UVB-76 is a shortwave radio station that has been broadcasting a low, monotonous buzzing sound since 1982 (you can sometimes hear Russian voices in the transmission too). What is the nickname for this station?
UVB-76 is a shortwave radio station that is also known as "The Buzzer." The station has been broadcasting a low, monotonous buzzing sound since 1982. Freakishly enough, you can sometimes hear Russian voices in the transmission too. The thing is, no one really knows where the transmission is coming from, but of course many people believe it is of Russian origin, only adding to the mystery.
True or False: there are FDA regulations that specifically forbid ANY amount of insect particles in your food.
FDA regulations allow for a certain amount of insects to be present in the food you eat. In fact, 10 insects and 35 fruit fly eggs per 8 ounces of raisins is perfectly acceptable. The FDA is also cool with 5 rodent hairs and 150 bug fragments to remain present in one pound of peanut butter. This totally killed my craving for some Raisin Bran with my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
What is a Rat King?
What's worse than a rat? Try a whole group of rats who have fused together, their tails intertwined with hair and other substances such as gum or sap. In ancient times, the rat king was deemed an omen of misfortune, but today they're so rare some people even question whether the phenomenon even exists. However, museums like the Mauritianum in Altenburg, Thuringia claim to have a mummified rat king on display.
Long before Novocaine, what did Ancient Egyptians put in their mouths to ease the pain of a toothache?
Ancient Egyptians used to put dead mouse paste in their mouths. They believed that the mashed mouse mush would ease a toothache when applied with other ingredients, because why not? Yet another reason to be thankful for Novocaine.
True or False: Scientists have recently discovered the exact reason we die of old age.
The reason behind why exactly we die of old age continues to elude us. One theory is that since throughout history most creatures die before they get the chance to reach old age, there was never any chance for natural selection to screen out the genes that ultimately damage and kill us when we get old.
Who was the famous painter who cut off his ear?
Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famous painters of all time. Unfortunately, he also suffered from mental illness his entire life, and he cut off his own ear while in a completely erratic mental state.
Butterflies occasionally exhibit one strange behavior, wherein they suck up the fluid from moist substances such as mud, rotting plant matter, or even dung and blood in order to gain nutrients from it that aren't in their usual diet. What is this called?
Butterflies occasionally exhibit a strange behaviour known as "mud-puddling." They look for moist substances such as mud, rotting plant matter, or even dung and blood, and they suck up the fluid to gain nutrients from it that aren't in their usual diet. Species like the Halpe butterflies are particularly attracted to the sweat on human skin as well as tears and blood.
True or False: A tumor can sometimes grow teeth or hair.
There are some tumors that are able to grow hair, teeth, and their own organs—it's like having another person growing inside of you. In 2008, doctors in Colorado Springs in the US took out a tumor from a baby that contained a partially formed foot, a hand, and a thigh. In 2007, doctors removed a lump from a Japanese woman's right ovary that had an eye and internal organs.
True or False: a study showed that 1 in 4 Russian men will die before they turn 55.
Overall, the life expectancy among Russian men is fairly low at 64 years old, but a study found that one out of four will pass away before they hit 55. However, unsurprisingly, the risk of dying before that increases even more in those who drink three or more half-liter bottles of vodka per week.
Which of these Japanese cities did the US drop a nuclear bomb on during WWII?
During the World War II, the United States detonated two nuclear bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
True or False: Cows kill more people in the US each year than sharks do.
Despite the persistent fear people have of being killed and eaten by a shark, that should really be among the least of your worries. It turns out, if you crunch the numbers, that your odds of getting trampled and killed by a cow are far, far higher: Cows kill about 5 times more people than sharks every year in the U.S.
What happens to a patient who has Cotard's Syndrome?
Cotard's Syndrome is a rare mental condition that convinces patients that they aren't actually alive. In some cases, the patient thinks they've lost blood, body parts, organs, or their soul, which leads them to believe that they are dead. Most of these cases are the result of psychosis, a medical condition, or mood disorders, and Cotard's is usually treated with electroconvulsive techniques (ECT) rather than with pills.
True or False: Researchers have found a link between cycling and impotence.
