When you hear the word science you automatically start thinking of lab coats and test tubes and other stuff such as Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton, space, robots and telescopes. Whilst these represent only several aspects of science, none of which truly represent science as a whole, and what it really means.
To put it plain and simple, science is the curiosity in thoughtful action about the world and how it function and behaves, -it’s the knowledge gained through observation and experiments-. The world of science has been enthralling our imagination for ages, especially in the current times when a huge portion of the public is very hyped about the things scientists tell us. Often it causes mass confusion in the eye of the public which reminds us just how small we are to the universe and how little knowledge we have about the world around us. Science helps us satisfy that natural curiosity with which we are all born, that’s why today we are diving into a mind-blowing science class where some of the facts here will simply blow your mind, buckle up you’re in for a treat!
1. The human stomach can dissolve stainless steel.
Well, in case, at some point in your life you swallowed a razor blade without ripping your throat wide open don’t panic, the human body is more capable than you think because stomach acid is strong enough to dissolve even stainless steel. Acids are ranked on a scale from 0 to 14 and the lower the PH level, the stronger the acid. The normal volume of the stomach’s ph is between 10 to 20 which means that it has incredibly strong PH.
2. Earth’s oxygen is mostly produced by the ocean.
Have you ever stopped to wonder where oxygen comes from? Your first thought would probably be rainforests, but did you know that most of the oxygen we breathe comes from organisms in the ocean? More than half of the oxygen we breathe comes from marine photosynthesizers, like phytoplankton and seaweed. Both use carbon dioxide, water, and energy from the sun to make food for themselves while releasing oxygen in the process.
3. Animals can use the earth’s magnetic field for orientation.
Lost land animals may not be able to find their way home but sea animals might. According to the U.S Geological survey (U.S.G.S), « there’s evidence that some animals; like sea turtles, sharks, and salmon, have the ability to sense earth’s magnetic field and can use it for navigation; it’s more or less a sixth sense that allows those animals to have such an ability ».
4. A cloud can weigh around a million pounds.
Your childhood dream of floating on a weightless cloud may not withhold this scientific fact, that’s because the average cumulus cloud can weigh up to a million pounds according to the USGS. That’s about as heavy as the world’s largest jet when it’s completely full of cargo and passengers.
5. Hawaii moves 7.5 cm closer to Alaska every year.
The earth’s crust is split into gigantic pieces called tectonic plates. These plates are in constant movement, propelled by currents in the earth’s upper mantle. The hot, less-dense rock rises before cooling and sinking, giving rise to circular convection currents which act like giant conveyor belts, slowly shifting tectonic plates above them. Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Plate, which is slowly drifting northwest towards Alaska.
6. In 2.3 billion years it will be too hot for life to exist on earth.
Over the coming hundreds of millions of years, the sun will continue to get brighter and hotter. In approximately 2 billion years temperature will be high enough to even evaporate our oceans that would make life impossible on earth because there’s no life without oceans, and evidentially our dear earth will be a vast deserted place with no signs of life very similar to mars. Don’t worry mate, there’s still enough time for humanity to find some suitable replacement for our earth which means life will probably continue one way or another.
7. Infrared cameras cannot detect polar bears.
Polar bears are experts at conserving heat; they have multiple levels to keep them cozy on the coldest days in the arctic. They are nearly undetectable by infrared cameras. Thermal cameras detect heat lost by a subject as infrared, but polar bears are experts at conserving heat. They keep warm due to the thick layer of blubber under their skin. That’s mostly why infrared cameras cannot detect them; they are as good as invisible.