the phrenic nerve (located in the neck regi ...

If you're not an insect lover, this is your final chance to turn your head!

The giant Malaysian katydid (Macrolyristes corporalis) is one of the largest insects in the world, with their bodies growing to 15 cm (6 inches) long with a 25 cm (10 inch) long wingspan. Though the last thing you want to hear is that this giant insect is carnivorous, they pose absolutely no threat to humans (aside from haunting your dreams, of course).

Relatively speaking, the males of this species have the largest testes of any known animal at 14% of their body weight. If humans had the same ratio, a 91 kg (200 lb) man would have testes that weighed nearly 13 kg (28 pounds)!
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The idea that a chimpanzee and human can interbreed, forming a hypothetical hybrid species known as a humanzee, is not uncommon. Since chimpanzees and humans are closely related species (sharing 95% of their DNA sequence, and 98% of coding DNA sequences), it has lead to contested speculation that a hybrid is possible, though no specimen has ever been confirmed.

While there is a commonality in gene sequence between us and chimpanzees, humans still have one fewer pair of chromosomes (46 chromosomes) than other apes (48 chromosomes). This makes conception between the two species naturally impossible. However, a different numbers of chromosomes is not an absolute barrier to hybridization. Similar mismatches are relatively common in existing spec ...

Well, obviously it's white, but take a look at its bill!

The attractive 7.5-inch-long bill is possessed by both male and female toucans. Interestingly, they use them during a mating ritual, pitching fruit to one another, but has very limited use as an excavation tool. Toucans make their nests in tree hollows found in rain forest regions of Southern Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean region to which they are native.

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The fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) is carnivorous mammal endemic to Madagascar. It is a member of the Eupleridae, a family of carnivorans closely related to the mongoose family. Its classification has been controversial because its physical traits resemble those of cats, yet other traits suggest a close relationship with viverrids (e.g. bearcat).

The fossa is the largest mammalian carnivore on the island of Madagascar and has been compared to a small cougar. Adults have a head-body length of 70–80 cm (28–31 in) and weigh between 5.5 and 8.6 kg (12 and 19 lb), with the males larger than the females. It has semi-retractable claws (meaning it can extend but not retract its claws fully) and flexible ankles that allow it to climb up and down tre ...

The tough-yet-fragile physical properties of the tadpole-shaped pieces of glass known as Prince Rupert’s drops have puzzled physicists for as long as, well, there have been physicists. Bash the head with a hammer, and a drop gets barely a scratch. But break off its thin tail, and it shatters into fine powder.

Researchers long ago realized that the strength of the drops - named for Prince Rupert of Bavaria, who presented five of them to Britain’s King Charles II in 1660 - has something to do with stresses in the glass created when a drop is made by letting a blob of molten glass fall into water, so that it cools rapidly.

Twenty years ago, a pair of researchers took high-speed video of a drop disintegrating showing that, when the tail is brok ...

Plants are essential for any ecosystem, being both a food source and habitat for living things. Although plants are stationary, many are dangerous to touch or eat, making you sick or cause a bad reaction. Some of the most poisonous plants are described below:

Abrus Precarious or Rosary Pea (Left)

This plant has beans that contain a deadly poison. Ironically, their seeds are often used in jewelry and rosary making, but are not harmful when touched, only if chewed or scratched. The poison is known to stop protein synthesis, leading to organ failure.

Ricinus Communis or the Castor Bean (Center)

The castor bean plant comes from Africa and its seed is the source of castor oil used all over the world. However, the seeds contain a deadly poison called ...

Opals (shown above) are is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2·nH2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Because of its amorphous character, it is classed as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline forms of silica, which are classed as minerals. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most commonly found with limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, marl, and basalt. Opal is the national gemstone of Australia.

The internal structure of precious opal makes it diffract light. Depending on the conditions in which it formed, it can take on many colors. The one pictured on the left is called the "Virgin Rainbow" opal, being the finest ...

The Panjin Red Beach lies on the Shuangtaizi River estuary, just outside of Panjin City, China. The river isn’t your typical freshwater river. The water has a high saline content and very high alkaline levels. Typically, this leads to plants being unable to grow in the water or on the shore. However, there is a very special plant that has adapted to the conditions of the river and thrives in this environment.

Suaeda (also known as seablite), is a kind of succulent that only grows in the type of habitat found along the river. Like a lot of plants, the suaeda changes with the seasons. During the spring and summer months, the seablite is a typical green color. In the fall, it turns this deep bright red color as far as the eye can see.

