Fun Friday Fact - hope you respond weekly to give us all a smile

[miz miranda]

More baby elephants

 

Baby elephant’s bodies are covered in hair which reduces over time, as they age. These hairs aid in cooling down its body

 

Most baby elephants are born at night

 

Elephants are pregnant for a whopping 22 months. Longer than any other animal. That’s nearly 2 years!

 

At birth, a baby elephants weigh 210 lbs (or 95kg).

 

Elephants can smell water from 12 miles away!

 

On a lighter note, elephants are the only mammals besides humans to have chins!

[Heather Shay]

 

"Dreamt" is the only word in the English language that ends with "mt."

Shutterstock

The English language is full of idiosyncrasies, and the word "dreamt" is one of them. According to Oxford Dictionaries, "dreamt" (and its variations, such as "undreamt") is the only word in the English language that ends with the letters "mt."

[Davie]

12 minutes ago, Heather Shay said:

 

"Dreamt" is the only word in the English language that ends with "mt."

Shutterstock

The English language is full of idiosyncrasies, and the word "dreamt" is one of them. According to Oxford Dictionaries, "dreamt" (and its variations, such as "undreamt") is the only word in the English language that ends with the letters "mt."

(Except for Mt. Everest or Mt. Washingtom) 😄

[Davie]

The Surprising Secret of Synchronization, in metronomes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-_VPRCtiUg

 

[Ivy]

Cool YouTube Chanel, thanks.

[Ivy]

Nice jumping off place to go into a deep rabbit hole.

I believe that everything affects everything else.  It just is usually imperceptible.

 

[Heather Shay]

1. One species of jellyfish, Turritopsis dohrnii, is “immortal.” In response to physical damage or any other trauma, they can revert back in their development process to a polyp.

[Davie]

5 hours ago, Heather Shay said:

1. One species of jellyfish, Turritopsis dohrnii, is “immortal.” In response to physical damage or any other trauma, they can revert back in their development process to a polyp.

So cool. Life fights for life . . . like California redwoods that can also reproduce by sprouting from the root crown, stump, or even fallen branches.

[Aggie1]

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse -lovely person-. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle through their pockets for new vocabulary."

James D. Nicholl
 

[Aggie1]

3 minutes ago, Aggie1 said:

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse -lovely person-. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle through their pockets for new vocabulary."

James D. Nicholl
 

Speaking of cribhouses and the “lovely persons” who inhabit them did the forum just pick my pocket! LOL

[Heather Shay]

 

Crying makes you feel happier.

Shutterstock

They don't call it a "good cry" for nothing. Studies suggest that crying stimulates the production of endorphins, our body's natural painkiller, and feel-good hormones, like oxytocin. In short, crying more will ultimately lead to smiling more.

[Ivy]

It does seem to help. 

[Davie]

5 hours ago, Heather Shay said:

 

Crying makes you feel happier.

Shutterstock

They don't call it a "good cry" for nothing. Studies suggest that crying stimulates the production of endorphins, our body's natural painkiller, and feel-good hormones, like oxytocin. In short, crying more will ultimately lead to smiling more.

Yes. We all have to learn to let go, since you can't take it (or they) with you.

— Davie

[miz miranda]

Altruism is good for you, do good to feel good

 

DOING GOOD INCREASES LIFE-EXPECTANCY

Yes, it’s true. Researchers from the University of Buffalo found a link between giving, unselfishness and a lower risk of early death. The findings show that subjects who provided tangible assistance to friends or family members (running errands, helping with child care, etc.), reported less stressful events and, consequently, had reduced mortality. In other words, “helping others reduced mortality specifically by buffering the association between stress and mortality.”

 

DOING GOOD MAKES US FEEL BETTER

Ever felt a sort of “rush” after performing a good deed? That sensation is known as ‘helper’s high’ and is produced when your brain releases endorphins, the feel-good chemicals of the brain. When you do something good for someone else, your brain’s pleasure centers light up, releasing endorphin and producing this high. Not to mention, doing good has also been known to generate feelings of satisfaction and gratitude.

 

DOING GOOD PROMOTES MENTAL HEALTH

The results are in! After an extensive review of 40 studies on the effect of volunteering on general health and happiness, the BMC Public Health journal has concluded that volunteering is also good for mental health. The review found that - along with improved well-being and life satisfaction – volunteering is also linked to decreased depression.

 

DOING GOOD LEADS TO HAPPINESS

"People who engage in kind acts become happier over time.” It’s that simple, according to Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside. Lyubomirsky, who has studied happiness for over 20 years, found that performing positive acts once a week led to the most happiness.

In addition, Researcher Stephen Post of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found that when we give of ourselves, everything from life satisfaction to self-realization and physical health is significantly improved.

[Heather Shay]

Won't be on Friday so here's my contribution

1. Venus is the only planet to spin clockwise. It travels around the sun once every 225 Earth days but it rotates clockwise once every 243 days.

[Ivy]

15 hours ago, Heather Shay said:

Venus is the only planet to spin clockwise.

Non spin conforming 

[miz miranda]

Poor Pluto no longer a 'real' planet, I know how she feels. I wonder how Goofy feels about it.

 

As of 2006, Pluto is not longer considered a planet, but rather designated as a “dwarf planet,” meaning that it is a planetary-mass object being neither a planet nor a satellite. Pluto was declassified as a planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

 

Since being declassified as a planet, Pluto’s technical name is now 134340.

 

A day on Pluto is equivalent to Earth’s 6 days and 9 hours, meaning that it has the second slowest rotation in the Solar System (after Venus, which takes 243 days to turn on its axis).

 

Pluto is cold: -233° C (-390° F), just 40° C (72° F) above absolute zero. At this temperature, all elements would be frozen except for neon, hydrogen, and helium.

