Did you know…. A fun, and very simple game.

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Did you know.....

Due to a genetic defect, cats can’t taste sweet things

But one of the facts that we think is peculiar is that, unlike dogs and people, cats can’t taste sweet foods.

So why can’t cats taste sweet flavours? Well, it’s due to their genes more specifically, a “fake” dysfunctional gene. A study compared the genes of cats to other species, like dogs and humans, that respond to sweet tastes. 

They looked specifically at two genes, Tas1r2 and Tas1r3, that together encode the receptor for sweet taste. While Tas1r3 was the same as the Tas1r3 gene found in dogs, Tas1r2 had multiple differences (flaws), and it was concluded that Tas1r2 is a pseudogene (a defective copy of a functional gene). This means that cats can’t make the receptor necessary for detecting sweet tastes.

If your cat does like sweet foods (note: ice cream is not recommended for cats), it’s the other flavours they are tasting not the oh-so-yummy sweetness of ice cream that we love.

Remember there are lots of reasons to tell cats “No people food” including that the foods can be hazardous to their health. Sweet foods like candy are a nice treat for us, but not for cats and they can’t taste the sweetness that so appeals to us anyway.

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Did you know.....

In the 1830s, ketchup was used as medicine to treat such ailments as diarrhoea, indigestion and jaundice

Today, ketchup is one of the most popular condiments in the world. But in the past, ketchup was used as medicine.

In the early 1800s, Americans were sceptical about tomatoes, worried that the nightshade was poisonous. Surprisingly, that didn’t stop some doctors from celebrating the medicinal qualities of ketchup.

What was ketchup used for in the 1830s? Today, you might put ketchup on a burger or enjoy crispy, hot French fries dipped in ketchup. But 200 years ago, ketchup had a very different use.

In 1834, Dr. John Cooke Bennett invented a tomato ketchup that was a powerful cure. At the time, tomato ketchup was still a novelty. That’s because ketchup started as a very different food.

According to Bennett, who lived in Ohio, ketchup could cure indigestion, diarrhoea, and jaundice.

These were common problems in the 1830s, when cholera outbreaks swept around the world. And in an era long before food safety regulations, indigestion could strike at any time. Jaundice, a side effect of liver damage, was also common in the 19th century.

It’s not surprising, then, that Bennett’s ketchup cure took off. Unlike many other medicines, ketchup wouldn’t harm the patient. The same wasn’t true for other patent medicines that contained mercury, lead, and cocaine.

Ketchup became so popular that Bennett even sold “tomato pills” as a cure-all supplement.

Ketchup was such a popular medicine in the mid-19th century that it inspired copycats. Soon, many “doctors” were selling ketchup pills.

Newspaper ads from 1837 promoted Dr. Miles’ Compound Extract of Tomato. But Dr. Miles was no doctor at all — he was actually a merchant who lived in Cleveland. Still, his ads declared that his ketchup medicine could treat syphilis.

Soon, Dr. Guy R. Phelps began selling his own version of the tomato pill. Miles, furious at the attack on his business, declared Phelphs a “charlatan” and a “quack.” In response, Phelps proclaimed that Miles had “about as much claim to the title of doctor as my horse, and no more.”

By the 1850s, snake oil salesmen claimed that ketchup pills could even cure broken bones — which led to the collapse of the ketchup pill market.

Ironically, most tomato pills contained zero tomatoes. Tests on tomato pills found no trace of the plant.

While the “ketchup as medicine” trend died out, quacks continued to promote dangerous treatments that sometimes killed the patient — until the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act cracked down on dangerous medicines.

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Did you know.....

Marie Curie’s 100-year-old belongings are still radioactive

When Curie died, her body was so radioactive that she had to be laid to rest in a lead-lined coffin.

Curie was not only the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, but also the only woman to be awarded prizes in two different fields. In 1896, the French physicist Henri Becquerel discovered that uranium salts emitted rays that were similar to X-rays in their ability to pass through objects. 

This discovery inspired Curie to explore Becquerel’s findings as part of her research thesis. She and her husband, Pierre Curie, set to work and ended up discovering radium and polonium, two new radioactive elements, in 1898. These results led to the Curies being awarded half of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903. The other half went to Becquerel.

Then, in 1911, after much personal tragedy (Pierre Curie had died suddenly 1906), Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for isolating pure radium. 

She would go on to devote her research to the study of the chemistry of radioactive substances as well as their applications in medicine. In fact, if it were not for Curie’s work, our treatments for cancer would likely not be anywhere near as developed as they are today. 