Tourist ve ...

Brain freeze is the name used to describe the sensation you get when you consume something really cold, really fast. The scientific name for this temporary cold-stimulus headache is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia.

When something extremely cold touches the upper-palate (roof of the mouth), blood vessels in this region dilate to increase blood flow to counter the cold. The homeostatic triggers in your body perceive the cold as a threat to the brain, thinking the brain is in danger from the cold. As the warm blood rushes to your brain, this build-up of blood pressure causes the pain you feel. While brain freezes are not dangerous, they are slightly uncomfortable, so the best way to make it quickly go away is to rub or press your tongue against ...

Bullying is not easy to define, namely because there is no one way to bully. It comes in many forms, from physical playground scuffles to verbal attacks. Even governments have a hard time defining it, often referred to as a repeated behaviour with the intent to hurt someone either physically or emotionally. By this definitions, there are many ape and monkey bullies, too. In fact, any hierarchical society is likely to have bullies in its midst.

An unfortunate monkey at the bottom of the hierarchy is repeatedly attacked and picked upon by those higher up in the group - they are sometimes beaten up every day. Bullying amongst rhesus macaques, for example, seems to release tensions among the higher-ups. Bullying seems to reinforce their bonds, a ...

In an epic battle in northern Queensland, Australia, a 10-foot olive python got the best of a Johnson's crocodile. While this is a very natural event for two monstrous animals battling, both the python and the crocodile are apex predators in their environment, so the snake wouldn't always win in this scenario. Big Johnson's crocs eat little pythons too, though olive snakes are known for being phenomenally powerful, pound for pound, and for feeding on large food items.

The python would take around ten days to digest its meal and become relatively dormant. Over the next three weeks it would take what it could get, but since the caloric needs of this type of snake is pretty low, it could certainly go the rest of the season without a meal.

While ...

The manchineel tree (Hippomane mancinella) has taken the title of world’s most dangerous tree. This evergreen grows up to 15 metres (49 ft) tall, and is native to tropical southern North America and northern South America. It has reddish-greyish bark, small greenish-yellow flowers, and shiny green leaves ranging in size from 5 to 10 cm (2–4 inches) long.

All parts of the tree contain strong toxins, some unidentified. The leaves and fruit of the tree superficially resemble an apple tree, however one bite of the tree’s fruit can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, bleeding, or death due to an acetylcholine inhibitor known as physostigmine found in the fruit. In addition, its milky white sap contains phorbol and other skin irritants, producing s ...

Collected from the Ross Sea shelf in southern Antarctica, this 9.8-inch-long (25-centimeter-long) giant sea spider was one of 30,000 animals found during a 35-day census in early 2008. The marine arachnids, which prey on hydroids and bryzoans - branching, coral-like animals - are larger and more common in Antarctic waters than anywhere else on Earth. Cold temperatures, few predators, and high levels of oxygen in seawater could explain their gargantuan size.

When it comes to genome size, a rare Japanese flower, called Paris japonica, is the current heavyweight champ, with 50 times more DNA than humans. It is a slow growing perennial that sports a rare, showy white star-like flower above a single whorl of about eight stem leaves. The exceptionally large genome of P. japonica is due to the fact that it's an octoploid, meaning it has four sets of chromosomes - on the contrary, humans are diploid (two sets). Its 40 chromosomes consist of 150 billion base pairs of DNA per cell, therefore making its genome the largest known genome of any living organism. In fact, the DNA from a single cell could theoretically stretch out to be longer than 300 feet (91 m). ...

The little penguin (Eudyptula minor) is the smallest species of penguin. They grow to an average of 33 cm (13 in) in height and 43 cm (17 in) in length and usually weighs about 1.5 kilogram on average (3.3 pounds). They are mainly found on the coastlines of southern Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, they are often called fairy penguins. In New Zealand, they are more commonly known as little blue penguins or blue penguins owing to their slate-blue plumage. ...

As soon as we're born, we're destined to age. Some of us age gracefully - we enjoy years of youthfulness - while others experience hair loss, wrinkles, and greying earlier than expected.

Found in the core of each hair, a pigment known as melanin gives rise to a person's hair color. This universal pigment is also found in our skin and eyes, giving use our unique physical traits. Dark and light versions of melanin - eumelanin and phaeomelanin, respectively - combine in various combinations to create all natural hair colors.

