The Rabbit Hole of Random Facts: Dive Down and Get Mind-Blown

Bright Side

Buckle up because we're about to embark on a wild ride through a collection of mind-blowing tidbits. From quirky food facts that will leave your taste buds tingling to mind-boggling revelations about the animal kingdom, there's something for everyone. We'll uncover some surprising truths about the human body that will make you go, "Whoa, I never knew that!" And if that's not enough to pique your interest, we'll even journey into the depths of space to unravel some cosmic mysteries. Get ready to have your mind blown because in this collection, hidden secrets and myths are about to be busted wide open!  Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00 - Many people believe moles are blind.

00:03 These small, burrowing mammals actually can see.

00:06 It's just their vision is really poor and only adapted to recognize light.

00:11 They're also colorblind.

00:13 When they're searching for food and navigating the dark underground, these creatures mostly

00:17 rely on their touch and sense of smell.

00:20 Now their sense of touch is sharp, which is why moles can feel nearby vibrations of activity.

00:25 This helps them avoid danger or find their next meal more easily, like millipedes, worms,

00:30 centipedes, and other invertebrates.

00:32 Yum!

00:33 They're really fast at digging and can dig a couple of inches per minute.

00:39 - In the winter, animals hibernate not because it's too cold for them to be outside, but

00:44 because there isn't enough food during that period.

00:47 When an animal is in hibernation, its heart rate, body temperature, breathing, and other

00:52 metabolic activities slow down significantly.

00:55 That's how they conserve energy.

00:57 - Chipmunks, bats, turtles, snakes, they all hibernate during the winter, which saves them

01:03 energy for other seasons when they get more active and are capable of getting more food.

01:08 - I'd say bears too, but they're not the true hibernators.

01:12 If you try waking one up during the winter when you believe the animal is sleeping, you

01:16 might end up having a bad time.

01:19 Now they do slow down, which means they sleep for extended periods of time.

01:23 They're still not asleep for the entire winter season, and you can easily wake them during

01:28 their sleep, so let's not.

01:31 - Don't believe myths.

01:33 Earwigs won't lay eggs in your ears.

01:35 Yep, despite their name, they're not that interested in your ears.

01:39 Well, at least, there's no evidence they'd want to go there.

01:42 They prefer to spend their time in dark, moist places, such as under tree bark or in soil.

01:48 So your ears are off the hook.

01:50 - Many people tend to believe that snails are just slugs with shells, but even though

01:58 they look so similar, they're completely different species.

02:03 Slugs don't need any protective shells, as all their internal organs are, well, internal

02:08 inside their slimy bodies.

02:10 They can squish themselves and get into hard-to-reach places.

02:14 Which is why slugs can often be found in the most unlikely spaces, like under tree bark

02:19 or inside tiny crevices, or at the library pretending to study for exams.

02:26 - Snails, on the other hand, are tightly connected with their shells and can't survive without

02:30 one.

02:31 Unlike hermit crabs, which replace their shells as they grow, snails are born with a shell

02:36 on their back.

02:37 Baby snails look adorable with those fragile, translucent bubbles that calcify and become

02:42 bigger and tougher with age.

02:44 Cute?

02:45 Well, you beat the judge.

02:47 Many of the snail's internal organs are inside the shell too, meaning that if it gets

02:51 crushed or damaged, well, the animal would probably not survive.

02:55 Still, a snail can repair small scratches and cracks in the shell with the help of proteins

03:00 and calcium secreted by its mantle.

03:04 - Turtles are very close to snails in this regard, by the way, because, contrary to common

03:09 myth, they can't leave their shell at a whim either.

03:12 A turtle's shell is an integral part of its body, and despite the reptile being able

03:17 to hide its head and paws inside to protect itself from predators, its skeleton is fused

03:22 with the hard shell, and just like any other animal's skeleton, it grows with the turtle

03:28 itself.

03:29 - Koalas do only eat eucalyptus leaves, but there are over 600 different kinds of those.

03:35 And koalas only munch on 30, or just 5% of what's available on the menu, so it has

03:41 to be a very specific eucalyptus tree to make a good meal for a picky koala.

03:47 These adorable creatures also have something in common with domestic cats – they sleep

03:51 for 18 to 20 hours a day!

03:55 - Polar bears aren't at all white.

03:57 Their skin is black under the fur.

03:59 They need the white color to disguise themselves while on the hunt.

04:02 The color black absorbs the sun better than any other, while white fur doesn't stop

04:08 sunlight.

04:09 Rays pass right through it.

04:10 In a sense, a polar bear has transparent fur.

04:14 - There's a myth that dogs and cats see the world in black and white.

04:18 In reality, they just can't distinguish some colors.

04:22 Nobody knows how exactly dogs see.

04:24 Some think they only distinguish two colors.

04:27 Could be blue and yellow, for all we know.

04:29 But they can see shades of other colors better than people.

04:33 And cats have wonderful night vision.

04:35 They need about 7 times less light than a human to see in the dark.

04:40 - Now giraffes were thought to be mute.

04:42 But recently, it's been found that they make low-frequency sounds at night to communicate

04:47 with each other.

04:48 During the day, they don't say a word and warn each other of danger in a very unusual

04:53 way, by moving their well-developed eyebrows.

04:56 It's likely that at night, it's difficult to see the eyebrows, so they start talking

05:02 for real.