Researchers have found a link between cycling and impotence. One study showed a 28-year-old cyclist whose blood flowed to his penis had the sexual peformance equivalent to that of a 60-year-old man. Essentially, this is caused by the pressure from sitting on the long, narrow tip of a bicycle seat too much, which can lead to permanent damage.
For years, Alcatraz prison was the only prison in the United States to offer their inmates one specific creature comfort. What was it?
Alcatraz, one of America’s most notorious and impenetrable prisons, was for a time the only prison in the United States to provide inmates with hot showers. Alcatraz is on an island in San Francisco Bay, and the hot showers were thought to hinder escape, by making sure inmates didn’t get acclimatized to the freezing cold Bay water and swimming to shore.
In July 1518, a dancing plague swept through a town in France and caused about 400 people to dance for days without stopping. Many of those who were affected eventually collapsed from exhaustion or died from a stroke or heart attack. Which of these options is a leading theory as to what caused it?
A psychoactive compound in the town’s wheat was the cause of the dancing plague.
True or False: The CIA invented a gun that could cause a person to have a heart attack, using a method that was absolutely undetectable.
A 1975 Congressional testimony revealed the CIA had a created a gun that could give you a heart attack. It shot darts that left a tiny red dot. The poison worked quickly, but most people didn't feel a thing until it was too late. The poison darts could even penetrate clothing. It was also impossible to detect during an autopsy because the poison would dissolve fairly quickly.
Roughly how many people have disappeared in US National Parks?
Over 1,600 people have vanished in US National Parks, never to be seen or heard from ever again. After 9/11, the US government put in place an analysis and reporting system so that missing people could be found more easily. Unfortunately, this hasn't stopped people from disappearing in National Parks... and since tracking these people is often virtually impossible, many of them tend to stay missing.
True or False: A parasite found in cat feces can take control of a rat's mind if they ingest it.
A parasite found in cat feces can take control of a rat's mind if they ingest it. The parasite is known as Toxoplasma gondii, and it can only reproduce inside of a cat. When a rat ingests it, it is able to alter the rat's brain functions so that they're drawn to the smell of feline urine. This makes them an easier target for a cat to find and eat the rat, starting the cycle all over again.
The world's largest consulting and auditing firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, suggests that robots will take over a significant number of American jobs by 2030. What percentage of jobs did they claim would become automated?
The world's largest consulting and auditing firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, suggests that robots will take over even more of our jobs in the near future. They suggest that in Japan, 21% of the jobs will be handled by robots, in the United Kingdom, 30% and in the US, 38 % of jobs will be done by machines by the year 2030.
China trains their paramilitary police with a grueling technique to improve their posture. What is it?
China trains their paramilitary police with a gruelling technique that’s a pain in the neck, literally. To get them to stand up straight they are made to wear crosses on their backs, but they are also forced to stick pins facing straight upward through their collars, so that if their posture slips, they'll be jabbed in the throat.
True or False: The Japanese giant hornet has venom so strong that it can dissolve the flesh of a human.
Grab some bug spray the next time you visit Japan. The Japanese giant hornet's venom is so strong that it can even dissolve the flesh of a human. It's also said that one hornet alone has the power to wipe out 40 European honeybees per minute. An Entomologist from Tamagawa University in Japan described her encounter with one of this hornets as a "hot nail through my leg."
True or False: Neanderthals buried their dead.
Humans have been burying their dead for eons—the earliest grave sites are believed to have been located in Pontnewydd Cave, Wales, and Atapuerca, Spain. It seems to be an activity which simply comes naturally to us. Instinctive—like laughter, or speech. In fact, Neanderthals—who lived among early Homo sapiens—also most likely buried their dead. The oldest confirmed human burial site is in Israel's Tabun Cave, where remains have been found that are 100,000 years old.
Where is the oldest confirmed human burial site?
The oldest confirmed human burial site is in Israel's Tabun Cave, where remains have been found that are 100,000 years old.
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The world is incredibly strange. So strange, in fact, that many of us do our best not to think about all the things that go bump in the night... At the same time, though, there is a magnetic pull to the macabre. Like the aftermath of a car-crash, or the allure of a horror movie, many of are drawn by morbid curiosity to understand the dark side of life. It seems to be human nature. Does that fascination affect you? How much do you know about the world’s darkest and most twisted phenomenon? Time to find out...
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