All Facts

12 facts published

Honey Never Spoils — 3,000-Year-Old Honey Found in Egyptian Tombs Was Still Edible

Honey Never Spoils — 3,000-Year-Old Honey Found in Egyptian Tombs Was Still Edible

Archaeologists excavating Egyptian tombs have found honey that is over 3,000 years old — and perfectly preserved. The chemistry of honey makes it one of the only foods that truly never expires.

April 23, 20263 min3,257
There Are More Stars in the Universe Than Grains of Sand on Earth

There Are More Stars in the Universe Than Grains of Sand on Earth

Estimates put the number of stars in the observable universe at around 10²⁴ — that's a septillion. The total number of grains of sand on Earth is estimated at around 7.5 × 10¹⁸.

April 22, 20263 min4,995
Mantis Shrimp Can Punch With the Force of a Bullet

Mantis Shrimp Can Punch With the Force of a Bullet

The peacock mantis shrimp strikes with a club-like appendage that accelerates at 10,000 g — faster than a .22 calibre bullet — generating enough force to shatter aquarium glass.

April 19, 20264 min919
A Day on Venus Is Longer Than a Year on Venus

A Day on Venus Is Longer Than a Year on Venus

Venus rotates so slowly on its axis that a single Venusian day (243 Earth days) is longer than it takes Venus to orbit the Sun (225 Earth days).

April 16, 20263 min3,970
Hot Water Freezes Faster Than Cold Water — And We Don't Fully Know Why

Hot Water Freezes Faster Than Cold Water — And We Don't Fully Know Why

The Mpemba effect — where hot water sometimes freezes before cold water — has puzzled scientists for decades and still lacks a complete explanation.

April 13, 20264 min4,073
The Human Eye Can Distinguish Around 10 Million Colours

The Human Eye Can Distinguish Around 10 Million Colours

The human visual system can theoretically distinguish up to 10 million different colours, thanks to three types of cone cells in the retina — yet we have no names for the vast majority of them.

March 28, 20263 min4,125
Trees Can Communicate and Share Nutrients Through Underground Fungal Networks

Trees Can Communicate and Share Nutrients Through Underground Fungal Networks

Beneath every forest floor lies a vast underground web of fungi connecting tree roots — the 'Wood Wide Web' — through which trees share sugars, water, and even chemical warnings.

March 17, 20265 min3,687
The First Computer Bug Was an Actual Bug

The First Computer Bug Was an Actual Bug

In 1947, engineers working on the Harvard Mark II computer found a moth trapped in a relay — and taped it into their logbook with the note 'First actual case of bug being found.'

March 15, 20263 min4,814
Oxford University Is Older Than the Aztec Empire

Oxford University Is Older Than the Aztec Empire

Teaching at Oxford began around 1096 AD. The Aztec city of Tenochtitlan was founded in 1325. Oxford is over 200 years older than the entire Aztec civilisation.

March 14, 20263 min4,662
A Teaspoon of Neutron Star Weighs a Billion Tonnes

A Teaspoon of Neutron Star Weighs a Billion Tonnes

Neutron stars are so incredibly dense that a single teaspoon of their material would weigh around one billion tonnes on Earth.

March 7, 20263 min3,316
Your Gut Contains More Bacteria Than Cells in Your Entire Body

Your Gut Contains More Bacteria Than Cells in Your Entire Body

The human body contains roughly 30 trillion human cells — but hosts approximately 38 trillion bacterial cells, mostly in the gut. You are, by cell count, more bacteria than human.

March 2, 20264 min964
Cleopatra Lived Closer in Time to the Moon Landing Than to the Building of the Pyramids

Cleopatra Lived Closer in Time to the Moon Landing Than to the Building of the Pyramids

The Great Pyramid was completed around 2560 BC. Cleopatra was born in 69 BC. The Moon landing was in 1969 AD. She was closer to Neil Armstrong than to Khufu.

February 28, 20263 min2,157