But despite advocating precautions, Curie’s consistent and prolonged exposure to these substances came at a cost. Marie Curie died on July 4, 1934, from aplastic anemia caused by her work with radiation.

After 100 years, many of her belongings, including furniture, cookbooks, clothes, and laboratory notes remain extremely radioactive. 

The latter are actually stored in lead-lined boxes at France’s Bibliothèque National in Paris. Upon requesting access to these objects, visitors are required to sign a liability waiver and to wear protective clothing to prevent exposure to radium-226. 

Given that this particular isotope has a half-life of around 1,600 years, it is likely that these important documents will remain a harmful reminder of a powerful legacy.

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Did you know.....

Dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure

Yes, one small square of dark chocolate a day could have a clinically relevant effect on blood pressure, particularly those with a high cocoa content (70% or more), can help lower blood pressure. 

This is due to the presence of flavanols in cocoa, which can relax blood vessels and improve blood flow, potentially reducing blood pressure. 

A study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that flavan-3-ols, found in cocoa and other foods, can improve blood pressure and blood vessel health.

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Did you know.....

The human brain is about 60 percent fat

Sixty percent of the human brain is made of fat, making it the fattiest organ in the human body. These fatty acids are crucial for your brain’s performance, so make sure you’re fuelling it with healthy, brain-boosting nutrients.

Your brain isn't fully formed until age 25. Brain development begins from the back of the brain and works its way to the front. As a result, your frontal lobes, which control planning and reasoning, are the last to strengthen and structure connections.

Your brain’s storage capacity is considered immense. Research suggests the human brain consists of about 86 billion neurons. 

Each neuron forms connections to other neurons, which could add up to 1 quadrillion (1,000 trillion) connections. Over time, these neurons can combine and further increase storage capacity. They can also become damaged and stop working, such as in diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, affecting memory in particular.

Brain information can travel up to an impressive 350 miles per hour. When a neuron is stimulated, it generates an electrical impulse that travels from cell to cell.

It’s a myth that you only use 10% of your brain. You actually use all of it, even when you are sleeping. Neurologists confirm that your brain is always active.

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Did you know.....

Lighters were invented before matches

The first lighter was invented in 1823 while the match was created in 1826.

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Did you know.....

Ancient Roman surgeons were trained to block out the screams of human pain

While ancient Roman surgeons weren't trained to block out pain in the way modern medicine does with anaesthetics, they were skilled at performing procedures quickly and with precision despite the absence of effective pain relief, meaning they had to develop a mental fortitude to withstand patient screams. 

According to HistoryExtra, Celsus, a Roman writer, noted that a good surgeon was someone who could balance speed with precision while not being overly affected by the patient's cries.

While there is no concrete evidence to support the claim that ancient Roman surgeons were specifically trained to block out screams of pain, it is possible that they developed a level of emotional detachment or coping mechanisms to carry out their duties effectively. 

Surgeons throughout history have often had to confront challenging and distressing situations, requiring them to remain focused and composed.

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Did you know.....

Dolphins give each other names

Dolphins use unique whistles, known as signature whistles, that function as names to identify and call out to each other. 

These whistles are individually learned and are used to communicate with other dolphins, especially when separated or in social gatherings.

Perhaps most intriguing: Do dolphins use these names to talk about each other behind their backs?

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Did you know.....

Mandarin Chinese: the most spoken language in the world

Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken language in the world by number of native speakers. 

It is the official language of China and Taiwan and is also widely spoken in Singapore.

Some sources say that Mandarin Chinese has approximately 990 million native speakers, while others claim over 1.1 billion native speakers. 

This makes it the most spoken language globally when considering only native speakers.

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Did you know.....

More than 80% of the information stored on computers worldwide is in English

While English is the dominant language on the internet and in computing, the exact percentage of stored digital information in English is likely lower than the often-repeated "over 80%" claim. 

The figure varies depending on the specific data source, with more recent reports showing a smaller, though still substantial, share of English content online.

English language leads as the language for website content globally, accounting for more than eight times that of the next closest language, Spanish (6.00%). 

The combined share of the next three languages (Spanish, German, and Japanese) only adds up to 16.6%, reinforcing the massive lead that English holds in global website communication. 

This dominance shows why English proficiency remains an essential skill for accessing and distributing information on a global scale. This has implications for content creators, businesses, and digital marketers across the globe. 

For instance, a startup in Beijing or São Paulo aiming for international reach will likely prioritise English for their web presence, even if it's not their native language.

In the late 1980s, less than 1% of the world's technologically stored information was in digital format, while it was 94% in 2007, with more than 99% by 2014.

