So if everything is made of nothing, why does everything exist? Why can't we see through paper and screen, but can read the letters on them? Why are we even able to stand, see, feel?..
It's all about the forces of attraction and repulsion. They hold the atoms of a substance together, forming invisible, indestructible bonds between them. They repel atoms of other substances, preventing different types of matter from mixing.
This looks like a real miracle. Faktrum publishes the most amazing scientific facts that are interesting to think about.
- If a thimble was filled with matter from a neutron star, it would weigh almost 100 million tons.
- Pseudo-blindness is a phenomenon in which blind people have a physiological response to visual stimuli (for example, an angry face), despite the fact that they are unable to see them.
- If people used Newton's formulas instead of Einstein's theory of relativity, GPS calculations would be off by several kilometers.
- The coldest place in the known universe located on Earth in a Finnish laboratory. Scientists have managed to freeze atoms using laser cooling. This resulted in temperatures in the billionth degree of absolute zero.
- The human brain has more synapses than stars in the Milky Way.
- If you could remove all the empty space in atoms, Everest would fit in a glass.
- The same chemical compound that gives raspberries their flavor is found throughout the universe. Scientists suggest that if the Universe could be tasted, it would look like a raspberry.
- According to the Hafele-Keating experiment, time passes faster when flying in a westerly direction than in an easterly direction (relative to the center of the Earth).
- Every cell in your body has been dividing since life began on Earth. And all this division will end with your death, with the exception of the cells that you pass on to your descendants (1 per child) and certain circumstances (for example, organ donation).
- The only reason you are able to read this article is because hundreds of kilometers of fiberglass cables lie on the ocean floor.
- The lubricant in your knees is one of the slipperiest substances known to man.
- When you remember an event in the past, you are not remembering the event itself, but rather the last time you remembered it. In other words, you have a memory of memories. For this reason, people's memories are often inaccurate.
- Pluto has only completed 1/3 of its orbit since it was discovered.
- If the Earth were the size of a billiard ball, it would be smoother (there would be less fluctuation between high and low points on its surface).
- Human sweat has no odor, but since bacteria feed on it, the smell comes from their waste products.
- Your lungs have the same surface area as a tennis court.
- There is no way to scientifically prove that we are not part of a computer simulation.
- The human body emits more heat per unit volume than the Sun.
- None of your ancestors died before successfully producing offspring.
- Stomach acid is strong enough to dissolve zinc.
- Fire whirlwinds occur on the Sun that are larger than the Earth.
- You never actually touch anything. Your atoms simply repel the atoms of other objects (most of which is empty space).
- Your brain is made up mostly of water and fat.
- Water conducts electricity only due to impurities. Ideally pure water does not conduct electricity.
- Of the four main forces (gravity, electromagnetic force, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force), gravity is the weakest, easiest to observe, and least understood.
Interesting scientific evidence of known facts about everything in the world. Let's start with the fact that when talking to a woman, men always look at a woman's breasts, distracting themselves from the conversation. But what’s most interesting is that scientific methods have proven that women, when talking with women, also pay a greater percentage of attention to the figure of the interlocutor, as a potential competitor in the fight for male attention.
Cats ignore their owners
Recently, employees of the University of Tokyo made a “discovery” that all cat owners without exception have known about for a long time: domesticated representatives of the feline family recognize their owners by voice, but practically do not respond to their commands.
The reason for this lies in the peculiarities of evolutionary development: unlike dogs, who learned to serve people, domestic cats retained their hunting instincts, which force them to be slow to react to external stimuli and hide their intentions.
Students who do homework get better grades
Economist Nick Rapp apparently didn't do very well in school, otherwise he wouldn't have conducted his experiment on the impact of homework on academic performance.
Rapp divided his students into two groups: some did not study the exercises assigned at home for some time, while others diligently solved them. The results of the study are unlikely to surprise anyone - the second group of students performed better on control tests and received higher scores on them, on the basis of which the researcher concluded that “homework plays an important role in the educational process.” Who would have thought!
Men stare at women's breasts
In her article “My Eyes Up Here” (can be translated as “My eyes are here”), Sarah Gervais provides truly “sensational” data obtained during one of her experiments: a man, when talking to a woman, tends to look more at her figure than watching the face.