Melanin itself is the product of a specialized cell, the melanocyte, which is found in each hair follicle, from which the hair grows. As hair grows, the melanocyte injects melanin into the hair cells, which contain the s ...

While it may look small now, this baby swordfish (Xiphias gladius) grows fast and can reach 14 feet in length and weigh up to 1,200 pounds as an adult. They are found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans and sometimes cold waters, including the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov. They are highly migratory, moving to warmer waters in the winter and cooler waters in the summer. While they are not at the top of the food chain, it is not a fish to be messed with; apparently, even sharks are wary of them! ...

Unlike conventional plants, the Venus flytrap copes with poor soil by eating bugs! But the cost of insect hunting is high. Catching prey requires Dionaea muscipula to snap down quickly and then carry out the energy-intensive process of digestion. To balance the costs and benefits of eating meat, the plants have developed a counting system to identify real prey from false alarms, according to a new study.

 To understand how the flytrap distinguishes a potential food source from a false alarm like a raindrop, researchers observed the electrical and chemical response of the plant to touch stimulation. In order to mimic insect prey, the scientists stimulated the hairlike sensors located on the plant’s trap. Touching the sensors two times quick ...

The Mydas fly (Gauromydas heros) is the world's largest fly. It can reach body lengths of 2.8 inches (7 centimeters) and a wingspan of 4 inches (10 centimeters). Mydas fly are found in arid and semiarid regions of the world, but are infrequently encountered as the adult lifespan can be quite short.

Some organisms, such as the castor bean plant (Ricinus communis), produce substances that inhibit the synthesis of proteins (called translation) within a cell. (The plant, which is native to Africa, is not related to the species of bean plants with which you are likely more familiar.) A protein called ricin, produced within the castor seeds is an extremely potent inhibitor of protein synthesis. In fact, it is one of the strongest natural toxins produced. A single chewed seed can kill child! If the ricin were purified, it would take an amount equivalent to only a few grains of salt to kill an adult. Ricin kills cells by enzymatically cleaving covalent bonds within the large and small ribosomal subunits, rendering the protein-building factori ...

The corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanium) is one of the world's stinkiest plants. What makes it smell so bad? Analyses of chemicals released by the plant show the "stench" includes dimethyl trisulfide, dimethyl disulfide, trimethylamine (rotting fish), isovaleric acid (sweaty socks), benzyl alcohol (sweet floral scent), phenol (like Chloraseptic), and indole (like mothballs). While this may be foul smelling to humans, to dung beetles and flies, it smells like opportunity. Insects which feed on dead animals or lay their eggs in rotting meat are attracted to the sent, therefore the smell invite pollinators and scares away humans at the same time. ...

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a bacterium that attacks other bacteria. It can charge its prey at speeds of up to 100 micrometers per second, comparable to a human running 600 kilometers per hour. It then bores into its hapless victim by spinning at 100 revolutions per second. Most bacteria aren't quite that fast, but they can move by whipping flagella or by spiraling through their environment.

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Southern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) mate for life, reuniting with the same partner year after year during mating season. But even though they're monogamous, a new study reveals that penguin couples really don’t spend much time together.

Using GPS trackers mounted to the penguins’ legs, scientists monitored 16 birds over the course of a mating season. The data show that males arrived at the nesting site approximately 6 days before their female counterparts and stayed about 6 days longer. However, the short mating season means the pairs are only united for about 20 to 30 days a year. And when they were separated, it was usually by a large distance: During the winter months, partners were separated by an average distance of abo ...

The arctic fox is an incredibly hardy animal that can survive frigid Arctic temperatures as low as –58°F (-50°C) in the treeless lands where it makes its home. It has furry soles, short ears, and a short muzzle - all-important adaptations to the chilly clime. Arctic foxes live in burrows, and in a blizzard they may tunnel into the snow to create shelter.

Arctic foxes have beautiful white (sometimes blue-gray) coats that act as very effective winter camouflage. The natural hues allow the animal to blend into the tundra's ubiquitous snow and ice. When the seasons change, the fox's coat turns as well, adopting a brown or gray appearance that provides cover among the summer tundra's rocks and plants.

Source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/ ...

Would someone feel more calm after seeing the colour blue? Or perhaps they would feel more aggressive after having seen the colour red?