05:04 - While we're on the topic of giraffes, these animals sleep much more than 30 minutes a

05:08 day, but probably not as much as you do.

05:11 Their sleeping pattern is quite typical.

05:13 After researchers monitored a herd of giraffes, they found out they slept at night and took

05:18 short naps in the afternoon.

05:20 In total, each giraffe had around 5 hours of sleep every day.

05:24 Oh, and by the way, a herd of these guys is actually known as a "tower of giraffes."

05:30 Makes sense with the long necks.

05:32 - Seagulls can drink seawater.

05:34 There are salt-secreting glands near their eyes.

05:37 These glands purify seawater very quickly, and the salty residue comes out through the

05:42 nostrils.

05:43 Yep, you guessed it, salty snot.

05:46 - The Adelie penguins are real romantics.

05:49 They only have one partner for life.

05:51 The male must give a smooth stone to the female to create a family.

05:55 You could say that's kind of an engagement ring.

05:58 Like humans, though, a female penguin may refuse and not accept the ring.

06:03 - Speaking of animal love, foxes are romantic too.

06:07 Male foxes are good fathers and husbands.

06:09 They're devoted to their loved ones for life.

06:12 They look after the females and even pick fleas from their fur.

06:16 Aww.

06:17 - Male foxes improve their whole houses and take an active part in their babies' upbringing.

06:23 - Dolphins can sleep with one eye closed and the other one open.

06:27 Half of the brain dreams and rests, and the second half closely monitors the environment

06:31 for signs of danger.

06:33 The perfect brain for sleeping during boring classes and meetings.

06:36 Hey, I didn't say that.

06:38 Besides, dolphins manually control their breathing.

06:41 They can simply drown if their whole brain is sleeping.

06:45 - Sea otters are the cutest sleepers among all animals.

06:48 In the summer, because of the heat, sea otters spend all the time in water.

06:52 They swim on their backs and sleep in that position.

06:55 The babies are sleeping on their mother's stomach, and two adults hold each other by

06:59 the paws so that they're not carried apart by water currents.

07:04 - Ostriches don't stick their heads in the sand when threatened.

07:07 In fact, these guys don't bury their heads at all.

07:10 This myth has spread thanks to that famous idiom "to hide one's head in the sand."

07:14 In real life, ostriches have to dig holes in the sand for their eggs because they're

07:19 flightless birds.

07:20 To make sure they're evenly heated, ostriches put their heads in there to rotate the eggs

07:25 from time to time.

07:26 But ostriches still have some escaping mentality.

07:29 When they face some threat, they can flop to the sand and stay perfectly still, pretending

07:35 they aren't alive.

07:36 Now, according to a popular misbelief, sharks can breathe only while moving because swimming

07:42 helps them push water over their gills.

07:45 Although many kinds of sharks are designed this way, many others, like bottom-dwelling

07:49 nurse sharks, don't need swimming to pump oxygen-rich water over their gills.

07:55 Meanwhile, all sharks do lack swim bladders, so if they stop swimming, they'll probably

08:00 sink to the bottom.

08:02 But luckily, a shark's body can't be compressed.

08:05 That's why rapid descents or ascents are safe for them.

08:10 Scientists from Japan played audio recordings for cats to prove they're truly dismissive.

08:16 In those recordings, the owners of the cats called them by their names.

08:20 Once pupils dilated, the animals moved their tails, legs, or ears.

08:25 Cats heard people but rarely responded.

08:27 It's all about evolution.

08:30 Cats came to people because they were attracted by mice that ate grains.

08:34 They lived close to people but were never tame.

08:37 And yet, we keep feeding them.

08:40 Birds are actually the only surviving dinosaurs.

08:43 They evolved from theropods, the dinosaurs that ran on two legs.

08:47 Yep, T. rex is a distant relative of chickens, ostriches, and even hummingbirds.

08:53 Bet you've never heard of corrugation.

08:56 It's a system that may lie hidden in your pantry right now.

09:02 Ever noticed those bumps on food cans?

09:04 That's exactly what they're called.

09:06 And they're not just for aesthetics.

09:08 First off, they make the can extra strong.

09:12 That's because they can help it from cracking during the manufacturing process.

09:16 Plus, these corrugations come in handy during delivery, acting like a shield to make sure

09:22 there's no spillage.

09:24 They're also useful in the long run because they help keep the cans in their original

09:28 shape.

09:30 Even when things get too hot or too cold, these corrugations let them breathe a bit.

09:34 They expand and contract without breaking the metal.

09:38 You may not notice any cracks on regular cans, but even the tiniest of openings can leave

09:43 a way for nasty bacteria to get in contact with the food.

09:48 Not to mention, they create this little air gap, so when you pop the can open, everything

09:53 slides out smoothly, without you having to put in that much effort.

09:57 You know what also doesn't require much effort?

10:00 Hitting that subscribe button and liking this video!

10:06 You know there's a plant out there that's so eager to reach the sun, you can hear it

10:11 grow?

10:12 The rhubarb just before it's picked from the fields, soaks up all the sun rays it can

10:16 get to make glucose.

10:19 After this sunbathing session, it gets transported to dark sheds.

10:23 Inside, it keeps on growing and uses the stored glucose as fuel.

10:29 Nothing out of the ordinary so far, but in that dark, cozy and warm place, rhubarb starts

10:34 acting weird.