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Did you know.....

The word “goodbye” comes from an Old English phrase meaning “God be with you”

Yes, the word "goodbye" is indeed a contraction of the phrase "God be with ye". 

This shortened form, which first appeared in the 16th century, went through various stages, including "godbwye," before evolving into the "goodbye" we use today. 

The addition of "good" at the beginning is thought to be due to the influence of other common phrases like "good day" and "good morning".

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Did you know.....

“Lol” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2011

Yes, "LOL" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in March 2011 as part of an update that included other internet-era acronyms and phrases like "OMG" and "FYI". 

LOL was a form of early internet slang, it’s what's called an initialism, a form of abbreviation. Using it is obviously more convenient when you're typing or texting.

The rise of email and early texting pre-smartphones helped the popularity of LOL.

The addition reflected the widespread and frequent use of these initialisms in electronic communications and their increasing entry into mainstream, face-to-face language.

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Did you know.....

The only part of the human body that can’t repair itself is the teeth

Teeth are the only part of the human body that can’t repair itself. They are coated in enamel, which is not a living tissue.

Tooth enamel is the hardest part of the entire body; even harder than bone.
 

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Did you know.....

A dentist invented the electric chair

New York, at the beginning of the 1880s, a dentist, and inventor named Alfred Southwick was interested in the possibility of using low-voltage electricity to reduce the pain routinely experienced by his patients. 

In 1881, his research took a fortuitous, albeit horrifying, turn when he read the widely reported story of a Buffalo dockworker who accidentally died by electrocution while attempting to shut down a power dynamo.

Though tragic for the victim and his family, Southwick discerned a silver lining to the incident: The dockworker had reportedly died almost instantly, and apparently without pain. 

At a time when capital punishment was common and usually inflicted by hanging – which too often resulted in ghoulish malfunctions – could electrocution offer a more humane alternative?

On January 1, 1889, the world's first electrical execution law went into effect. On August 6, 1890, William Francis Kemmler, who had murdered his mistress, was the first person to die in the electric chair. 

However, this public event became an amateurish spectacle: the initial surge of current did not cause Kemmler's immediate death, and a second jolt was needed. Those who witnessed this bungled execution were stunned. Graphic and detailed criticism from both the press and the general public ran high. 

However, Dr. Southwick vigorously continued to support and finally achieve his goal--to humanize capital punishment through the legal use of electrical execution.

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Did you know.....

Potatoes were the first vegetable to be grown in space

In 1995, NASA grew potatoes aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. This experiment marked the first time any food crop was grown in space, proving that potatoes could successfully develop in a microgravity environment. The goal was to develop the technology to feed astronauts on long space voyages and future space colonies.

The potato is the world’s fourth-most important crop after rice, wheat and maize, and the first among non-grains.

Potatoes were first cultivated in the mountainous regions of Peru and Bolivia 3000 to 7000 years ago, where they are thought to have originated.  The Incas learned to dehydrate and mash potatoes into a substance that would store for years called chunu, therefore, potatoes became a staple crop there.

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Did you know.....

“Schoolmaster” is an anagram of “the classroom”

"schoolmaster" is an anagram of "the classroom" because both phrases are made up of the exact same letters, used the exact same number of times, but in a different order.

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Did you know.....

Most brand watches in advertisements show the time as 10:10

While it may seem like a random choice, there are actually some good reasons for it:

Firstly, the 10:10 position is aesthetically pleasing. The hands are symmetrical and create a pleasing visual balance on the watch face. Our brains tend to appreciate symmetry and orderliness, so it’s no surprise that many watchmakers opt for this position in their ads.

Secondly, at 10:10, the key details on the watch face remain visible. The company logo is usually found under the 12, and sometimes next to the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions. With the hands set at 10:10, the logo is nicely framed and easy to read.

Finally, the 10:10 hands look “happy” due to their resemblance to a smile or the “V” shape often associated with victory. This subconsciously reinforces positive feelings about the brand and the watch itself.

So next time you see a watch ad with the time set at 10:10, you’ll know that it’s not just a coincidence – it’s a deliberate choice made for both functional and aesthetic reasons.

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Did you know.....

One single teaspoon of honey represents the life work of 12 bees

Yes, it's true that a single teaspoon of honey represents the lifetime work of approximately 12 bees. 

This is because a single worker bee produces a very small amount of honey in its short lifespan, only about one-twelfth of a teaspoon. 

Therefore, it takes the collective, tireless efforts of roughly 12 bees, flying thousands of miles to visit numerous flowers and process nectar, to create just one teaspoon of honey.