Using eye-tracking technology, Sarah discovered that the more attractive the proportions of a woman's body, the more often a male interlocutor's gaze wanders over it. Women behave in much the same way when talking to each other: they look at the figure of their interlocutor, assessing her as a potential competitor in the fight for male attention.
High heels are uncomfortable and harmful
Stiletto heels visually increase the height of women and make their gait more attractive, but all representatives of the fair sex know that walking on them can be real torture.
The harm from frequent wearing of high-heeled shoes is confirmed by research from specialists from the American Institute for the Study of Aging: its employees found that 64% of elderly women who complain of pain in their feet have been wearing high heels for a long time for several years.
The “value” of such surveys is simply stunning: doctors have been talking about the negative consequences associated with high-heeled shoes for several decades; in addition, you don’t need to be a sophisticated American specialist to understand that if your feet hurt from long walks in such shoes, it’s unlikely that this means that it is useful.
Pigs love to roll in the mud
Everyone knows that pigs often give themselves “mud baths.” Scientists believe that the reason for this was the lack of sweat glands that provide effective cooling of the body, and this is true, but there is an interesting nuance.
A recent study published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science found that modern pigs do not have sweat glands precisely because their distant ancestors constantly lay in the dirt and did not need other means. thermoregulation.
Thus, the initial reason was precisely the pigs’ addiction to “mud procedures.” Did you have to take the time to prove that pigs wallow in mud because they always loved to do so?
When walking with any woman, a man walks slower than alone
Employees of the Seattle Pacific University have proven that men adapt to the pace of walking of the woman they love, although this is already clear to the rest of humanity - the one behind whom “like behind a stone wall” is used to walking faster, but does not want to bother his fragile “other half,” forcing her to run, especially if her passion is in heels. In addition, this way the walk becomes longer and promotes more fruitful communication.
The results of the experiment suggest much the same thing: men instinctively slow down in order to conserve their partner's energy and thus increase her ability to conceive children.
It is interesting that a group of men moves somewhat faster than its members on average alone, but if a man walks with a girl friend, then a compromise arises - he slows down a little, and she slightly speeds up the pace.
Corn flakes taste better with milk than with water.
Scientists from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile have discovered a surprising phenomenon: it turns out that if you add water rather than milk to corn flakes, they don’t taste as good, and experts even know why this happens.
The fact is that “as a result of an intermolecular reaction, water weakens the structure of the flakes, which leads to the dissolution of some of their components and the destruction of mechanical integrity,” in other words, the flakes absorb water and turn into a viscous soft porridge, so eating them is no longer so pleasant. And the fat contained in milk prevents the cereal from absorbing large amounts of moisture, so it remains crispy and tasty.
Overeating leads to weight gain
According to large-scale studies of American doctors, since the 1970s, the average weight of an adult in the United States has increased by about 7.5 kg.
In 2009, at the European Congress on Obesity, the leader of the experiment, Boyd Swinburne, publicly stated that “the growing weight of American citizens can be explained by increased calorie consumption,” thus preventing any possible discrepancies on this issue.
Meetings distract team members from work
In 2005, American scientists discovered an “amazing” pattern: frequent meetings and planning meetings spoil the mood of employees and prevent them from working peacefully.
After analyzing the diary entries of 37 university workers, experts found that even the most patient and purposeful of them consider endless meetings to be a waste of time that the work team could spend more usefully. This is confirmed by the fact that due to tedious meetings and debriefings, even the most diligent workers noticeably decrease productivity.
Instead of research, by the way, the Americans could turn to their Russian colleagues - our specialists have long known the dangers of party meetings and “challenges to the carpet.”
Reading is good for the brain
Remember when teachers at school said that if you read a lot, you can become smarter? Surely you will not be surprised to learn that this statement has received scientific substantiation.
A team of experts used magnetic resonance imaging to study the brain function of several volunteers while reading fiction and educational literature, and found that in both cases, blood flow to the brain increased, increasing its efficiency. Interestingly, reading different types of literature stimulates different areas of the brain.
The leader of the experiment, Natalie Phillips, summed up the result: “Reading is a wonderful exercise for the brain,” to which you just want to say: “Thanks, Cap.”
Students from disadvantaged schools drink alcohol more often
A team of researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health spent 14 years on this unique experiment, but the result is worth it: after all, they learned that in educational institutions, “famous” for numerous parties and drinking bouts among schoolchildren and students, teenagers actually drink more.
