Fun Facts

[Rose White]

Today I learned that some of the earliest artifacts made out of metal from Central Asia (major center of ancient metallurgy) were farm tools. And some of the earliest artifacts made out of metal from China were bells.

I love that!

Technological advancement isn’t (or wasn’t) always driven by economics and war. Sometimes it was driven by aesthetics and spirituality and harmony.

Here is the podcast I learned that from

‎The Ancients: Origins of the Silk Road on Apple Podcasts

‎Show The Ancients, Ep Origins of the Silk Road - May 3, 2024

podcasts.apple.com

 

[Rose White]

Cranes don’t just dance during mating season, they dance all through the year. Seems they just enjoy doing it! Also the red patch on their heads isn’t feathers it’s skin, like on a turkey.

 

[Rose White]

Omid (name meaning Hope) is a male Siberian crane who is the last of the Western population to continue to winter in Iran. He made the journey from Siberia to Northern Iran alone for 15 years after the loss of his mate, Arezoo, around 2007. He did not show up in this most recent winter, but he also didn’t appear in 2009 or 2015. There used to be a population that wintered in India but it hasn’t been seen since 2015. The remaining population is the Eastern population which winters in China.

 

[Rose White]

If a man takes testosterone his testicles shrink and his breasts grow.

 

[Dark.Green.Feathers]

Lots of orchids people keep are epiphytes, they naturally grow holding onto larger plants, trees for example.

 

[Dark.Green.Feathers]

A scorpion’s anus is just before its stinger.

 

[Rose White]

If people on drug trials know the possible side effects the placebo effect is stronger.

The presence of side effects with psychiatric drugs leads to more positive outcomes for what’s being measured, possibly because the people taking them can gauge whether the drugs are working.

 

[Dark.Green.Feathers]

Albinism is caused by genes inhibiting melanin production. Albino mammals are white, but some species of reptiles and birds are yellow. Because their colors are made up more pigments than melanin; carotenoids or psittacofulvins, for example (both responsible for yellow, orange, reds).

A blue budgie will be a white albino, and a green budgie will be a yellow albino. This is because blue budgies have a gene inhibiting psittacofulvins. And green budgies are made up of blue structural coloration (created using melanin), and yellow psittacofulvins.

 

[Freddyt]

When food is well spiced and flavorful and tasty - you eat less.

 

[Friday]

It takes consuming 5lbs of potatoes to get your daily vitC minimum.

 

[Freddyt]

1 cup of green chili peppers is 404% of your daily vit C requirement.

 

[Rose White]

There is a festival called Baby Jumping in Spain where men dressed as yellow devils jump over groups of babies lying on small mattresses.