Swiss psychiatrist, Max Lüscher, had completed a study in the 20th century that linked colour preference to your personality and your mental state. His belief was further hardwired after an experiment concluded that 151 out of 153 people were weaker after looking at the pink card, when compared to how strong they were when they had looked at the blue card.

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With a rare genetic condition called erythrism some insects, like this fluorescent pink katydid, develop an unusual reddish pigmentation. It's not enhanced in any way. The coloration (erythrism) is an adaptation sometimes found among katydids exposed to red or pink foliage, although this one was in the woods off the Appalachian Trail near Mount Peter, N.Y. ...

Meet the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia. Genetically, the Irrawaddy dolphin is closely related to the killer whale (orca). As evident in the collage, its forehead is high and rounded, and unlike most dolphins, the beak is lacking, giving it a you know what appearance - don't get any funny ideas now! ...

Found in the deserts of Morocco, the cartwheeling spider (cebrennus rechenbergi) uses all eight of its legs to cartwheel and roll away from predators. Using forward or backward flips, this movement effectively doubles its normal walking speed similar to acrobatic flic-flac movements used by gymnasts. Interestingly, C. rechenbergi is the only spider known to use this unique form of rolling locomotion!

The shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) is probably the champion speedster among sharks. Its speed has been recorded at 40 km/h (25 mph) with bursts of up to 74 km/h (46 mph). What's more, this high-leaping fish can leap approximately 9 m (30 ft) high or higher in the air. With its highly streamlined body, a lunate tail supported by keels, a sharply pointed snout, large eyes and some of the wickedest-looking teeth in its class, the mako shark is a highly sought-after game fish worldwide. ...

This blackpoll warbler (Setophaga striata), weighing no more than 12 grams can migrate over the Atlantic Ocean from New England and eastern Canada to the Caribbean islands - a 2500 kilometer flight - nonstop! These finding were discovered after researchers tagged these little birds with miniature geolocators on their backs. They concluded that no other "bird this size migrates for this long in one go... it is truly one of the most amazing migratory feats ever recorded." ...

The thorny dragon (Moloch horridus) is an Australian lizard that grows up to 20 cm in length, and it can live for up to 20 years. Not only is it covered entirely with conical spines, it has the uncanny ability to suck in water from all over its body - including its feet - through capillary action.

Which of these faces looks more trustworthy to you?

Science says that some people just get away with more stuff, because they have more trustworthy looking faces.

A trustworthy face, as psychologists have determined over years of research in this area, has two major characteristics: The eyebrows are slightly lifted, so that together, they form a kind of upside-down V shape; likewise, the corners of the mouth are also lifted slightly. An untrustworthy face, on the other hand, is the opposite: The eyebrows point slightly downward, forming a V shape, and the corners of the mouth are turned down a bit, too.

Source: http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/01/some-faces-just-get-away-with-stuff.html ...

According to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Grenoble in France, the results published were plain and simple - men who enjoyed dipping their food into hot, spicy sauce happened to have higher levels of free testosterone floating around their bloodstream after the meal. Salt preference, however, didn’t seem to have any link to testosterone levels. What does this correlation entail? Does capsaicin - the chemical responsible for spiciness - increase testosterone, or are those who are more likely to take risks possess higher levels of this potent male hormone? ...

If you find yourself looking around the table over the holiday and thinking, “I can’t believe I’m related to these people,” just be glad you’re not a mongoose. If you were, you might be thinking, “I can’t believe I’ve mated with all of these people.” Why? For mongooses, it's actually safer to have sex with a close relative than risk death by venturing out into the world to find a mate.

Author Dr. John Bradshaw suggests that because domestic cats are still essentially wild animals, that they think of their owners as bigger cats that they're quite fond of (often performing grooming rituals on them), who have really delicious food (tastier than that mouse they killed and left on your porch).

Flames look a little different in space. On Earth, gravity causes a candle flame to be teardrop-shaped, and carries soot to the flame's tip, making it yellow. In microgravity, where these forces are absent, the flame is spherical, soot-free, and blue.

The average termite queen will produce 30,000 eggs PER DAY. And considering these morbidly obese baby-making machines will often live till they're 20 years old, that means 219,000,000 eggs in single a lifetime.

Did you know that you could fit all the planets of the Solar System into the distance between the Earth and the Moon? But please don't - it would kill us all.

Lungs have 'taste buds' which can detect bitter-tasting compounds, although aren't connected to the brain! The taste receptors in the lungs are the same as those in the mouth except they are not found in clusters and do not send any signals to the brain.