The transformation of nectar into honey is a precise process that requires immense teamwork, endurance, and cooperation within the hive, highlighting the critical role bees play in our ecosystem.

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Did you know.....

The largest bill to go into circulation in the United States was a $10,000 note

The United States 10,000-dollar bill (US$10000) is a denomination of the United States dollar. The denomination was first issued in 1878, and the last series were produced in 1934. 

They were withdrawn from circulation after 1969. The $10,000 note was the highest denomination of US currency to be used by the public.

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Did you know.....

In old Christian art, good angels were red, and Satan was blue

The assertion that "good angels were red and Satan was blue" in old Christian art is a misconception; while a 6th-century mosaic in Ravenna does depict a blue angel associated with the devil, red was not a universal colour for good angels and blue was later replaced by red or black for Satan. 

Good angels were often depicted with halos, but their clothing colours varied, and the blue angel in the mosaic is a unique interpretation that didn't become standard, with artists later favouring other depictions for Satan.

Blue was eventually associated with the Virgin Mary or heaven, while red became associated with hellfire.

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Did you know.....

On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year

100 people a year choke to death on pen caps, but that the number used to be higher before manufacturers put a hole in the cap.

The idea of perforating the caps of pens appears to have started with the world's top ballpoint pen manufacturer, French company Bic — specifically its emblematic product, the Bic Cristal.

The hole in the Bic Cristal pen cap was added around 1991 to prevent suffocation if the cap was inhaled. 

The exact creation date varies, with some sources mentioning the early to late 1980s and others the early 1990s, but the 1991 date is the most definitive for the specific safety feature.

The pen is, of course, made mostly of plastic. In response to environmental concerns and to mark the pen's 70th anniversary, the company introduced in 2020 a rechargeable version of it, with a body made of metal and a cap made of recycled plastic.

In 2001, the iconic pen, still the world's most sold, entered the Museum of Modern Art.

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Did you know.....

More Monopoly money is printed in a year, than real money throughout the world

This one seems like an Internet myth but it’s true: There is more money than real money printed in the U.S. every year. This is possible because real currency printing is a tightly controlled process by governments, whereas Monopoly money is a mass-produced game component.

Parker Brothers, the maker of the board game, says it prints $30 billion in Monopoly money every year. 

Last year, the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing printed $974 million in real money. 

About 95 percent of that money printed in the U.S. is to replace old, worn-out bills.

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Did you know.....

The average American spends about 2.5 days a year looking for lost items

According to lost and found statistics and a recently conducted survey, 60% of Americans have lost a personal item in the past year. The most commonly lost items are cell phones, followed by keys, wallets, and sunglasses. According to the survey. 33% of lost items are never recovered.

The busiest time of year for lost and found departments is during the holiday season, with a 25% increase in lost items compared to the rest of the year.

The most common items left on public transportation are umbrellas, followed by phones, keys, and wallets. 12.000 laptops lost weekly in U.S. airports, 120.000 phones, lost yearly in taxicabs…in Chicago alone. In 2019, travellers left behind $926,030.44 in loose change at airport security checkpoints in the United States.

In the United Kingdom, the most commonly lost item reported to the police is a set of keys, followed by a wallet/purse and a mobile phone.

The National Park Service reports an average of 1,200 lost hikers per year, with 98% of those hikers being found within 24 hours.

In Japan, the most commonly lost item is an umbrella, with over 5 million umbrellas left behind each year.

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Did you know.....

Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before going into space

On Earth, farts are typically no big deal — smelly, harmless, and they quickly dissipate. But if you’re an astronaut, every fart is a ticking time bomb. 

The gases in farts are flammable, which can quickly become a problem in a tiny, pressurized capsule in the middle of space where your fart gases have nowhere to go. 

In this “oldie but goodie” study from the late 1960s, scientists fed subjects a then-state-of-the-art space diet compared with a “bland formula.” They discovered that the space diet actually produced more gas than the control diet and noted that “volumes would be larger at reduced spacecraft and suit pressures.” 

This explains why astronaut food doesn’t include freeze-dried beans

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Did you know.....

Without sight or smell, apples and onions taste the same

Yes, it's largely true that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between an apple, a potato, and an onion if you plug your nose, as smell contributes about 80% of the overall flavour of food. 

However, some differences in texture and the presence of basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter) would still be detectable, and some aroma can still reach the nose from the back of the throat, making the difference less absolute than typically stated.

So, there you have it, if you plug your nose, close your eyes and bite into an onion...it is indistinguishable from an apple...until your nostrils open again.