10:37 That environment pushes the plant to stretch itself out in hopes it will find sun rays

10:41 again.

10:43 It happens so fast that you can actually hear the buds and stalks making noise as they pop

10:50 open.

10:51 To make sure this process goes smoothly, there's no light allowed.

10:57 If light hits the rhubarb at this point, it will start photosynthesizing again and go

11:01 bitter.

11:06 Speaking of everyday groceries, you might have noticed that veggie bags come with some

11:10 green stripes.

11:12 Know that it's a sneaky optical trick.

11:14 Those stripes fool our eyes into believing the veggies look way greener than they are.

11:20 And it's not just veggies that get this special packaging.

11:24 Oranges are often sold in red mesh bags for the same reason.

11:28 Lemons?

11:29 They go for yellow or green bags for that same pop of color.

11:35 If your cooking skills aren't that good and you're just afraid you're going to mess up

11:38 dinner yet again, stick to mushrooms.

11:41 That's because they're almost impossible to overcook.

11:45 Unlike other vegetables that turn into mush when overcooked, mushrooms are way more resistant.

11:51 They've got this interesting substance called chitin, a molecular structure that works like

11:56 an armor.

11:58 So you can cook them forever.

11:59 They won't burn.

12:04 Donuts don't have holes in them because it's easier for you to pick them up.

12:09 If you've ever tried to make them at home, you might have noticed that when you fry the

12:12 dough, the outside gets done quickly, thanks to the hot oil.

12:17 If you want the inside to look just as good, you have to keep it in the oil way longer.

12:22 But then the outside would get too brown.

12:25 Thanks to that middle hole, the heat gets to both sides equally, cooking up a flawless

12:30 donut.

12:34 Here's how that small piece of paper makes it into your fortune cookie.

12:37 First, they bake these cookies flat like pancakes.

12:41 Then while they're still warm and bendy, they sneak in those tiny messages.

12:46 As the cookies cool down, they toughen up and keep their shape, trapping the fortune

12:50 inside like a tasty time capsule.

12:54 One legend has it that these Asian treats were initially intended to help people send

12:58 all sorts of secret messages without causing any suspicion.

13:04 Here's a little tip for whenever you're buying lunch at a fast food place.

13:07 Skip the word "extra" when you're ordering.

13:10 The moment you speak that term, you're tempting the employees to charge more.

13:15 Instead, go for something like "a little more, please" when you're getting a special burrito

13:20 bowl.

13:23 According to a UK study, cheese is the most stolen of foods worldwide.

13:29 It's estimated that around 4% of all cheese just vanishes from stores.

13:34 And no, it's not mice doing the stealing, it's people.

13:38 Why?

13:39 Because cheese is becoming more and more valuable.

13:42 The price of cheese is constantly going up, and sneaky thieves are trying to make easy

13:47 money by simply taking it from the racks.

13:50 It's not just cheese though.

13:51 Other interesting items on the thieving list include fresh meat, chocolate, and seafood.

13:58 Ferrera, the company behind those luscious jars of Nutella, needs about 25% of the world's

14:06 hazelnuts every year.

14:08 So if you think about it, one in four hazelnuts ends up in a chocolatey jar.

14:13 The manufacturers get the nuts from Turkey, Italy, and Chile, making sure they get them

14:18 delivered from both the northern and southern hemispheres to keep things fresh.

14:23 Nutella's impact on the economy is even bigger than you'd imagine.

14:27 Because of this demand, the price of hazelnuts went through the roof.

14:32 In 2014, a frost hit Turkey's hazelnuts, supply got halved, and prices were even higher.

14:40 Now even places like New Jersey are trying to grow those Nutella-worthy nuts.

14:46 There's a popular saying, "You are what you eat."

14:49 It turns out that our guts are also there to make us happy.

14:53 Serotonin is the feel-good hormone.

14:55 It's also a neurotransmitter.

14:57 Many of us immediately associate it with our brains.

15:00 Yet, interestingly, around 95% of the body's serotonin is produced in our digestive tract.

15:08 Many of us often use the words "herbs" and "spices" interchangeably.

15:12 But these are different seasonings.

15:14 Herbs come from every part of a plant or tree, like root, seed, or bark.

15:20 But herbs are the plant's leaves.

15:22 We generally add spice to food in roasting and during cooking.

15:26 Herbs release their aroma faster, so we add them at the very end.

15:31 Do you ever feel you've been watched and discovered that you're right?

15:35 Well, that spider-sense-like feeling is called gaze detection.

15:39 Your brain senses when someone is staring at you.

15:42 Research explains this as a sort of defense mechanism.

15:45 A direct gaze can be a symbol of dominance and that can be a potential threat.

15:51 Humans evolved with this feeling in time.

15:53 Strangely, it works when the person looks right at you.

15:57 If their gaze is off just a few degrees to the left or right of you, your brain won't

16:01 react this way.

16:03 What about the urge to re-watch your favorite movies or listen to your songs over and over?

16:08 You're not alone.

16:10 This habit has some benefits for your mental health.

16:13 This behavior eases your mind.

16:15 When people feel overwhelmed, they'll have less self-control and be less motivated to

16:19 complete hard tasks.

16:21 You are drawn into The Office's first season again because when you watch, listen, or do

16:26 something familiar, you don't have to spend the effort to monitor what you're thinking.

