Becky asks: When did women start growing out and painting fingernails? On humans and other primates, nails are a flattened version of a claw which likely developed to aid in gripping and climbing. However, they can also act as a visible “health report.” Someone in poor health, or infected by a fungus, might have yellow, brittle nails, while someone in […]
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When someone is “blowing smoke up your arse” today, it is a figure of speech that means that one person is complimenting another, insincerely most of the time, in order to inflate the ego of the individual being flattered. Back in the late 1700s, however, doctors literally blew smoke up people’s rectums. Believe it or not, it was a general mainstream medical procedure used to, among many […]
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Today in History: May 19, 1536 On May 19, 1536, Anne Boleyn, the woman for which King Henry VIII cast aside a Queen, broke with the Catholic Church and drove his country to the brink of civil war, climbed the scaffold to meet her death at that same King’s command. She was the first Queen of England to be legally […]
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In this weekend why episode of the podcast, you’re going to learn why chocolate is bad for most dogs and exactly how much of each type of it they’d need to ingest for it to be fatal. You’re also going to learn what you should do if your dog eats chocolate to maximize the chances of your dog surviving the […]
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In this weekend why episode of the podcast, you’re going to learn why chemotherapy will typically cause a person’s hair to fall out. You’re also going to learn about the theoretical upper limit for the age a human could potentially live to based on cell division limits. Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You […]
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This is a weekly wrap of our Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. WWII Files: Japan’s Secret Weapon- Exploding Balloons WWII saw the development of some zany designs for weapons, such as when the U.S. developed pigeon guided missiles and (literal) bat bombs (the latter of which were a little too effective, accidentally destroying the testing base […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn whether the age-old home remedy for burns, egg-whites, is actually a good treatment. You’re also going to learn a whole lot about potential complications from burns, a couple of which may surprise you, and how to treat them. Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also […]
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Diane M. asks: Where did the expression “pulling my leg” come from? For those who aren’t familiar with the phrase, when someone says, “You must be pulling my leg!” they usually mean, “You must be joking/teasing/making something up.” Extremely popular in the 20th century, the origin of this phrase is still something of an enigma to etymologists. There are two […]
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Derek asks: Is it true that a T-Rex couldn’t see you if you didn’t move? If so, how do scientists know this? In the immensely popular movie Jurassic Park, there’s the famous scene where the giant T-Rex is attacking a jeep during a thunder storm. As it attacks, Dr. Alan Grant, a self-respecting paleontologist, yells, “Don’t move! He can’t see […]
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This Day In History: May 16, 1975 On May 16, 1975, a nurse entered the Los Angeles hospital where she worked cradling a newborn baby. She claimed that she had just given birth to the infant at home. Her fellow employees were rather shocked, considering that their 44-year-old co-worker was past the age most women became pregnant. They were even […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn how the stereotype of the police eating donuts got its start. [TRANSCRIPT] Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going here: Daily Knowledge Podcast
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Brandon asks: Why can’t you use blood from someone who has a different blood type than you? Hot, cold or just plain bad, throughout history, people have used blood as a metaphor to describe their changing moods. One aspect of blood, however, is immutable – its type. Since each blood type carries unique characteristics that can wreak havoc in the […]
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Mondagiriaksita asks: I was told a scumbag was originally a condom. Is this really where the word came from? “Scum” originated in the early 14th century from the Middle Dutch word “schume” meaning foam or froth. There was also a similar word in old French – escume. For about two hundreds years, the word evolved to mean a “thin layer […]
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If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what all the hullabaloo is about with Net Neutrality, this is perhaps one of the best bite-sized videos on understanding why it is so vitally important, one of many great videos from the seemingly perpetual great video making machine known as Vi Hart. You can subscribe to her phenomenal YouTube channel here. For the […]
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Today in History: May 15, 1972 On May 15, 1972, Alabama’s controversial governor George Wallace was shot at close range during an outdoor rally in Laurel, Maryland. The assailant, clad in red, white and blue, was arrested immediately at the scene. The 52-year-old Wallace was campaigning in his third bid for the U.S. presidency and was speaking before a crowd […]
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In this episode, you’re going to learn about how actor Jimmy Stewart by his own merits rose to the rank of General in the U.S. military, along with a whole lot of other interesting Jimmy Stewart facts. [TRANSCRIPT] We’d also like to ask that you click here and fill out a quick, anonymous survey related to our podcast. In doing so, […]
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Our resident medical expert, Scott, and a buddy of his recently started The Medicine Journal, where you can learn all sorts of interesting facts about all things medical related. Below is a sample article from their site. Almost everyone has felt them at some point in their life. Doctors will generally tell you they’re nothing to be concerned about, just […]
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Robin asks: Why do armpits smell bad compared to other parts of your body? Those millions of bacteria have to live somewhere. Sweat and Odor There are two universally-accepted types of sweat glands. Eccrine Glands The most abundant of the sweat glands, eccrine are found on most of the body and secrete a sweat that is: “A sterile, dilute electrolyte […]
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