There is no way to avoid being awed by scientific discoveries, even if you weren’t a science nerd in school. Seriously, take a moment to reflect on the amazing capabilities of nature and modern technology. No matter our age, we never cease to be fascinated by both mundane and cosmic trivia. Below are listed ten of science’s most amazing facts.
The Eiffel Tower may Rise 15 centimeters Higher in the Summer
When the temperature goes up, the materials expand. We call this “thermal expansion.” On the other hand, a drop in temperature makes it shrink again. This happens most strongly in gas, but it also happens in liquids and solids like iron. Because of this, big things like bridges are built with expansion joints that give them room to grow and shrink without causing any damage. The Eiffel Tower goes up in the summer because of this.
By the End of a Lifetime, the Typical Walker will have Covered the Distance of Five Full Circumnavigations of the Globe
A person who is moderately active typically walks 7,500 steps per day. If you continue to walk on average each day and live to be 80 years old, you will have taken around 216,262,500 steps overall. According to calculations, a person with an average stride who lives to be 80 will cover a distance of nearly 110,000 miles, or the equivalent of walking 5 times around the equator of the planet.
Every Year, Hawaii Moves 7.5cm Closer to Alaska
Yes, it’s true. Tectonic plates, which are constantly moving as a result of rising and falling currents beneath them, are to blame for this. Hawaii continues to be at the center of the Pacific plate, and as a result of this yearly movement, it is slowly making its way back to Alaska on the North American platform.
You could Lift 6 Billion Tons of Neutron Star by a Teaspoon
The formation of neutron stars occurs when a large star runs out of energy and explodes. Every proton and electron is transformed into a neutron as the star’s core collapses. If the collapsed star’s core mass is between 1 and 3 solar masses, the newly generated neutrons can prevent the collapse, leaving behind the neutron star. Neutron star density is often measured in solar masses. They are the most compact and dense stars known to exist in the cosmos, with a mass roughly twice that of the sun (more than 10 suns). One teaspoon of mass extracted from a neutron star would weigh approximately 6 billion tons, demonstrating the star’s extreme density.
Grasshoppers Have Ears in Their Abdomen
There are no ears on the side of a grasshopper’s head. Grasshoppers use a thin membrane called a tympanum to hear sounds. When the grasshopper is an adult, its wings cover and protect the tympanum, which lets it hear the songs of other grasshoppers. Grasshopper tympanums vibrate in response to vital signals. Male grasshoppers call for mates and claim territory. Females can evaluate a male’s size by his call’s pitch.
The Earth will Become Too Hot for Life in 2.3 Billion Years
The Sun will keep getting brighter and hotter over the next hundreds of millions of years. In a little more than 2 billion years, the Earth’s temperatures will be high enough to dry up our oceans, making it impossible for life to exist. Our world will turn into a huge desert like Mars is now. Scientists think that in a few billion years, when the Sun has grown to the size of a red giant, it will swallow up the Earth. This will be the end of our planet.
A Cockroach can Survive without its Head for up to a Week
People often say that cockroaches would be the most likely survivors of a nuclear war because of how hardy they are. They don’t need to use their mouths or heads to breathe because their circulatory systems are open and they breathe through small holes in each part of their bodies. The only reason the cockroach dies is because it can’t drink water because it doesn’t have a mouth.
Numerous Trillions of Minute Plankton Fossils are Used to Make Chalk
Coccolithophores are single-celled algae that have lived in the oceans for 200 million years. They have tiny plates of calcite all around them (coccoliths). About 100 million years ago, coccolithophores started to grow in a thick layer that covered the ocean floor with a white slime. As more sediment settled on top, the pressure squeezed the coccoliths into rock, making chalk deposits like the white cliffs of Dover. Rocks form in horizontal layers over time, with the oldest rocks at the bottom and the newest rocks near the top. paleontologist can get a rough idea of how old a fossil is by looking at the type of rock it is found in. Carbon dating is a more accurate way to figure out how old a fossil is based on how fast radioactive elements like carbon-14 break down.
The Sunflower is Classified as a Hyperaccumulator
Hyperaccumulators are plants that accumulate specific metals or metalloids in their living tissues to hundreds or thousands of times higher levels than typical plants. Sunflowers take metal compounds from the soil’s depths and move them to the stem, leaves, and flower head, similar to other hyperaccumulating plants. They can take up considerable amounts of harmful elements and are adept at removing radioactive metals from a single region in 3–4 years. Hyperaccumulating plants are employed in a process called phytoremediation to remove waste.
Infrared Cameras can hardly Identify Polar Bears
The infrared that a subject loses as heat is picked up by thermal cameras, but polar bears are very good at keeping their heat. Bears stay warm because they have a thick layer of fat under their skin. When they add a thick fur coat, they can stay warm even on the coldest Arctic day.
Conclusion
Despite all of our scientific advancements, some phenomena are still puzzling or unexplained. Science typically provides us with answers. But there are other moments when it raises new queries for us. Use our other science facts to fuel your exploration. Numerous amazing science facts, both explained and inexplicable, surround us.