16:31 So it's a good way to have a quick mental reset.

16:34 Here's another feeling.

16:36 Imagine you're enjoying the sunset on a terrace or at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

16:40 Out of nowhere, your inner voice whispers, "What if I jump?"

16:45 This isn't coming from a darker state.

16:47 You know, it's just sort of a feeling that appears when you're high up.

16:50 There is a name for this.

16:52 The "call of the void" or the "high place phenomenon" is a relatively new research

16:57 topic, but more studies are on the way.

17:00 Jim Carrey's great performance in The Truman Show is surely remembered.

17:04 Did you know that The Truman Show delusion is an actual thing?

17:08 The phenomenon is an issue related to cognitive neuropsychiatry.

17:13 People with this delusion believe that they're being filmed and that the footage will be

17:17 broadcasted for entertainment.

17:20 There was a time when aluminum was more precious than gold.

17:23 I know, it's hard to believe.

17:26 We now wrap our sandwiches on this everyday item.

17:29 If we go back to the 19th century, we would see aluminum as a hard-to-get element because

17:34 it was literally hard to obtain until innovators found a way to extract it on large industrial

17:39 scales.

17:40 Then, the reign of aluminum was over.

17:43 There are stories about the French ruler Napoleon III having an aluminum cutlery set that he

17:48 served food to his special guests.

17:54 We might as well talk about a time travelers party held in 2009.

17:58 The theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking invited time travelers to hang out.

18:03 There was a huge banner hung up with the words "Welcome Time Travelers".

18:07 No one showed up, but maybe travelers had prior engagements and that's why they didn't

18:12 attend the party.

18:14 I swear I'm not crying because no one showed up to that awesome party.

18:18 I was just cutting an onion.

18:20 Why do we burst into tears when we chop onions?

18:23 Because of a particular enzyme.

18:26 Is there a solution?

18:27 Next time, get some damp paper towel and put it on the cutting board next to the onion.

18:32 The acidity that comes from the enzyme will go towards the wet paper instead of your eyes.

18:38 The ancient Egyptian civil calendar was quite similar to the one we use now.

18:43 They had 365 days divided into 12 months.

18:47 But instead of spreading a 31st to some months, they would add those extra days to the end

18:52 of the year.

18:56 Now let's turn our cameras to the animal kingdom again.

18:59 Is there a benefit for zebras to have their fascinating pattern?

19:04 Scientists asked this question too and experimented.

19:06 They dressed up horses with zebra look-alike coats.

19:10 The coat was covering the whole body of the horses but their heads.

19:13 It turns out that zebra patterns repel flies.

19:17 Scientists observed that flies only go for the heads of the animals and stay away from

19:21 the horse bodies.

19:27 Ants are known as hard-working animals even in the tales.

19:31 That's got a legit reflection in real life.

19:33 They can carry up to 20 times more weight than their own body weight.

19:37 These insects have other noble qualities too.

19:40 If an ant gets seriously injured, it'll refuse treatment from the colony's paramedic ant.

19:45 The ant knows that it can't make it so instead of wasting the colony's resources, this ant

19:50 forces the paramedic ant to carry on without it.

19:56 Camels can survive around 15 days without drinking water.

20:00 Many people assume that they store water in their humps.

20:03 Nope, humps are for food storage in the form of fat.

20:06 The water is kept in their bloodstream.

20:08 Speaking of camels, in some countries there is a tradition to hold camel beauty contests.

20:14 For instance, a contest was held in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as an attraction.

20:24 You see a giant housefly in the house but it flees from your ninja's hands.

20:29 You might think that nature will take care of it in a couple of days but actually, houseflies

20:33 can live for about a month or two.

20:37 The next fact is about an emergency on the road.

20:40 Detachable car headrests can be used as an escape tool.

20:44 You can break the window with the headrests if you can't leave the car by the doors.

20:49 You should wedge the headrest between the glass and the windowsill.

20:52 Aim a corner.

20:53 Then, you hit the headrest as hard as you can to break the glass safely.

20:57 You might have to hit a couple of times, but it eventually shatters.

21:00 Don't give up after one try!

21:03 Don't be shy!

21:04 Share your wow facts with us!

21:13 Some cars will light up a snowflake on the dashboard every now and then.

21:18 In case you're wondering, it's a sensor, and a pretty important one too.

21:22 It shows the exterior ambient temperature.

21:25 It gets activated when there's a road warning due to a sharp drop in temperature.

21:30 It may sometimes even come with an audio warning or a message on your dashboard to inform you

21:36 that the roads may be getting icy.

21:38 So you can either adapt the speed or change to the appropriate tires if necessary.

21:46 Cars these days aren't just adapted for the cold season.

21:49 They come with cool features to help out during the summer months too.

21:52 I'm talking about those neat sun visors.

21:56 Check your car to see if it has this added bonus feature.

21:59 We know they twist to help the driver out even when they're not driving directly towards

22:04 sunlight.

22:05 Some visors can also extend, so they can provide shade to a larger area.

22:10 If yours can't extend, there's a simple solution.

22:14 Buy a sun visor extender.

22:16 You can even find them online.

22:18 They work by being attached to your existing sun visors or the windows for better shade

22:23 coverage and visibility.

22:25 Your car might have another hidden feature.