It shattered the eardrums of sailors over 50 kilometres away, sent shock waves around the world several times over, and could be heard by 50 geological locations covering over 10% of the globe. This was the loudest sound in recorded history occurred in 1883. The sound was caused by a record-breaking volcanic eruption that sent smoke up almost 80 kilometres into the air as ash fell into the ocean some 20 kilometres away. Burning hot debris was shot from the mouth of Krakatoa's volcano at speeds of up to 2,575 kilometres per hour, which is more than double the speed of sound.

The video below gives you an idea of what an erupting volcano sounds like, but of course, nothing close to what was described above!

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Kösen's height was caused by the production of too much growth hormone due to a tumour in his pituitary gland. The tumour was eventually removed in 2010 through revolutionary gamma-knife surgery. Amge has a form of dwarfism, caused by a mutation in a bone growth gene.

Why do these fish look like they’re spouting puffs of magic dust out of their mouths? The tiny crustaceans (1 millimetre-long crustacean called an ostracod) that these transparent fish try to eat light them up, causing the fish to be at risk of predation themselves, so they spit them out!

A new study has found that most adults, everywhere in the world, are playing host to face mites. They live in our hair follicles, eat the oils we secrete, mate with each other near the surface of our skin, and sometimes venture out at night.

This footage of a velvet worm shooting foot-long strands of slime to immobilise its prey is pretty incredible. After trapping its victim, the velvet worm injects it with enzymes and sucks up the pre-digested flesh.

Elafonisi Beach on the Greek island of Crete has pastel pink sand! That rosy hue is caused by tiny particles of pink shells and coral that have been ground down over many years of erosion.

Geckos have 500,000 keratinous hairs on their feet, which split at the ends to create a large surface area. The hairs allow geckos to scale smooth vertical surfaces.

I know we've shown this one before, but every spring when the snow melts, Green Lake in Tragöss, Austria overflows and floods the park next to it. For a few weeks, its trees, hiking trails, benches and bridges are submerged in over nine metres of water.

The three-metre-tall titan arum is one of the world’s stinkiest flowers. It smells like rotting flesh to attract flies and other insects which get stuck at the base and digested. It also only blooms for a few hours to a few days, so is often only seen in bloom in gardens rather than in the wild.

Beautiful people make more daughters, according to a study.

Why? It is more genetically advantageous for females to be attractive, as (in a heterosexual relationship anyway) males are more likely to choose a female partner who is attractive for both short and long-term mating, while a female partner is less likely to choose an attractive male for the long-term. Thus, for procreation among attractive people, it is less necessary to make males.

Crabeater seal teeth are probably the strangest in the entire animal kingdom. The odd shapes work as a sieve, filtering out microscopic organisms (the seals' main food source) from sea water.

This is what it looks like to swim between two continental plates. The Silfra fissure in Iceland separates the North American and Eurasian plates, which drift two cm away from each other every year, causing earthquakes about once per decade.

It's mind-blowing to think that over half of the world’s population fits into this relatively tiny circle. And most of this circle is water.

The most impressive nose in the animal kingdom belongs to the star-nosed mole. The weird-looking animal has 22 fleshy pink tiny tentacles surrounding its nose. These containing a total of 100,000 nerve fibers, that's six times as many touch receptors as on a human hand.

This is a single drop of seawater, magnified 25 times. The amazing image shows bacteria, worms, fish eggs, crab larva, diatoms, and much more. Think about THAT next time you swallow a mouthful of seawater.

Ever heard of a moonbow? Otherwise known as 'space rainbows', moonbows are a rare weather phenomenon that only occur at night, created by moonlight refracting through moisture in the air. You can only catch them in a few places on Earth, such as the Victoria and Yosemite Falls, where the light of a full moon can refract off the constant spray from these huge waterfalls.

After winning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922, Carlsberg gave Niels Bohr a perpetual supply of beer. The brewing company had a pipeline running from the brewery to Bohr’s house, so that he could have fresh beer on tap all the time.

We know they kind of look and sound like a fancy dessert, but you won't find Little Egg Cowries on a dinner plate any time soon. In fact, you'll have a hard time finding them anywhere, because these spotty little sea creatures are masters of disguise. Through a process known as 'alimentary homochromy', they can change the colour, patterns, and shape of their flesh to perfectly mimic that of the coral and sea sponges around them.

