Animals »
Why Penguins’ Feet Don’t Freeze
Kara asks: A penguin’s feet are always on ice, so why don’t they freeze or have some sort of evolutionary built in insulation? There are many different species of penguin, and while our minds
Read More »
Where the Expression “Bust Your Balls” Comes From
Whether it’s busting or breaking, balls or stones, this expression has long been used by young men (and not a few women) to express a wide range of emotions brought about by the words
Read More »
The March of the Christmas Island Red Crab
As you can probably tell from its name, the Christmas Island red crab is a species of crab native to Christmas Island. Every year, millions of them will leave their forest burrows and swarm
Read More »
Why a Rabbit’s Foot is Considered Lucky
Preston asks: Why are rabbits paws lucky? Raccoon penis bones. Vulture heads. Lucky pennies. A vast and eclectic array of amulets, talismans, and charms meant to bring good fortune to their owners have been
Read More »
WWII Files: Pigeon-Guided Missiles and Bat Bombs
Today I Found Out about Project Pigeon and Project X-Ray, WWII plans to use pigeons to guide missiles and (literal) bat bombers. The man behind Project Pigeon was famed American behaviorist and Harvard professor
Read More »
The Horse that Could Do Math: The Unintentional Clever Hans Hoax
Move over Mr. Ed, Clever Hans was the original horse who could communicate with humans in complex ways. Well, at least it seemed that way at the time. This phenomenon began in the late
Read More »
The Exploding Anti-Tank Dogs of World War II
Today I Found Out about the use of exploding anti-tank dogs during World War II. These dogs, usually Alsatians, were also called “Hundminen” or “dog mines.” They were trained to carry explosives on their
Read More »
Parrots Name Their Chicks
Today I Found Out that parrots name their chicks. Scientists have known for a while that, in addition to saying things like “Polly want a cracker” (see Bonus Facts below) to entertain humans, parrots
Read More »
The Candirú Fish Can’t Swim Up a Stream of Your Urine
Myth: The Candirú fish can swim up your urine stream if you pee into the Amazon. If you’ve never heard of the Candirú, also known as the pencil fish, the toothpick fish, the vampire
Read More »
Leviathan Files: The Sperm Whale
Immense, stretching up to nearly 70 feet long and weighing over 50 tons, the sperm whale is the seventh largest animal, and the largest with teeth, in the world. Prized for centuries because of
Read More »
What’s Wrong with Giant Pandas?
With the possible exception of boozy, reckless ingénues, there is no animal more bent on its own ruin than the giant panda. With its low population (only 1600 remain in the wild and 300
Read More »
Do Moths Really Eat Clothes?
Gracen asks: Do moths really eat clothes? The common “clothes moth”, “clothing moth” or to give its street name, Tineola bisselliella, doesn’t actually eat clothes. In fact, clothing moths don’t even possess the ability
Read More »
Do Earwigs Really Lay Eggs in Your Ears?
Nathan asks: Do earwigs really burrow into your brain and lay eggs? Let me just say I hate earwigs. Small, slimy-looking, fast moving, and always popping out of some dark place when I least
Read More »
Whales Don’t Spray Water Out of Their Blowholes Nor are Their Throats and Blowhole Connected
Myth: Whales spray water out of their blowholes. Contrary to what you may have seen in such movies as Pixar’s otherwise extremely entertaining Finding Nemo, whales don’t spray water out of their blowholes. Further,
Read More »
The Parasitic Sacculina That Bends Its Host to Its Own Will
Falling into the category of “you can’t make this up,” is the parasitic barnacle Sacculina. Shedding its hard shell and injecting itself into the body of a host crab, Sacculina becomes its puppet master,
Read More »
Mind Control: From the Inside Out
The term “mind control” conjures up visions of someone manipulating people from the outside, such as an evil, brainwashing scientist or a supernatural being that takes dominion of a person just with the power
Read More »
The Bear Who was Officially a Member of the Polish Army During WWII
After being invaded by Germany in the west and later by Soviet Russia in the east, the Polish government fled Warsaw but continued to fight from abroad. After Germany attacked Russia, the Russians decided
Read More »
The Animal Where the Male Becomes Pregnant and Gives Birth
Today I Found Out that female seahorses impregnating their male mates, rather than the other way around. The reproductive process of a seahorse begins when a male and a female meet up and “dance”.
Read More »