22:28 Well, it's technically not in the car, but in its tires.

22:32 These days, some cars come equipped with foam-filled tires.

22:37 They were created to fix the problem of air-filled ones that often went flat.

22:41 Why?

22:42 Well, because foam-filled tires have many of the same benefits as air-filled tires without

22:48 the danger of leaks.

22:49 Regular air-filled tires can sometimes lose air over time, even if there hasn't been

22:54 any damage.

22:56 In most cars with this feature, the tires are not completely filled with either foam

23:00 or air.

23:01 They have a mix of both.

23:08 A bonus of these modern tires is that they make the cars quieter.

23:12 Generally, electric cars make less noise, but because of that foam, they end up being

23:17 as quiet as a cat.

23:19 Some people like the fact that they're quiet, while others prefer that classic screeching

23:23 or rumbling that vehicles make.

23:26 But even people who like the sound of regular engines might like the quietness of these

23:31 new models because they are still very fast.

23:34 Hey, I drive one, and it's fun!

23:39 You might have stumbled upon a button called AEB.

23:42 It stands for Automatic Emergency Braking, and it's a feature that uses sensors to

23:47 detect if a collision is going to happen really soon.

23:51 When activated, it will automatically apply the brakes to try and prevent something bad

23:56 from happening, or make it less severe.

23:59 There are two types of AEB – one that only works at slow speeds, and one that works at

24:04 all speeds.

24:06 If the car can't be stopped completely, the AEB system will try to slow it down as

24:10 much as possible to reduce the impact.

24:15 Many cars now have systems that can warn you if someone is walking in front of you and

24:20 can even automatically stop the vehicle to prevent an accident.

24:25 These systems use special sensors that can also detect bicycles and animals.

24:29 However, a study found that these systems don't always work well, especially at night.

24:35 Even if your car comes equipped with this added feature, it's crucial to always pay

24:40 attention while driving and not rely solely on these systems.

24:45 A little thing called Lane Centering Assist helps you stay in the middle of your lane

24:50 when you're driving on the highway.

24:52 It's not a replacement for paying attention to the road either, but it can help guide

24:57 you through gentle curves.

24:58 You'll still be in control of the car and can turn the wheel if you want to go in a

25:03 different direction.

25:05 Some systems give you a lot of feedback, while others are more subtle.

25:09 Lane Centering Assist can't handle sharp turns, and in most cars doesn't work if

25:14 you don't have the cruise control on.

25:16 What's also cool about this feature is that if it senses you've removed your hands from

25:22 the wheel, it'll give you the warning to return to the correct driving position.

25:28 A lot of accidents can happen when you're reversing your car, like out of the supermarket

25:33 parking lot.

25:34 Parking sensors can help prevent these things from happening by using radar or sound to

25:39 detect things that the driver might not see from his position.

25:44 These sensors will make a noise or show a warning on the car screen to let the driver

25:48 know something is there, like another car or a person passing by.

25:55 If you're planning to have a road trip, you know how hard it is to adapt to various

25:59 speed limits throughout the country.

26:02 Traffic sign recognition is a technology that can help with that.

26:05 It allows you to know what the speed limit is on the road you're driving on.

26:10 It uses a camera to take pictures of traffic signs and display them on a screen in your

26:14 car.

26:15 This can be helpful if the signs are hard to see or if you miss them while driving.

26:20 Some cars with this technology can even change their speed automatically based on the signs

26:26 they see.

26:27 This technology is mostly found in luxury cars, but it is becoming more common in other

26:32 types of cars too.

26:36 The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has made studies that show up to 6,000 drivers

26:41 per year have bad accidents simply because they were too tired.

26:46 Sure, I would like my car to come with built-in coffee makers or showers to keep me awake

26:51 on those long days driving, but some do have systems that can tell when a driver's getting

26:57 kinda snoozy.

26:59 These systems monitor the movements you make while in the driver's seat.

27:02 It looks at things like how you turn the steering wheel around and move the car.

27:07 If it senses you're a bit too tired to move on, it'll make a noise and show a message

27:12 on the dashboard urging you to take a break.

27:15 Some of these systems even show a picture of a coffee cup to remind you to stop at the

27:20 next gas station for a refreshing beverage.

27:23 Might save your life too!

27:26 I bet you're dreaming of traveling deep into space, but I'm just as sure you don't

27:30 know even half of all those amazing things that are happening in our home solar system.

27:36 Like ice-spewing volcanoes on Pluto, a potential giant planet lurking on the outskirts of our

27:42 solar system beyond Neptune, or a giant canyon the size of the United States on Mars.

27:49 Let's have a look!

27:51 First of all, let's travel closer to our Sun and see how insanely massive it is.

27:56 Want some proof?

27:57 Well, 99.86% of all the mass of the solar system is the mass of the Sun.

28:04 In particular, hydrogen and helium it's made of.

28:07 The remaining 0.14% is mostly the mass of the solar system's 8 planets.

28:13 I live on one of those.

28:15 Oh, and even though you might not have noticed it, we live inside the Sun.

28:20 Wait, I didn't mean we're the inhabitants of the red-hot ball of light approximately

28:25 93 million miles away.

28:27 No, no.

28:28 The fact is that the Sun's atmosphere stretches far beyond its visible surface, and our planet

28:34 is right within its reach.