At the very top of Venus’s mountains, below a thick layer of clouds, is snow. But not snow as we know it - with some surfaces reaching 480°C, Venus is way too hot for that. So what is this stuff? Researchers have figured out that Venus's heat is vaporising minerals called galena and bismuthinite, causing them to enter the atmosphere as a metallic mist before condensing into a shiny, metallic frost that rains down on the mountaintops.

The bush viper lives up in the trees of the tropical forests of Africa, and does most of its hunting at night. They are highly venomous and are found only in tropical sub-Saharan Africa.

Studies in humans, monkeys and other mammals have found that mothers have different breast milk 'recipes' depending on the sex of their newborn – boys often get milk that's richer in fat or protein, while baby girls get higher calcium levels and more milk overall. These findings could help improve baby milk formulas.

China's world famous landmarks like the Great Wall and army of terracotta soldiers draw millions of visitors a year but the Middle Kingdom has another drawcard that is equally breath-taking despite being largely unknown.

This is Lake Hillier. While there are a few hypothesis, no one is 100% sure where it gets its pink hue.

Did you know Australia was home to the world’s oldest flamingo?

Unfortunately 'Greater' has died at the grand old age of 83 at Adelaide Zoo in South Australia. Greater was almost blind, and quite an enigma - its sex and origin was a complete mystery.

Puffer fish release a toxin to protect themselves from predators, but dolphins have figured out how to make the fish release just the right amount and use it to get high and enter in what seems to be a trance-like state. “They [dolphins] began acting most peculiarly, hanging around with their noses at the surface as if fascinated by their own reflection,” said one of the researchers.

This is Ippo, a three-month-old Italian zonkey. She is the result of a union between a male zebra and a female Amiata donkey, which is an endangered breed of donkey native to southern Tuscany. Genetic differences between the zebra and the donkey - donkeys have 62 chromosomes and zebras have between 32 and 46 - mean that hybrids like this are most often the result of a male zebra pairing with a female donkey. So far there have only been three recorded cases of a male donkey siring a zebra hybrid. ...

Nature always finds a way. Natural materials can be hard to come by in large cities, so the very industrious crows living in Tokyo, Japan occasionally resort to stealing clothes hangers from people's apartments to carefully assemble them into nests.

Besides what we probably have seen while watching The Little Mermaid - fish singing and playing instruments, Finding Nemo, Shark Tale - whale being cleaned at a whale wash! , or even Spongebob Square pants - making hamburgers that is, have you ever seen or heard of a spitting fish?

Well, I have not, until today..

Apparently, the archerfish from the family Toxotidea, literally "spit" to catch their prey. It is like a frog, but upgraded, in the sense that it catches insects and land based prey without a weapon, or a physical means. It just teleports its prey from above water, into the water by knocking it out via shooting water droplets. The missile strength of the water droplet is created and altered based on how far and how big their prey is ...

These beautiful birds are called purple-crowned fairy wrens, endemic to northern Australia. The picture was taken by ornithologists (bird banders) studying the birds as part of population monitoring in Australia. The way they are holding them is called "photographer's grip" which gently secures the legs while keeping the rest of the bird free. Handling time is generally very short.

Wombat droppings are cube-shaped. This prevents them from rolling away when marking their territory. These cube-shaped poop looks like, but doesn't taste like chocolate brownies.

The binturong, or bearcat, is a rare species found in Southeast Asia. The females are usually 20% larger than the males, and they communicate amongst themselves using scent glands located on either side of the anus. These scent glands emit an odour that smells exactly like buttered popcorn.

The sweat is actually about the consistency of mucus. It helps regulate body temperature and acts as an effective sunscreen.

Researchers studying a group of wedge-capped capuchin monkeys that live in tropical forests of central Venezuela have discovered that the monkeys protect themselves against the annual merciless onslaught of mosquitoes exactly as humans do: by rubbing themselves with mosquito repellent.

But while humans may reach desperately for spritzers or bottles or laughably overhyped ''protective'' skin-so-softeners, the capuchins have learned to poke around in tree bark or termite mounds to extract a wriggling specimen of Orthoporus dorsovittatus, a millipede rich with powerful defensive chemicals called benzoquinones.

The capuchin monkey will then proceed to anoint itself head to foot with the repellent secretions by massaging the four-inch-long millipe ...

