Top 20 Unique Facts

This list explores a variety of fascinating scientific facts that you probably are unaware of. Science is still a very mysterious subject so there are millions of trivial facts about it – this will be the first of many scientific fact lists in the future.

Facts 1 – 5



1. There are 62,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body – laid end to end they would circle the earth 2.5 times
2. At over 2000 kilometers long, The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth
3. The risk of being struck by a falling meteorite for a human is one occurrence every 9,300 years
4. A thimbleful of a neutron star would weigh over 100 million tons
5. A typical hurricane produces the energy equivalent of 8,000 one megaton bombs

Facts 6 – 10

6. Blood sucking hookworms inhabit 700 million people worldwide
7. The highest speed ever achieved on a bicycle is 166.94 mph, by Fred Rompelberg
8. We can produce laser light a million times brighter than sunshine
9. 65% of those with autism are left handed
10. The combined length of the roots of a Finnish pine tree is over 30 miles.

Facts 11 – 15

11. The oceans contain enough salt to cover all the continents to a depth of nearly 500 feet
12. The interstellar gas cloud Sagittarius B contains a billion, billion, billion liters of alcohol [ JFrater is planning to move there in the near future ]
13. Polar Bears can run at 25 miles an hour and jump over 6 feet in the air
14. 60-65 million years ago dolphins and humans shared a common ancestor
15. Polar Bears are nearly undetectable by infrared cameras, due to their transparent fur

Facts 16 – 20


16. The average person accidentally eats 430 bugs each year of their life
17. A single rye plant can spread up to 400 miles of roots underground
18. The temperature on the surface of Mercury exceeds 430 degrees C during the day, and, at night, plummets to minus 180 degrees centigrade
19. The evaporation from a large oak or beech tree is from ten to twenty-five gallons in twenty-four hours
20. Butterflies taste with their hind feet, and their taste sensation works on touch – this allows them to determine whether a leaf is edible

Source: http://listverse.com/2007/12/19/top-20-amazing-science-facts/

Buzkashi, The unique sport

Game of Buzkashi in Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan

Buzkashi is the Afghan national sport. It is also a popular sport among the south Central Asians such as the Uzbeks, Hazaras, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, Turkmens and Pashtuns. The Turkic name of the game is Kökbörü; Kök = "blue", börü = "wolf", denoting the grey wolf—the holy symbol of the Turkic people. Other Turkic names of the game are Ulak Tartish, Kuk Pari, Kök Berü, and Ulak Tyrtysh. Kökbörü is the most popular national sport of Kyrgyzstan. In the West, the game (Turkish: Cirit) is also played by Kyrgyz Turks who migrated to Ulupamir village in the Van district of Turkey from the Pamir region.

The carcass of a headless goat used in Buzkashi

Competition is typically fierce. Prior to the establishment of official rules by the Afghan Olympic Federation the sport was mainly conducted based upon rules such as not whipping a fellow rider intentionally or deliberately knocking him off his horse. Riders usually wear heavy clothing and head protection to protect themselves against other players' whips and boots. The boots usually have high heels that locks into the paddle of the horse to help the rider lean on the side of the horse while trying to pickup the calf. Games can last for several days, and the winning team receives a prize, not necessarily money, as a reward for their win. Top players, such as Aziz Ahmad, are often sponsored by wealthy Afgans.

A Buzkashi player is called a Chapandaz. It is mainly believed in Afghanistan that a skillful Chapandaz is usually in his forties. This is based on the fact that the nature of the game requires its player to undergo severe physical practice and observation. Similarly horses used in Buzkashi also undergo severe training and due attention. A player doesn't necessarily own the horse. Horses are usually owned by landlords and highly rich people wealthy enough to look after and provide for training facilities for such horses. However a master Chapandaz can choose to select any horse and the owner of the horse usually wants his horse to be ridden by a master Chapandaz as a winning horse also brings pride to the owner.

The game consists of two main forms: Tudabarai and Qarajai. Tudabarai is considered to be the simpler form of the game. In this version, the goal is simply to grab the calf and move in any direction until clear of the other players. In Qarajai, players must carry the carcass around a flag or marker at one end of the field, then throw it into a scoring circle (the "Circle of Justice") at the other end. The riders will carry a whip, often in their teeth, to fend off opposing horses and riders.