Experts surveyed more than 50 thousand students from 120 different schools and colleges and it turned out that, despite the composition of classes being updated every year, the number of teenagers who abuse alcohol remains practically unchanged.
Internet surfing kills time
The Internet is just a tool for achieving goals, but if you have spent any time there, you know that people often use it not for writing doctoral dissertations or getting acquainted with the priceless cultural heritage of mankind: most users see it as a way to occupy time or throw out negative energy.
Employees of the American research organization Pew Research Center found that approximately 53% of people aged 18 to 29 go online at least once a day without a specific purpose, and among older Internet users there are about two third.
Science is a special type of human cognitive activity aimed at obtaining, substantiating and systematizing objective knowledge about the world, man, society and knowledge itself, on the basis of which man transforms reality.
Here are some of the most interesting and surprising facts about science.
American physicist and computer scientist Douglas Hofstadter, discussing the difficulties in planning and estimating the time to complete complex tasks, formulated a recursive principle now known as Hofstadter's law: “Everything always takes longer than expected, even if you take into account Hofstadter's law.”
In 2009, scientists from the University of Montreal attempted to conduct a study on the impact of watching pornography on the sex lives of men aged 20 to 30 years. As part of this, 20 men were interviewed. However, the goal was not achieved, since scientists could not find a single man who had never seen porn to make comparisons.
Physicists Ralph Alpher and George Gamow, before publishing a paper on primordial nucleosynthesis - the formation of chemical elements during the Big Bang - invited Hans Bethe as a co-author only so that their surnames would form a beautiful combination of the first three letters of the Greek alphabet. For the sake of brevity, the scientific community calls this article “??? paper". Some calculations for the work were carried out on a computer by Ralph Herman, who was offered to change his last name to Delter and also be included in the list of authors, but he refused.
Founded by Nikolai Vavilov, the All-Union Institute of Plant Growing at the beginning of the Second World War had the world's most extensive collection of seeds of more than one hundred thousand plant samples. During the siege of Leningrad, the institute’s staff made heroic efforts to preserve the collection in the absence of electricity and interruptions in heating. In the winter of 1941-1942 alone, five Virov residents died of hunger because they refused to consider the reserves of cereals and potatoes as food. And in the summer, employees managed to sow the necessary samples under artillery fire. Rats got into some boxes, and there were thefts through broken windows, but overall these losses were insignificant for the collection.
Among followers of various faiths there are many adherents of theistic evolutionism. This concept recognizes the scientific view of the origin of the Universe, the origin of life on Earth and evolution, but declares God to be the driving force behind these processes. Theistic evolutionists explain inconsistencies in religious texts (for example, the creation of the world by God in 6 days) by the fact that in the light of indisputable evidence of modern scientific theories, religious texts should be interpreted not literally, but allegorically. Of all the faiths, theistic evolutionism received the most consistent and official support from the Catholic Church: back in the mid-20th century, Pope Pius XII stated that evolution should be considered a serious hypothesis, and in 1996 John Paul II said that it is more than a hypothesis, and that between There is no contradiction between the theory of evolution and the doctrine of faith.
Among Catholics there are many scientists who have made discoveries that directly contradict religious dogmas. Moreover, they were not just believers, but also served as priests. The most famous such person is Nicolaus Copernicus, he served as a canon in the diocese of Warmia and became famous for his theory of the heliocentric system of the universe. The Catholic Church subsequently banned his teachings and censored his works. Another example from the 20th century is the Belgian Georges Lemaitre, who received the rank of abbot and worked at many universities. He became the author of the theory of the expanding universe, independently of the Soviet mathematician Friedman, and subsequently his reasoning formed the basis of the Big Bang theory.
In 1927, Thomas Parnell, a professor at the Australian University of Queensland, conducted an experiment to demonstrate to students the liquid properties of bitumen tar, a substance that is solid in its normal state. After heating the resin, he poured it into a sealed glass funnel and closed the top, and three years later he cut off the bottom of the funnel, allowing droplets to form. The first drop fell in 1938, the next ones fell at approximately the same interval - a total of 9 drops have been recorded to date. This experiment is considered the longest continuous laboratory experiment in history.
