Category Archives: Science

Why It is Nearly Impossible to Tickle Yourself

tickling

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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Bananas Are Naturally Radioactive

banana radiation

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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What Causes Muscle Soreness After Exercising (Note: It’s Not Lactic Acid)

Muscle Cell

Today I found out what causes muscle soreness after workouts. Since the early 20th century, this specific type of muscle soreness, called “delayed onset muscle soreness” (DOMS), was thought to be cause by lactic acid buildup in the muscles during strenuous workouts where your body’s oxygen supply is depleted.  Recent research has shown this is not the case at all […]

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How the Blind Dream

Today I found out how the completely blind dream. It turns out that if they went completely blind before around the age of 5-7 years old, they will typically dream without any visual experiences.  In the very few cases where some report having visual experiences in their dreams, these experiences are more in the abstract sense where they feel like […]

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Why Popcorn Pops

popcorn

Today I found out why popcorn pops. First a little background, Popcorn or “zea mays everta” is a special kind of Flint corn, also known as “Indian corn” and sometimes “Calico corn”.  Flint corn is readily recognizable as the kernels have a hard outer shell, likened to flint, hence the name.  This hard outer shell is essential in making popcorn […]

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What Causes the Pain in Your Side You May Occasionally Feel While Running

Thoracic Diaphragm

Today I found out what causes the pain in your side you may occasionally feel while running or doing other jarring activities. This pain, known often as “side stitch” and more technically as “exercise related transient abdominal pain” (ETAP), often occurs while running, swimming, and horse riding, among others; it is caused by various stresses on your diaphragm that result […]

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