28:36 In fact, it's the gusts of solar winds from the Sun which create such breathtaking phenomenon

28:42 as the northern and southern lights.

28:45 Oh, and while speaking of the solar system, you must know that it's a whopping 4.6 billion

28:51 years old.

28:52 Scientists came to this conclusion after they studied the oldest material they could get

28:56 – I mean, meteorites, of course.

28:59 The solar system is also breathtakingly vast.

29:02 You'd have to travel 11 billion miles away from Earth before leaving it.

29:07 Wow, just think of the frequent flyer miles you'd get.

29:11 Uranus rotates on its side, and astronomers have no idea how the planet chose such an

29:17 unusual position.

29:18 The culprits could be ancient mega-powerful collisions, but so far, it's just a theory.

29:24 By the way, Uranus is the only planet sitting on its side.

29:28 Its equator is nearly at a right angle to its orbit.

29:32 The ocean on Jupiter is larger than any other on the rest of the solar system planets.

29:37 But wait, it's not the ocean you think about.

29:41 The one on Jupiter isn't made of water.

29:43 It contains metallic hydrogen, and its depth is a staggering 25,000 miles.

29:49 This is actually almost the same as the circumference of Earth.

29:54 Volcanoes on Earth are different from those on Pluto, like fire and ice.

29:58 And I mean it literally.

30:00 While we have scorching hot lava spilling volcanoes on our planet, volcanoes on Pluto

30:06 spit ice.

30:07 When frozen, water expands, and this enormous pressure builds up until one day, bang, the

30:13 ice erupts.

30:15 In the process, a new cryovolcano is formed.

30:19 By the way, as you may remember, Pluto used to be a planet, but this title was taken away

30:25 in 2006 by some astronomical bureaucrats.

30:29 There Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet.

30:33 But the most unexpected fact about this space body is that its diameter is smaller than

30:38 that of the US.

30:40 See for yourself.

30:41 The greatest distance across the country, from Maine to Northern California, is about

30:45 2,700 miles.

30:47 As for Pluto, it's only 1,470 miles across.

30:51 Now, even if you're a tiny celestial body, you can still have a moon of your own.

30:57 In 1993, the Galileo probe was traveling past a miniature asteroid that was no more than

31:03 20 miles across.

31:05 Imagine astronomers' surprise when it discovered that the little thing had a one-mile-wide

31:10 moon.

31:11 Since then, scientists have found tons of moons orbiting minor planets of our Solar

31:15 System.

31:16 Jupiter's moon, Io, exists in eternal chaos due to hundreds of smoking volcanoes on its

31:22 surface.

31:23 If you decided to visit this place, you'd see the smoke from these volcanoes billowing

31:28 up high into Io's atmosphere.

31:32 At any given moment, here on Earth, you can stumble across a rock that once came from

31:36 Mars.

31:38 After scientists analyzed the chemical content of some meteorites found in the Sahara Desert,

31:43 Antarctica, and other places all over our planet, they came to the shocking conclusion

31:48 that lots of those have a Martian origin.

31:52 In many sci-fi movies about space, the main character accidentally gets into an asteroid

31:57 belt and has to try hard to get away from countless rocks that threaten to damage their

32:03 spacecraft.

32:04 Well, it's nothing like the real thing.

32:06 The only asteroid belt astronomers know about is located between Mars and Jupiter.

32:11 There are thousands of asteroids in this region, but they're so widely spaced that the chance

32:16 of collision is almost zero.

32:20 In the orbit of Neptune, there's a mysterious Kuiper Belt filled with massive icy objects.

32:26 The most curious thing about this space formation, though, is that scientists fail to explain

32:31 the pattern of its movement.

32:32 The only explanation they have is that Neptune might be hiding from our sight a ginormous

32:38 planet.

32:39 This hypothetical planet has already got the name "Planet Nine", and all we have to

32:44 do is wait until its existence is confirmed.

32:48 Or not.

32:50 Unlike what most people believe, there's water all over the Solar System.

32:54 And someone should wipe it up, huh?

32:56 For starters, it's a pretty common component of comets and asteroids.

33:01 You can find water in the shallow craters of the Moon and Mercury.

33:05 Mars has some ice at its poles, too.

33:07 The same goes for smaller members of the Solar System, like dwarf planet Ceres, or Saturn's

33:13 Moon and Satellus.

33:16 Astronomers even suspect that Jupiter's moon Europa might have some life.

33:20 Under its frozen and cracked surface, there's likely to be liquid water.

33:24 Europa is smaller than Earth, but it may host a giant and deep ocean that could contain

33:29 twice as much water as all the oceans on our planet combined.

33:34 Now, I've tried this one myself, too.

33:37 Pinch your elbow as hard as you can.

33:39 You barely feel pain.

33:41 How come?

33:42 Well, different areas of your skin have different nerve endings.

33:46 Our bodies are designed to be more sensitive to pain in places that are at higher risk

33:50 of getting damaged.

33:52 Those important parts have more nerve endings so that we're more alert and able to protect

33:56 ourselves.

33:58 And thick skin, like that on elbows, has fewer pain detectors.

34:02 Now I'm not talking about the tingling, jolting pain you can feel when you hit your

34:06 elbow against something.

34:08 "Oh, that feels almost like your entire arm has been electrocuted!"

34:12 It's not a feeling I would consider funny.