American scientists have used a computer model to prove the theoretical possibility of the exodus of Jews from Egypt. As described in the book of Exodus, Moses led his people to a place where the waters of the sea parted. Computer calculations have shown that in one place in the Nile Delta a passage with walls of water on either side can form if the wind blows in a certain direction at a speed of 100 km/h for 12 hours.
There is a widespread legend that the idea of the periodic table of chemical elements came to Mendeleev in a dream. One day he was asked if this was true, to which the scientist replied: “I’ve been thinking about it for maybe twenty years, but you think: I sat there and suddenly... it’s ready.”
In terms of iron content - 2.7 mg per 100 grams - spinach is not a record holder among vegetables. However, it has long been believed that spinach is exceptionally rich in iron. This misconception arose in the late 19th century from two sources. One American researcher came up with a figure of 2.9 mg, but forgot to put a decimal point, and the published study read 29 mg. Independently, a scientist from Switzerland announced an even higher figure - 35 mg, but he obtained this result based on an analysis of dry spinach. The error was discovered only half a century later.
Psychology is sometimes called “the science of sophomores and white rats” because many experiments are conducted on these two categories. Most research psychologists work in universities, so it is easiest for them to attract students for research.
In Nazi Germany, the Nobel Prize was banned after the Peace Prize was awarded to the opponent of National Socialism, Karl von Ossietzky, in 1935. German physicists Max von Laue and James Frank entrusted the custody of their gold medals to Niels Bohr. When the Germans occupied Copenhagen in 1940, the chemist de Hevesy dissolved these medals in aqua regia. After the end of the war, de Hevesy extracted the gold hidden in the aqua regia and donated it to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. New medals were made there and re-presented to von Laue and Frank.
Since the 1990s, calls to ban the use of dihydrogen monoxide have frequently appeared on websites and in mailing lists. They list the numerous dangers that this substance causes: it is the main component of acid rain, accelerates the corrosion of metals, can cause short circuits, etc. Despite the danger, the substance is actively used as an industrial solvent, food additive, and nuclear power plants. stations, and enterprises dump it in huge quantities into rivers and seas. This joke - after all, dihydrogen monoxide is nothing more than water - should teach critical perception of information. In 2007, a New Zealand MP bought into it. He received a similar letter from a constituent and forwarded it to the government, demanding that the dangerous chemical be banned.
In a treasure buried about a thousand years ago by Vikings on the Swedish island of Gotland, lenses of complex aspherical shape made of rock crystal were found. Rene Descartes calculated this form of lenses only in the 17th century, but was never able to make them.
In 1963, Tanzanian schoolboy Erasto Mpemba discovered that hot water freezes faster in the freezer than cold water. In honor of him, this phenomenon was called the Mpemba effect. Until now, scientists have not been able to accurately explain the cause of the phenomenon, and the experiment is not always successful: it requires certain conditions.
There is an opinion that Alfred Nobel did not include mathematics in the list of disciplines of his prize because his wife cheated on him with a mathematician. In fact, Nobel never married. The real reason Nobel ignored mathematics is unknown, but there are several assumptions. For example, at that time there was already a prize in mathematics from the Swedish king. Another thing is that mathematicians do not make important inventions for humanity, since this science is purely theoretical.
Nine-banded armadillos are of great scientific interest because they usually give birth to 4 identical twins. Due to their complete identity, a group of four armadillos is an excellent subject for medical, genetic, psychological and other studies that require a homogeneous composition of test subjects.
The James Randi Educational Foundation is engaged in research into hoaxes and extrasensory perception and guarantees a million-dollar prize to anyone who can demonstrate supernatural abilities in a properly designed experiment. Since 1996, no applicant has been able to achieve the prize.
The 21st century is an amazing time when scientists almost every day make new discoveries about things that seem to be known to everyone. This review contains very interesting scientific facts that were discovered quite recently and therefore are still unknown to many.
1. Phytoplankton 
Scientific fact about phytoplankton.
At least half of Earth's oxygen is produced by the ocean, not trees. Miniature aquatic plants called phytoplankton live near the surface of the water, drift thanks to currents, and generally do everything that ordinary plants do - i.e. produce oxygen as a byproduct of carbon dioxide.
2. Bacteria in the brain 
Scientific fact about bacteria in the brain.
Microbiologists from the University of Idaho say that the human body contains about ten times more bacteria than ordinary cells. However, this is good news because the vast majority of these bacteria are beneficial.
