Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. If you’re looking for something quick and easy to pass the commute or a quick coffee break, find some inspiration in these 6 true-to-life facts that will blow your mind.
1. Greenland sharks reach maturity at 150
The Greenland shark, native to the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic region, is the world’s longest living vertebrate species. While scientists aren’t exactly sure of their precise life expectancy, it is thought to be between 300 and 500 years! With such an incredibly long lifespan, it comes as less of a surprise to hear that it takes up to 150 years for the Greenland shark to reach sexual maturity. For a mother shark to produce a litter of babies can take a gestation period of between 8 and 18 years! After all this time, the mother births a litter of around 10 pups - adding up to almost 200 babies per mother in one lifetime!
2. People were chewing gum 6000 years ago
Archaeologists digging at a site in modern day Syltholm, Denmark, were equal parts surprised and intrigued when they came across a wad of chewing gum that was more than 5700 years old. The researchers were even able to sequence a full human genome from the chewing gum, which is the most data ever extracted from something other than ancient bones or teeth. The researchers didn’t find any bodies alongside the chewing gum, which was made of birch pitch, but were able to determine that the gum belonged to a child. From the genome, the researchers were able to say that the young girl had black hair, blue eyes, and dark skin. The last meal she had eaten, of which traces were left behind in the gum, was hazelnuts and duck. Delicious!
3. More French soldiers died in WWI than U.S. soldiers throughout all of history
Often, it can be hard to truly wrap our heads around history without getting a bit of perspective. One hundred years removed from the fact, it’s difficult to understand just how truly catastrophic the First World War was. The number of deaths alone is staggering. Although the USA now holds the biggest reputation for military engagement around the world, their death toll pales in comparison to France in the First World War. During WWI, France lost around 1,360,000 soldiers. In contrast, the USA has recorded around 1,350,000 military deaths in all of its wars since 1775. However, France’s death toll is only a fraction of what the Soviet Union lost during World War II, a staggering 6,750,000 military deaths…
4. Platypus boasts a nasty sting
While certainly cute, a platypus actually possesses one of the most painful stings known to mankind. The duck-billed platypus has poison glands located in its hind legs and releases venom using a hollow spur on the side of its heel. While there have never been any recorded human fatalities from a platypus sting, the hollow spurs that inject the venom need manual removal, meaning you'd have to pull them out one by one.
The pain is so devastating and immediate that focusing on such a task is a tall order indeed. In fact, the pain is so great that not even morphine is enough to quell it. Once poisoned, you can expect to suffer nausea, cold sweats, and muscle deterioration. As cute as a platypus might be, make sure to steer clear of getting too close if you happen to come across one!
5. Graham’s number is bigger than the universe
The world of abstract maths is full of concepts that are nigh impossible for most of us to wrap our heads around. Graham’s number is a truly mind-blowing example of this. Graham’s number, named after mathematician Ronald Graham, is an immense number that serves as the upper bound (or highest possible answer) to a particular problem in a mathematical field known as Ramsey theory. Put simply, Ramsey theory deals with the order of substructures within a larger structure of a known size.
The value of Graham’s number is quite literally impossibly large. The number of digits contained within Graham’s number is understood to be greater than the total number of Planck volumes (the smallest unit of measurement in science) in the entire observable universe. This means that even if we had a way of calculating the entirety of Graham’s number, we quite literally would not have the space to write it down - even if we used the entire universe.
6. The Earth holds more gold than water
Given that 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, you would imagine it’s among the planet’s most abundant substances. You might be surprised, however, to learn that the weight of water on Earth is far exceeded by the weight of gold. The total weight of all the world’s water adds up to 1.36 billion tons, whereas the weight of gold is estimated to stand at around 1.6 quadrillion tons. Now, it must be said that this gold is molten and located in the Earth’s core, so don’t go out digging any time soon. But to put this in comparison, if the Earth’s water was spread around the planet’s surface, it would create a layer 1 inch thick. Do the same with the Earth’s gold, however, and we’d be looking at a coating 13 inches thick!
Make sure to share these entertaining and mind-blowing facts with your colleagues next time you find yourself stuck at the watercooler.
