Tag Archives: now you know

Redheads are Harder to Sedate Than Any Other Group

redhead facts

Redheads are harder to sedate than any other group. Using most common anesthetics, they require on average about 20% more anesthesia.  They also have a higher tolerance for pain than ‘normal’ people. This is because the Melancortin 1 Receptor mutation that gives them red hair also triggers the excess release of Pheomelanin, which among other things stimulates a brain receptor […]

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The Term ‘Retarded’ Replaced the Psychological Terms ‘Idiot’, ‘Moron’, and ‘Imbecile’ Because These Terms Gradually Became Considered Derogatory

Etymology of Retarded

Funny enough, the term ‘retarded’ was used to replace the terms ‘idiot’, ‘moron’, and ‘imbecile’ due to the fact that these terms gradually became thought of as derogatory. This obviously only worked for a while and now ‘retarded’ is itself considered not politically correct.  It seems any word that basically means ‘low intelligence’ is fated to be thought of as […]

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It’s Bad Rap, Not Bad Wrap

Now You Know

You should know that the expression to describe when someone is falsely convicted of a criminal charge or is on the receiving end of unjustified criticism is “bad rap”, not “bad wrap”. Further, “rap” in this sense is not an acronym of “Record of Arrest and Prosecution”, though has since been backronymed as such.  The reality is that the meaning […]

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Henry Chadwick, the Creator of the Baseball Box Score, Also was the First to Prove that the Rotation of a Baseball Could Cause the Ball to Curve in the Air

Henry Chadwick, the creator of the baseball box score, was the first to setup a demonstration proving that the rotation of a baseball could cause the ball to curve.  Before this, some pitchers had already observed and used this to their advantage (even though many of the day considered it cheating), but no one had yet proved that it was […]

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How Do Bees Produce a Queen Bee?

Now You Know

J. Doherty asks: How do Honey bees produce a queen bee? I mentioned this in an article on Honey bees a couple years ago in the Bonus Facts, but for those who missed it, Honey bees create a queen bee for a few different reasons, such as the death of the previous queen bee, if the hive gets overpopulated resulting […]

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During Absence Seizures People Will Often Just Look Like They are Staring Off Into Space and May Walk Around Aimlessely

absence seizure facts

During absence seizures, the person will often appear to be just staring off into space.  There is no typical jerking or twitching as is associated with many other types of seizures.  Absence seizure victims may also move from one location to another without purpose or thought behind it.  If they are speaking when the seizure hits, they may or may […]

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The Difference Between Venom and Poison

Now You Know

You should know the difference between venom and poison. The difference is in the delivery. Poison must be inhaled, ingested, or delivered via touch, while venom is injected into a wound.  This may seem overly pedantic, but it should be noted that venom isn’t usually poisonous (meaning it generally won’t hurt you too much or at all if delivered in […]

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Porcupine Quills are Just Extremely Enlarged Hairs

A porcupine’s quills are just extremely enlarged specialized hairs that have unusually (compared to other mammals) thick layers of keratin, which is the main structural component of hair and finger nails, among other things.  These thick layers of keratin make porcupine quills extremely rigid and good for poking things. A Cat’s whiskers are also just specialized hairs.  With cats, these […]

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How Things Become Petrified

Today I found out how things become petrified, rather than just decaying normally. Petrifaction (also known as petrification) is a type of fossilization which leaves living organisms preserved as a type of stone. In order for this to happen, a specific set of circumstances has to be present when the organisms cease to live. When any living thing dies and […]

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Certain Almonds are Highly Poisonous

Now You Know

You should know almonds come in two varieties, sweet and bitter, and the latter is highly poisonous when raw. Bitter almonds contain glycoside amygdalin. When eaten, glycoside amygdalin will turn into prussic acid, a.k.a. hydrogen cyanide, which incidentally was the key ingredient to Zyklon B, the pesticide used in the Nazi gas chambers. So if you’re walking out in the […]

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