34:14 But it comes from the funny bone.

34:17 The funny bone isn't actually a bone.

34:19 It's a nerve that starts in your spine, goes through your neck, through your elbow, and

34:24 through your fingers.

34:25 Its real name is the ulnar nerve.

34:28 It's one of the three primary nerves in your arm, and it provides sensation to the fingertips.

34:33 Your ulnar nerve is well-protected by muscle, fat, and bone.

34:37 But there's one spot at your elbow where this nerve is exposed, and that spot is…

34:42 yeah, the funny bone.

34:44 A different but real version of Achilles' story, huh?

34:48 Ok, so now you know why it hits so different when you bump your funny bone and why you

34:52 feel nothing when you pinch your elbow.

34:55 Now the next phenomenon is related to socially awkward moments.

34:59 Ok, maybe not entirely.

35:01 It might happen when your crush gives you a compliment.

35:04 I'm talking about blushing.

35:06 Now I'm not sure those butterflies in your stomach exist when you're in love.

35:11 But I'm sure of this – when you blush, your stomach lining also turns red.

35:16 Yeah, I've looked.

35:17 The stomach lining is the tissue that protects your stomach walls from the acid inside.

35:22 When you blush, it also turns red because blushing happens when the blood rises to the

35:27 surface of the skin.

35:29 This affects the stomach too.

35:31 Now this is a natural process, a physiological response to the change in your emotions.

35:36 Now since we're talking about the stomach, it might be a good time to mention that the

35:40 stomach fluid has the ability to melt a steel table.

35:44 Yep, this means the acid would be able to digest your internal organs.

35:49 Luckily, the stomach lining prevents this from happening.

35:53 Number 3 is about letting you know that you can glow in the dark.

35:56 Now don't turn off the lights just yet, you can't see it with the unaided eye.

36:00 These visuals of glittering human bodies come from ultra-sensitive cameras.

36:06 Japanese scientists were the first to capture the images of human bioluminescence.

36:11 Only ultra-sensitive cameras can reveal that our bodies emit tiny amounts of light because

36:16 this light is a thousand times weaker than the human eye can detect.

36:20 Apparently, all living creatures produce a small amount of light thanks to the chemical

36:25 reactions in their cells.

36:27 Humans are newly added to this list.

36:29 The researchers had been photographing the upper bodies of the volunteers for several

36:33 days.

36:34 The results showed that the amount of emitted light followed a 24-hour cycle.

36:39 The glow is at its highest in late afternoon and lowest late at night.

36:44 Plus, the brightest light is emitted from the cheeks, forehead, and neck.

36:48 Interestingly, this does not correspond with the brightest areas caught by thermal cameras.

36:54 Did you know you're a little bit taller in the morning than you are later at night?

36:57 Yes, I've been measuring you.

37:00 Seriously.

37:01 This height difference is related to gravity.

37:03 Its force compresses the cartilage in your spine and knees when you stand up or sit down

37:08 throughout the day.

37:10 But when you're lying down, your spine decompresses and relaxes.

37:14 That's why when you wake up in the morning after resting in bed all night, you're taller.

37:19 The increase in height is not even above an inch, so don't bet on who is taller after

37:24 hearing this information.

37:26 In fact, astronauts returning from a mission are a few inches taller than they usually

37:30 are on Earth.

37:31 It's because of the lack of gravity on the International Space Station.

37:35 They don't remain that tall forever, though.

37:38 When they're on the Earth again, gravity gradually squeezes them back down to their

37:42 usual height.

37:43 Now, let's get back to the organ we've already spoken about – the skin.

37:48 Yes, the skin is an organ.

37:50 In fact, it's the largest organ in your body.

37:52 It contributes to about 15% of your body weight.

37:56 What else does this organ do, besides covering your body?

37:59 It performs vital functions.

38:01 For instance, it protects your body from external physical and biological harm.

38:06 Plus, it prevents excessive water loss.

38:08 Now, I can't help wondering what other surprises the human body has in store for us.

38:13 But right now, let's move on to the animal planet.

38:18 Owls don't have eyeballs.

38:19 Instead, they have something called eye tubes.

38:22 Their rod-shaped eyes do not move in their sockets as our eyeballs do.

38:26 That's why owls would have to move their entire bodies to look around.

38:31 But moving their torsos would make some noise, and other animals would hear it.

38:35 So owls have evolved to have necks that can twist to around 270 degrees, and they move

38:41 super silently.

38:43 But why the concern?

38:44 Well, night vision requires large corneas to get as much light as possible.

38:49 This is the main reason why most nocturnal animals, such as the slow loris or tarsier,

38:54 have big eyes.

38:56 For owls, it works a little differently.

38:58 Since they have small heads, such large eyes wouldn't be able to fit inside.

39:02 Now, even though these creatures don't have eyeballs, they have three sets of eyelids.

39:08 One set is for blinking, one is for sleeping, and the last one is for keeping their eye

39:12 tubes clean.

39:13 So do the owls give a hoot about that?

39:16 Yes, yes they do.

39:18 Moving on from nocturnal animals to the ones you're more familiar with – meow!

39:23 Cats have an extra organ that allows them to taste scents in the air.

39:27 This organ is called Jacobson's organ, or the vomeronasal organ.

39:31 Jacobson's organ is located inside the cat's nasal cavity and opens into the roof of the

39:36 mouth.

