You'll Die Smarter

The clouds we see in the sky seem rather light, almost like absorbent cotton. However, being filled with water and ice, these gigantic suspended masses weigh - in reality - up to several tons. Don't be fooled by appearances, the clouds that float above your heads are more like anvils in suspension. Indeed, being made of billions of water and ice droplets, these vaporous masses can weigh far more than you may expect. With a water density of about 0.5 grams per cubed meter, a cloud of 100 kilometers cubed can reach the mass of 500 000 tons. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Long before Magellan completed the first circumnavigation of the globe, in the 16th century, ancient Greek scientists had demonstrated, by simple observation, that the Earth was round, or rather spherical. Of course, this did not prevent some people from believing that our planet was flat. To be fair, even some individuals don’t believe it now.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As you may have already noticed, if you bite aluminum foil, the strange sensation of heat or pain in your teeth is quite unpleasant. This is due to the contact between the aluminum and the metals that make up the fillings in some teeth. If you feel a tingling sensation when biting aluminum foil, it is because some of your teeth have been provided with fillings. In this case, the connection between the aluminum and the elements of the filling causes a reaction similar to that of a battery.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You all know the Bermuda shorts: those shorts that come down to the knee, unlike the classic shorts that only cover part of the thighs. You may be more familiar with the name “dad shorts.” While today it is considered as a vacation or a summer outfit for older generations, its origin is quite different. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

According to some estimates, the surname "Nguyen" is used by around 40% of the population in Vietnam. This country is home to 95 million people, so there are nearly 38 million Mr. or Mrs. Nguyen. This makes Nguyen the 4th most popular name in the world, just behind Lee, Zhang and Wang, all Chinese names. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mankind doesn't just send rockets or space probes into space. In fact, many unexpected objects have been launched into space, all for the sake of science.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the walls of the Egyptian pyramids, human depictions, and especially depictions of nobility, are often represented in profile. The reason they are designed this way is primarily religious. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the ancient Egyptian characters are not entirely represented in profile. Only the face, the legs and the arms are painted in this way. The bust and torse is represented from the front. And actually the singular eye on the profile face is depicted as if being viewed from the front, rather asynchronous to the rest of the face.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you noticed this before? Try this little experiment: Try to break a raw spaghetti noodle in half with your fingers by bending it until it breaks. If you give it a go, the noodle will most likely break, but not into two pieces. There's no need to feel sorry for yourself if you failed – your skills are not at fault. Raw spaghetti breaks into 3, 4, 5 or more pieces, but almost never in two. In fact, it is almost impossible to do so. This is the "mystery of the broken spaghetti". It may seem trivial, but it has interested many great scientists, including Richard Feynman, the famous American physicist of the 20th century. He was primarily known for reformulating quantum mechanics. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The paper clip was indeed a symbol of unity and resistance of a particular nation in the face of the Nazi occupation during the Second World War. And this nation is Norway. It is hard to imagine that such a mundane object, primarily used to hold sheets of paper together, could have had such a great and noble meaning. Yet, history and Norway prove us otherwise. At the turn of the 20th century, a Norwegian by the name of Johan Vaaler patented the first paper clip model, close to the one we use today. But it was not exactly the same. His model lacked the two complete loops and resembled a rectangle. This design was not as easy to insert sheets of paper. As a result, his invention was never produced. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a fact that the more aviation savvy among you may have already observed: on the whole, airliners fly slower than they used to. If we take a random flight, for example from New York to Denver, it takes 19 minutes longer today than in 1983 to connect the two cities. This seems to go against the grain of technological progress, so what are the factors that explain this? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.