Hemocyanins are proteins that transport oxygen throughout the bodies of some invertebrate animals. These metalloproteins contain two copper atoms that reversibly bind a single oxygen molecule (O2). They are second only to hemoglobin in frequency of use as an oxygen transport molecule. Unlike the hemoglobin in red blood cells found in vertebrates, hemocyanins are not bound to blood cells but are instead suspended directly in the hemolymph. Oxygenation causes a color change between the colorless Cu(I) deoxygenated form and the blue Cu(II) oxygenated form. ...

Did you know one quart of horseshoe crab blood costs $15,000 dollars?

The critter's blue blood is a sort of bacteria killing machine that clots around ‘invaders’, eliminating them and protecting horseshoe crabs from lethal infections. Researchers have been harnessing the power of this blue blood to test medical supplies for contamination.

This is the giraffe weevil from Madagascar, which, as you might have guessed, gets its name from its long neck. Males use their extra long necks for fighting, while females use theirs to roll a leaf nest, into which an egg is laid during reproduction.

Take a good look at this woman. She was created by a computer from a mix of several races. What you see is a remarkable preview of what the North American race will look like.

Blue whales are not only the largest animal alive right now, but they are believed to be the largest animal that has ever lived.

They are listed as endangered by the IUCN, but a group of researchers hopes to designate 10% of the ocean as protected by 2020. Despite their slow reproduction times, researchers believe this will be enough to help rebound their number

While the video may look like a trick an owner could teach their animal to do, some birds actually do play dead to avoid predation. If they feel in danger, they will essentially 'play dead' since predators are more interested in live, healthy prey than dead prey.

The Japanese giant hornet kills about 40 people each year, and being stung by one feels “like a hot nail” going through the flesh.

A few of the 3800 traditional Andean cultivated potatoes.

This is Croatobranchus mestrovi, a leech that lives 1.3km below sea level and doesn't want to suck your blood. The leech's milky colour and lack of eyes comes from living exclusively in the freezing groundwater and darkness of one of the deepest caves in the world, located in Croatia. They were found in shallow water attached to rocks, with their extra-wide, tentacle-surrounded mouths facing the current.

From vanilla to barbecue to fruit loops, many male butterflies have a distinct smell, known to scientists as pheromones, used to attract females. These pheromones are produced in specialized scales on the wings and are often wafted over females during courtship by flapping. The smells are often oddly familiar to humans, and Opsiphanes butterflies (as seen here) can leave you desiring a piece of cake after catching one in the Amazon.

Shark skin doesn't look like normal fish skin. It's made of microscopic diamond shaped scales with rough edges, called "denticles". These are thought to share an evolutionary origin with teeth - indeed, they have much more in common with teeth than with scales. Like teeth, they consist of a central cavity made of pulp surrounded by dentine and enamel.

The flexible but irregular surface is impossible for barnacles and other micro-organisms to cling to, as well as decreasing drag and turbulence.

So just when you thought sharks couldn't get any scarier, it turns out that their entire bodies are literally COVERED with teeth. ...

Did you know -- On the average there are over one hundred thousand strands of hair on a young adult. Blondes average about 140,000 strands, brunettes average 108,000 and redheads average 90,000.

The Leatherback Sea Turtle is the largest turtle in the world, weighing approximately 900 kg. Contrary to appearance, the leatherback doesn't actually have a shell. What looks like a shell is in fact a leathery skin supported by small bones. This gives it a flexibility that a solid shell would not provide, allowing it to dive to astonishing depths.

Titin is the largest known naturally occurring protein and is composed of 34,350 amino acids. It is also known as connectin and is abundant in striated muscle. Though it is 189,819 letters long, its status as the longest word in the English language is debatable, given that it is a technical word not found in the dictionary. ...

Feeding bread to wild ducks is incredibly harmful. Bread has almost no nutrients that are useful for the duck, so they become malnourished and more susceptible to disease. Compounding the problem is excessive bread in the water, which leads to high levels of E. coli and even botulism outbreaks. Wild ducks need to stay wild, and artificially feeding them causes them to lose their natural instincts for acquiring food. If you want to feed captive waterfowl, consider chopped vegetables, whole grains, or fruit instead. ...

How this bicycle got up in the tree has been the subject of plenty of local legend around Washington’s Vashon Island. The real story involves a boy in the 1950s who left his bike in the woods while playing with friends, because he didn’t like it. The bike was placed about two meters high in the tree, which eventually grew around it.