39:37 This organ can detect specific chemicals by using nerves that lead directly to the brain.

39:42 That's not a regular sniffing, though.

39:44 The odor receptors of Jacobson's organ aren't designed to catch ordinary smells.

39:49 They detect chemicals that have no odor at all.

39:52 In other words, cats can detect undetectable smells.

39:56 It's not just this – Jacobson's organ increases the sense of smell.

40:01 That random, qwerty design doesn't make things easier.

40:05 In the 1870s, Christopher Scholls invented a layout that ensured typing was twice as

40:10 fast.

40:11 But with commonly used letters next to each other, it was a bit too fast, and the machines

40:15 constantly jammed.

40:16 So, he then developed the qwerty design.

40:20 It forced typists to adopt a pecking style.

40:23 This way, they would search for a letter and slowly type with their index fingers.

40:28 The keyboards remain unchanged even today, and people all over the world have somehow

40:33 adapted to them.

40:36 The plastic end of your shoelace is an aglet, and people have used it since ancient Rome.

40:41 Sure thing, they had no plastic back then, so those aglets were made of stone, glass,

40:46 or even metal.

40:48 Extra wealthy people could accessorize their shoes with precious metals, like brass or

40:53 silver.

40:54 What came first, the TV or the remote control?

40:58 The technology that functions in the remote is older by several decades.

41:02 In 1898, Nikola Tesla created a machine to control mechanical devices with radio waves.

41:09 Initially, he tried selling the idea of a radio waves device operating I/O through remote

41:14 control boats.

41:16 But the potential buyers were not interested.

41:18 He was way ahead of his time, as remote controls were finally used with televisions in 1956.

41:25 As engineer Percy Spencer initially invented something brilliant in 1945, he was working

41:31 on a new vacuum tube, the Magnetron, which was used with early radar systems.

41:36 While working on the project, he found that the chocolate in his pocket had melted.

41:41 Realizing the heating potential of the Magnetron, he used it on corn kernels, which turned into

41:45 popcorn.

41:46 Then, he tried testing it with eggs, but things got a bit messy.

41:51 So once the yolk was washed away, he built a metal box, keeping the energy within, and

41:56 the first microwave oven was built.

42:00 In 1733, a Duke in England requested William Kent, an architect, to make a traveling device

42:06 for his kids.

42:08 William accepted and built the first ever stroller, but nobody had to push it.

42:13 Instead of handles, it was built like a carriage and pulled by a goat or a small pony.

42:17 Only a few were made as it was pricey.

42:20 More than 100 years later, in 1848, the first stroller with push handles became available

42:26 and more affordable.

42:29 Donuts are often associated with donuts, and there is actually a reason why.

42:34 During the 1950s in the USA, police officers that worked night shifts found it hard to

42:39 locate anywhere open for a midnight snack.

42:42 Donut shops at this time were family-owned.

42:44 They were working hard throughout the night, providing fresh donuts for the coming day.

42:48 The shops were vulnerable at night, becoming the perfect relationship.

42:52 Nourishment for the police and extra protection for the shops.

42:57 Using bubble wrap is an excellent source of relaxation, and it's also helpful with delicate

43:02 packages.

43:03 In 1957, two engineers glued together two shower curtains, trapping the air bubbles

43:09 between.

43:10 This is how the first bubble wrap was made.

43:13 The result they were looking for was a sort of textured wallpaper.

43:16 Still, it didn't go well on the market.

43:19 Sometime later, they tried to sell it as insulation for greenhouses, and once again, they failed.

43:25 Everything changed in 1960 when IBM needed to ship delicate computer parts.

43:30 The bubble wrap was perfect, and they continued to collaborate.

43:35 Using maps with your phone has become a far easier way to navigate, but the old-fashioned

43:40 handheld maps were once the only option, creating a competitive industry.

43:45 So much so that map makers would draw in phantom settlements to avoid rivals stealing from

43:50 them.

43:51 These fake towns were called a copyright trap.

43:54 However, one of these fake settlements became real.

43:58 Agloe in New York was drawn into a map by General Drafting Co.

44:02 Another competing map maker had also included this town on their own, and the copyright

44:07 trap was sprung.

44:08 But in court, they found that in 1950, a general store had actually been built there.

44:14 And the owner assumed that Agloe was a real area based on the map, so he named the shop

44:19 after it.

44:20 So there was no violation found, as technically, Agloe was real, thanks to that general store.

44:27 In 1943, Vesta Stout from Illinois was working with securing parcels.

44:32 She was disappointed with the poor paper tape, as it would fall apart when wet.

44:37 So she asked her boss to try to make waterproof tape.

44:40 Her request was ignored, but she wrote a letter to President Roosevelt with an idea of how

44:44 to make a better tape.

44:47 Not only did she explain her concept, but she also provided it with detailed designs.

44:52 He approved the idea and ordered the changes.

44:54 The new tape was so helpful for freight transport that everyone wanted it, and they started

44:59 selling it at hardware stores.

45:02 In the 1950s, many people would wrap air ducts, and it was then deceptively named "duct

45:07 tape."

45:08 Still, the adhesive on the sticky side wasn't suitable for cold and hot temperatures, which

45:13 caused the tape to fall off.

45:15 Despite this, people continued to use that tape for almost everything else.

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