Buzkashi is often compared to polo. Both games are played between people on horseback, both involve propelling an object toward a goal, and both get fairly rough. However, polo is played with a ball, while Buzkashi is played with a dead animal. Polo matches are played for fixed periods totaling about an hour; traditional Buzkashi may continue for days, but in its more regulated tournament version also has a limited match time.

The calf in a Buzkashi game is normally beheaded and disemboweled and has its limbs cut off at the knees. It is then soaked in cold water for 24 hours before play to toughen it. Occasionally sand is packed into the carcass to give it extra weight. Players may not strap the calf to their bodies or saddles. Though a goat is used when no calf is available, a calf is less likely to disintegrate during the game.

A game of kokpar

Rules introduced by Afghan Olympic Federation

1. The ground has a square layout with each side 400 meters long.
2. Each team consists of 10 riders each.
3. Only five riders from each team can play in a half.
4. The total duration of each half is 45 minutes.
5. There is only one 15 minute break between the two halves.
6. The game is supervised by a referee.
7. Based on the referee's decision a rider can be substituted during the game.

A similar game is "kokpar", a traditional Kazakh game played on horseback in which two teams of players compete to carry a headless goat carcass into a goal.

Candiru, The Amazon's Most Feared Fish

Maximum Length: Up to 6 inches
The Amazon's Most Feared Fish: The Candiru is a terrifying fish, even when stacked up against its fellow river monsters of the Amazon. But this parasitic freshwater catfish does not instill fear by way of its monstrous size. On the contrary, it's small, eel-like and so translucent that it can be nearly impossible to spot in the water, which makes it even more terrifying. Some claim this fish is the most feared in the entire Amazon region, and the fear stems from the fact that it has a knack for finding open orifices and working its way inside. Once inside another organism, the Candiru feeds on its host's blood, becoming increasingly swollen. The Candiru is the star of an urban legend — which turns out to be true — of a man who was urinating in the Amazon River when a 6-inch Candiru swam up his urine stream into his penis. The fish remained there for days, until a surgeon was able to remove it. The Most Horrific Candiru: Perhaps the most horrifying Candiru species of all is the Candiru asu. This small catfish is a voracious parasite. It uses its circular mouth and sharp teeth to bite flesh and then enter organisms, leaving behind a wound that looks uncannily like a bullet hole. The Candiru asu proceeds to feed on the organs, literally eating its victim from inside. Human corpses have been discovered in the Amazon filled with more than 100 of these river monsters. Scientists and coroners have determined that the victims may have even been alive and simply incapacitated when the Candiru asu struck. In Jeremy Wade's Words: "The candiru usually targets a big fish as its host, drinking blood from its gills, but occasionally they make mistakes. This has resulted in one of the most infamous legends to emerge from the Amazon: a man urinating in the river who has a fish swim up his penis."

RANGO (2011)

Quality: DVDScr

Release Date: 4 March 2011

Info: imdb.com/title/tt1192628/

Trailer: imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2047646233/

Starring: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Timothy Olyphant

Uploader by toniguns

SINOPSIS

 
Chameleons are always able to adjust to the environment. In extreme conditions, chameleons can hide herself among other things and no one could see it. But did you ever think that clever chameleons adapt it also may experience an identity crisis? Try just ask Rango (Johnny Depp).
Rango is a chameleon who became a child's pet. Her life as a pet is quite comfortable. Nothing to worry about anymore, including matters of survival. Perhaps this is also what makes Rango fact that even an identity crisis and decided to go from home to find his true identity is lost.

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Frogs Who Has Long Vanished

A number of amphibian species status of the mysterious. They have not declared extinct, but also did not reveal its existence for decades. Some biologists carry out scientific expeditions to search for amphibian species are "lost" it, for example in the Congo. 

Having traveled for two years since 2009, scientists discovered five types of frogs which are all unique. The existence of the frogs that actually have been described since 1950, but they seemed to hide themselves from humans. 


Hyperolius leucotaenius 
One type of frog found in the Hyperolius leucotaenius. This frog has a transparent skin so that internal organs and even eggs could be seen. This frog species found in Elila River, southeastern Congo. 