 

Pluto maximum distance from the Sun – 7.38 billion km (4.6 billion miles).

 

Pluto’s minimum distance from Earth – 4.28 billion km (2.7 billion miles).

 

If you weigh 100 lbs, your weight on Pluto would be 7 lbs. (multiply your actual weight by .067).

[Heather Shay]

 

Playing dance music can help ward off mosquitoes.

Shutterstock

Playing electronic dance music (EDM) could be just what you need to scare away those pesky mosquitoes in the summer. According to one 2019 study published in the journal Acta Topica, the Skrillex song "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" combines "very high and very low frequencies" as well as "excessive loudness and constantly escalating pitch" that discourages the yellow fever mosquito from biting victims and mating.

[Ivy]

49 minutes ago, Heather Shay said:

"excessive loudness and constantly escalating pitch"

Sounds like it would keep me away.

[miz miranda]

Kennelled dogs are happiest when listening to soft rock and reggae

Holidays – sunshine, sand, and slurping icy drinks by the sea. Sounds like a treat for me, but for poor old Fido cooped up in a kennel back at home, things aren’t quite so relaxing.

Kennels are a necessary evil for dog owners, and even the most zen of dog homes are likely to produce some level of stress in the poor pooch. But according to a 2016 study by the University of Glasgow, one way to makes these hound hotels more hospitable is to play background music.

 

The researchers played the dogs a variety of different musical genres, and discovered that whichever music was played, they were more relaxed and spent more time chilling out lying down. But if you really want to give kennelled dogs a relaxing vibe, the researchers found that the dogs’ Heart Rate Variability was significantly higher, a sign of decreased stress levels, when listening to soft rock and reggae.

[Heather Shay]

1Earth Day was inspired by Vietnam war protesters.

It was started in 1970 by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, after he noticed people protesting the Vietnam War, but not putting any pressure on government about the damage being done to the planet via contaminants like oil spills, pesticides, and deadly smog.

 

 

2The date was chosen to appeal to college students.

April 22 was chosen intentionally by Senator Nelson and grad student Denis Hayes (who went on to internationalize Earth Day and start the Earth Day Network, among other foundations). They strategically selected April 22 in order to attract more college students, who were known for being politically active during that era of protest. The date fell between spring break and final exams.

 

3This American holiday had a strong start.

20 million Americans celebrated the first Earth Day in 1970. It has since grown, and has been celebrated in more than 192 countries by over one billion civic-minded supporters.

 

4Other countries know it as "International Mother Earth Day."

That's the name it was given by the United Nations in 2009. Here in the states, we still call it plain old Earth Day.

 

5The Earth Day movement drove the creation of the EPA.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was approved by President Richard Nixon in 1970 as a result of the Earth Day movement. Legislation on clean air, clean water, toxic substances, and endangered species were passed, too.

 

6Everyone can participate in Earth Day.

People of all ages can march, plant trees, clean up their communities, and reduce waste in their own homes (or even try zero waste) with smart Earth Day tips. Proactive corporations and governments often use Earth Day to announce sustainability measures and pledges to support the environment.

 

 

7Earth Day is not the same as Equinox Day.

Equinox Day, which also celebrates the idea of caring for the planet, is held on the first day of spring, March 20. In 2020, Equinox Day occurred on March 19, the earliest arrival of spring in more than a century—in 2021, spring begins as usual on March 20.

 

8Earth Day has its own theme song.

The Earth Day Anthem was written in 2013 by Indian poet Abhay Kumar, and has since been recorded in all official UN languages.

 

9This global movement has inspired real change.

On Earth Day 2011, 28 million trees were planted in Afghanistan for a "Plant Trees Not Bombs" campaign. In 2012, more than 100,000 people in China rode their bikes in order to reduce CO2 emissions and highlight the amount of pollution created by cars.

 

10Each year, the Earth Day theme changes.

In 1990, the spotlight was on global mobilization of environmental issues with a strong focus on recycling. In 2000 it was about global warming and clean energy. 2010 marked the world's largest environmental service project—A Billion Acts of Green—as well as a 250,000 person climate change rally in Washington, D.C. The theme for Earth Day 2021 is Restore Our Earth, which is intended to be a reminder that while we want to protect our planet, we all also need a healthy Earth to support our lives, health, and survival.

[Davie]

Earth Day was inspired by Vietnam war protesters. And I was one of them in 1970. The war is over but the Earth still needs our help—or rather vice-versa, we need its help to survive. If profits are made a priority over health, we will all die. Let's protest and win one for all humankind. Peace.

— Davie

[Heather Shay]

 

No number from 1 to 999 includes the letter "a" in its word form.

Unless you live in the United Kingdom where it's proper to write 101 as "one hundred and one," there is no number from 1 to 999 that includes the letter "a" in its word form, according to longtime math teacher Jonathan Garnett-Smith. One, two, three, four, five, six… twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty… You can keep going, but you won't find the first letter of the alphabet until you hit "one thousand."

 

Many oranges are actually green.

Shutterstock

While we assume that all oranges are orange in color because of their name, the fruit is often green when ripe, thanks to plenty of chlorophyll. In South America and other tropical locales, oranges are green year round. But in the U.S., where it's colder, oranges lose their chlorophyll and take on the color that matches their name. And because North American shoppers are used to oranges that are actually orange, imported fruit is either exposed to ethylene gas or shocked with cold water in order to remove the chlorophyll.

[Delcina B]

One and one quarter, one & one half, one & three quarters, ... Just saying 💁

 

The orange tidbit is neat.

 

Thanks Heather!

[Heather Shay]

I think they are referring to whole numbers - I guess they weren't specific enough. Good catch.