Today I found out why you generally shouldn’t put metals in a microwave. First, it should be noted that it is not unsafe to put all metals in the microwave. Indeed, you often put metals in the microwave anytime you put a hot pocket in the little pouch and place it in the microwave. The pouch has a thin layer […]
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This, of course, is because “PS” stands for “postscript”. This comes from the Latin “post scriptum” (sometimes written “postscriptum”), which translates to “written after”, or more to the point, “what comes after the writing”. Thus, PSS would mean “postscript script”, which doesn’t really make sense in this context. Rather, the correct way to write this abbreviation is “PPS” for “post-postscript” […]
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Today I found out the origin of the word “bacon”. The word derives originally from the Old High German “bacho”, meaning “buttock”, which in turn derived from the Proto-Germanic “backoz”, meaning “back”. By the 14th century, it found its way into Old French as “bacun”, meaning “back meat”. And by the 16th century, it found its way into Middle English […]
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Myth: Muscle turns to fat when you stop exercising. Muscles and fats are made up of very different types of cells that have completely different functions. Skeletal muscles get larger when a person exercises primarily from hypertrophy; in other words, the person isn’t gaining more muscle cells (which would be hyperplasia), rather, the ones they have are just getting bigger, […]
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Today I found out why it is nearly impossible to tickle yourself. It’s very hard to tickle yourself because your brain anticipates things going on around you in order to help speed up response times. More technically, the cerebellum monitors body movements and can also distinguish between expected sensations and unexpected ones, generally resulting in diminishing or completely discarding expected […]
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Myth: Strawberrys are berrys. Strawberries are not berries. They actually are an example of an “aggregate fruit”, forming from a flower that has many ovaries; the ovary being the part of the flower that eventually develops and ripens into a fruit. Once the ovaries are pollinated, the ovaries will swell and eventually form the strawberry as we think of it. […]
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Today I found out that the word ‘man’ was originally gender neutral, meaning more or less the same as the modern day word “person”. It wasn’t until about a thousand years ago that the word “man” started to refer to a male and it wasn’t until the late 20th century that it was almost exclusively used to refer to males. […]
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Myth: You only use 10% of your brain. Over the years, the myth that you only use about 10% of your brain has been widely spread with the source of this myth often falsely attributed to Albert Einstein. It turns out though, that every part of the brain gets used, despite what Hollywood; snake-oil type self help peddlers; and many […]
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When doing research for interesting facts that would in turn make good fodder for articles on TodayIFoundOut.com, invariably I come across a lot of commonly held “facts” that really aren’t and various other myths and misconceptions. So I decided to start a companion site to Today I Found Out called Misconception Junction (http://www.misconceptionjunction.com). Basically, it is a site bringing you […]
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It’s “I could not care less”, not “I could care less”. These two phrases are often used interchangeably when someone is referring to something that they don’t care about at all, even though the latter implies that you do care somewhat, possibly a lot or just a little; it’s unclear from the statement itself. The former leaves nothing in doubt. […]
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Today I found out why mint tastes cold. Similar to why peppers taste hot, what’s going on here is there is a chemical in mint, menthol, which is tricking the brain into thinking that the area the menthol is applied to is cold; even though in fact, it’s the same as it was before. More specifically, menthol binds with cold-sensitive […]
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Today I found out bananas are naturally radioactive. This comes from the fact that they contain relatively high amounts of potassium. Specifically, they contain Potassium-40, which is a radioactive isotope of potassium. The fact that bananas are radioactive has actually given rise to the radiation unit: “banana equivalent dose” (BED); this is the average amount of radiation you are exposed to by eating […]
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Today I found out why peppers taste hot. The heat sensation is caused by capsaicin, which is a colorless, odorless, oily chemical found in peppers. Capsaicin binds with certain sensory neurons which then more or less trick your body into thinking that it is being burned or at least experiencing excessive amounts of heat in the area that the capsaicin […]
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Today I found out the only member of ZZ Top that doesn’t have a beard is Frank Beard. Beard is the drummer for ZZ Top and former band member of the Cellar Dwellers, The Hustlers, The Warlocks, and American Blues. ZZ Top was originally formed in 1969, in Houston Texas. The band, with the original members, is still making records […]
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Today I found out what the “ZIP” in “ZIP Code” stands for and what the numbers signify. ZIP Code or “Zone Improvement Plan Code” was a system put in place by the U.S. Postal Service on July 1, 1963. The hope was that these ZIP codes would allow the postal service to more efficiently and therefore more quickly route mail. […]
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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of ampm. All opinions are 100% mine. Now, as I state in my “about” page, I enjoy free food, particularly ridiculously unhealthy variety, and soda while I peck away at my keyboard for hours on end. Getting free Dr. Pepper and snacks from my readers (or money for Dr. Pepper […]
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Mark S. asks: Do ostriches really hide their heads in the sand in response to being attacked? Today I found out that ostriches don’t hide their heads in the sand, contrary to popular belief. When an ostrich feels genuinely threatened, rather than hiding its head in the sand, it will take off running- fast. In fact, the ostrich is the […]
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Today I found out the origin of the name of the sport Cricket. The name is originally thought to either have been derived from the Old French “criquet”, meaning “goal, post, or stick” or from the Middle Dutch “kricke”, meaning “stick” or “staff”. The latter Middle Dutch derivation from “kricke” is generally considered more likely due to the strong medieval trade connections […]
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