Tell Us Something We Did Not Know!

OK HPC:Factor, impress me.

I've seen this on another site and thought that they came out with some interesting facts. So let us try it here!

Rules:
- You have to tell us something that we will not know or are not likely to know, so 'the sky is blue' is not allowed
- It has to be something of significance, so "I'm wearing socks" doesn't count
- It can be local, national or global in significance. Factual, statistical, technical, theological, philosophical and even comical - but it must be true
- It still has to remain inside the board rules
- Please post one fact per post

- Points will be awarded for people who post "but I already knew that" in the form of electric shocks through your keyboard using the little known JavaScript function void shockSmartArse();

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I'll begin.

Fact:
If you eat nothing but Rabbit - as much as you want, even stuff yourself completely every day - you will eventually die of starvation even though you have stuffed yourself. This is not true of other meats, but is specific to lean meats.

I'll give it a try....

Fact: Babies breastfeed until they're full, not until they "empty" a mother's breast. On average, babies remove 67% of the milk available though this amount can vary widely among moms.

China has enough inhabitants that if they all jump in sync, that it'd exert enough force to push Earth out of it's standard orbit around the sun.

(Do I get a cookie?)

Pure water at 1 atmosphere (sea level) will not freeze until -42 degrees C, regular salt water at -1.9c and regular water at +0.01c. The ice formed starts to melt at 0c but coming back to +0.01c water can exist as a solid, liquid and a gas all at the same time; this is known as the tripple point.

Did you get those numbers mixed up between pure water and regular salt water?

No, but salt water at -1.9 should have had (depending upon saline concentration)

Pure water liquid at -40: http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2010/February/04021002.asp

Okay...so the freezing point is affected by electrical fields in a controlled experiment...

Solidus...I couldn't accept your hypothesis at all...sorry, and offer this as an argument against...

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/142/if-all-chinese-jumped-at-once-would-cataclysm-result

Also by the amount of particle nucleus' present in hydrolic suspension.

VY Canis Majoris is currently the largest known star to have been recorded by astronomers within the Milky Way.

While human sperm is invisible to the human eye, only about 45 microns in size (including head and tail) the fruit fly has a sperm as long as its body, about 1 mm in size and can be seen by the human eye...if you stare long enough under the right lighting conditions...

(Wonder if we should start including our source information...)

(Wonder how many of you would be patient enough to stare at a fruit fly's sperm cell)

The process of parent infant bonding - particularly mother child bonding - which gives rise to the oft held view of 'unconditional love' is caused by a hormone called oxytocin. The female body releases large quantities of oxytocin from the point of going into labour through until well after the end of the process. This is designed to ensure that she feels a connection with the child both during and on first sight.

Oxytocin is also produced during breast feeding, reaffirming the mother / child bond (triggered by stimulation of the nipple), cuddling and sex.

Is the bonding two way? i.e. when the oxytocin is released, it makes the mother like the child, but does it make the child like the mother too?

I didn't know the answer to that, so I had to research it a little. The answer appears to be yes, the activity causes similar chemical release.

I also found out that infant crying produces a similar hormonal response in the mother.

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Elizabeth II is Britain's second longest serving monarch and the world’s longest-serving living head of state at 60 years and 2 days as of writing. Britain's longest serving monarch was Victoria I (Victoria Hanover) who served 63 years, 216 days.

The world's longest serving living monarch is Rama IX of Thailand at 65 year 244 days however crown of the longest serving monarch in history goes to Sobhuza II of Swaziland who reigned for 82 years and 254 days from 1899 - 1982.

FACT: I would NOT be patient enough to stare at a fruit fly's sperm cell, not that I would I ever want to...


FACT: In Texas, it IS NOTagainst the law to pick or cut down the Bluebonnet (The Texas State Flower) Even though we were all taught at an early age that it was against the law...Bluebonnet law

Edited by Yoldering 2012-02-09 4:29 PM