3. Plague, smallpox and HIV 
Scientific fact about plague, smallpox and HIV.
10% of Europeans are immune to the HIV virus as a result of a genetic mutation. Scientists believe that this mutation is the result of all the plague outbreaks in the Middle Ages. That is, since the ancestors of modern people survived the Black Death and smallpox, a number of people today are immune to HIV. Genetics is a strange thing.
4. Alpha-pinene 
Scientific fact about alpha-pinene.
Pine oils actually contain an anti-inflammatory compound called alpha-pinene. It has already been used to treat bronchial diseases such as asthma. The possibility of their mass use against a number of inflammatory diseases is currently being studied.
5. Computer games 
Scientific fact about the benefits of computer games.
It turns out that computer games (in “moderate” amounts) are actually beneficial. They improve memory and multitasking skills, can help people with dyslexia, increase coordination and reduce stress.
6. Own reality 
Scientific fact about your own reality.
People actually avoid information that threatens their happiness and worldview. They surround themselves with things they like and essentially create their own reality.
7. Peacock eyes 
Scientific fact about peacock eyes.
Saturnia luna peacock-eyes do not have a mouth. After these insects emerge from the cocoon, they have 7 days during which they mate and then starve to death.
8. Coffee and cocaine 
Scientific fact about coffee and cocaine.
Coffee is the most widely used recreational drug known to mankind. In fact, it is a stimulant, just like cocaine. When someone says that they cannot live without a cup of coffee in the morning and are irritable without this drink, they are not joking. These are symptoms of addiction.
9. Leucine enkephalin 
Scientific fact about leucine enkephalin.
When a person cries in distress, the tears released contain a hormone that is a natural pain reliever. The body produces this hormone (called leucine enkephalin) when it is under stress. So if someone feels like they need to sit and cry, their body is simply trying to calm itself down.
10. Biological immortality 
Scientific fact about biological immortality.
There are animals and plants that are considered “biologically immortal.” Although they do die, it is only due to injury or disease, not due to age. Two prime examples of this are jellyfish and lobsters.
11. The smell of cut grass 
Scientific fact about the smell of cut grass.
The smell of cut grass is actually a distress signal. In fact, this smell signals that the grass is screaming in pain.
12. Honey in sealed containers 
Scientific fact about honey in sealed containers.
Honey in sealed containers does not rot or spoil. It can actually be edible after thousands of years. For example, jars with still edible honey inside have been found in Egyptian tombs.
13. Sunflowers and radiation 
Scientific fact about sunflowers and radiation.
Sunflowers are sometimes used to clean up radioactive waste and radioactive soil. Sunflowers actually absorb radioactive isotopes as they grow and literally suck the radiation out of the soil. The sunflower flowers and stems then become radioactive.
14. Frog pregnancy test 
Scientific fact about the frog pregnancy test.
Up until the 1960s, doctors determined whether a woman was pregnant by injecting her urine into a female frog. If the frog laid eggs on the same day (due to hormones in the pregnant woman's urine), then the "test" was considered positive. Before frogs, rabbits or mice were used, but they had to be killed and dismembered to see if the hormones had any effect on the animal.
15. Earthquakes 
Scientific fact about earthquakes.
Every day, several hundred earthquakes occur in the world. Their magnitude is simply so low (2 or lower) that people often don't notice them. Also, most of them take place in the middle of the ocean.
Most of us are far from science and understand little about it, but will this stop us from learning interesting scientific facts about the world that surrounds us? Many interesting, funny and surprising things are hidden from our eyes.
Proven Scientific Facts
Various scientific facts
Facts about people
A little about the world around
Space is waiting for us
- The length of a day on Mars is almost the same as on Earth, they are only 39 minutes longer.
- The fastest planet in the solar system is Jupiter. It takes only ten hours for it to completely rotate around its axis.
- The galaxy we are in contains about 200-400 billion stars.
- At a decent distance, a spacecraft can take a photo of a million square kilometers of our planet in just ten minutes. The same thing can be done using an airplane in four years.
Results
The concept of a scientific fact is quite broad, so this category of knowledge can include a lot of information from different fields of knowledge. To recognize a fact as such, it must not only be proven, but also verified. The problem with scientific fact is that very often this evidence is neglected and the product is presented in its raw form, but science will always be able to distinguish truth from lies.