Hyperolius leucotaenius has a green head and body-colored transparent plastic tub. This frog also has a pattern of yellow lines and tip-toe orange. Not yet clear reason why this frog has a transparent body. 

In addition, there are three species found in highland areas Itombwe, southeastern Congo. Two of them are Chrysobatrachus cupreonitens who have a body color of green and brown and Phrynobatrachus asper which have thick fleshy foot. 


Chrysobatrachus cupreonitens 


Phrynobatrachus asper 
Asper Phrynobatrachus species discovery is unique. This species was rediscovered in 2009 when a villager in the highlands of Itombwe offer dinner made from the frog to the scientists. 


Arthroleptis pyrrhoscelis 
One species from the highlands again Itombwe is fingered frog nail or Arthroleptis pyrrhoscelis. The development of the frog is unique because not pass tadpole phase. While the latter is Hyperolius chrysogaster species, found in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, eastern Congo. 


Hyperolius chrysogaster 
Expedition rediscovery of the lost amphibians is led by El Greenbaum, biologist at the University of Texas at El Paso. The expedition was funded partially by the research committee and exploration, National Geographic Society. 

"The discovery of my team to prove that the forests were (in Congo) is still unexplored. There are a lot of biodiversity in there and not too late to redouble our efforts in conservation," said Greenbaum.


Source : http://www.dunia-unik.com/2011/05/katak-katak-yang-telah-lama-menghilang.html

Bees Poison, Can be Used As Bomb Detector

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found no fragments of proteins in bee venom, called bombitin, can detect explosives such as TNT.


At the time of trial MIT team line the inside of the carbon tube with bombitin. Then, the tube was placed in the vicinity of the air samples taken from about a variety of explosives.

The team found changes in luminescence wavelength of the light tube changes when molecules of explosives nitroaromatik united with the proteins of bee. This change is invisible, but can be detected with a special microscope.

The MIT team is not only to detect the presence of explosives, but they also can distinguish the types of explosives by using a combination of carbon tubes with various bombitin.

Detection of explosives currently used in airports capable of analyzing particles in the air. However, the sensor has not been able to detect at the molecular level.

When paired with existing sensors at the airport, bombitin will increase the sensitivity of the sensors that make it more effective. Some commercial companies and the military have expressed interest in these findings. The technology itself is currently in the process of obtaining a patent.

Source: http://www.dunia-unik.com/2011/05/racun-lebah-dapat-digunakan-sebagai.html

Wild Animal Facts

Each species of grasshopper has its own song. This is important, as the varied species cannot breed with each other. The female needs to be aware that she is listening to a male from her own species.

Compass termites of Northern Australia build tall nests that are wedge-shaped. They measure up to 3.5 m in length.

Flying frogs change color in the day. They are greenish-blue in sunlight and green in the evening. At night there are black.

Boas, as well as many other snakes have special heat-sensitive organs that are called pits. These pits are on their heads. They can detect the heat given by a warm-blooded animal standing close to them.

The king Cobra can grow to the length of 5.5 m, and is regarded as the largest poisonous snake in the world. A tiny amount of its poison can kill up to 30 people.

 

Anteaters protect their long claws by walking on their knuckles. This makes them look as if they are limping.

Bats eat all types of food. There is no restriction where their diet is concerned.



The hippopotamus’s eyes, ears and nostrils are on the top of its head. This enables it to stand or sit, almost completely covered by water with as little as possible showing above the surface.

The hippopotamus’s skin is protected by its own pink oily secretion known as ‘Pink sweat’.

Source: http://www.factsaboutanimals.net/wild-animals-facts.htm

Piglet Squid, The "Cute" Squid

As if there weren’t enough weird looking things in the ocean, the Piglet Squid (Helicocranchia) is one of the oddest-looking sea creatures I have ever laid eyes on. First off, it’s absolutely adorable looking…to the point where you’d probably want it as a pet.

The Piglet Squid is you guessed it, a squid that resembles a little piglet. It was caught off the shores of Nigeria and is characterized by having a very large funnel and small paddle-like fins. These squids are about the size of an avocado and usually live in deep ocean waters all across the world.