Why Octopuses Have Three Hearts, and Why One Stops When They Swim
Octopuses are already among the strangest animals in the ocean. They can change colour, squeeze through remarkably small spaces and control much of their movement with their arms. But one…
Did Shakespeare Really Invent 1,700 Words? Not Quite
Probably not, or at least nowhere near that many. Shakespeare almost certainly coined some new words, but being the first person whose use of a word survives in writing is…
Why Is Bluetooth Called Bluetooth? The Viking King Behind It
Working in IT, I pair Bluetooth devices without a second thought: headsets, keyboards, mice, phones, the speaker in every meeting room. It took me an embarrassingly long time to ask…
Are Daddy Long Legs Poisonous? The Most Venomous Spider Myth
No. The daddy long-legs spider is venomous, but not dangerously venomous to humans, and it is certainly not the most venomous spider in the world. The other half of the…
Is a Buttload a Real Unit of Measurement? Yes, Sort Of
Yes, sort of. There really was an old English unit called a butt, a large cask of wine holding roughly 477 litres. But “buttload” itself is mostly slang, and its…
The Surprising History of Nintendo
Believe it or not, the history of Nintendo goes all the way back to 1889 when Televisions were not even invented yet. Wait a minute. How were computer games played?…
The Letter J was Actually the Last Letter Added to the Alphabet?
The alphabet is one of the first things we learn when we are children and it has been the same your whole life. It’s hard to even think that the…
The Hidden Meaning Behind a Horse Statue’s Pose
Myth Or Fact: In Horse Statues, the number of feet the horse has off the ground indicate how the rider died. For thousands of years, humans have been captivated by…
What Is Echolocation? How It Works and Which Animals Use It
Imagine walking through your house with every light switched off. You know where the furniture is, but try finding your way around an unfamiliar room without touching anything and things…
Apples are a Better Alternative to Coffee
Coffee stereo-typically would be everyone’s choice as an energy booster for your body and stimulant to wake you up in the morning. But did you know that an apple can…