The clouds we see in the sky seem rather light, almost like absorbent cotton. However, being filled with water and ice, these gigantic suspended masses weigh - in reality - up to several tons. Don't be fooled by appearances, the clouds that float above your heads are more like anvils in suspension. Indeed, being made of billions of water and ice droplets, these vaporous masses can weigh far more than you may expect. With a water density of about 0.5 grams per cubed meter, a cloud of 100 kilomete...
Apr 22, 2021•2 min
Long before Magellan completed the first circumnavigation of the globe, in the 16th century, ancient Greek scientists had demonstrated, by simple observation, that the Earth was round, or rather spherical. Of course, this did not prevent some people from believing that our planet was flat. To be fair, even some individuals don’t believe it now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 21, 2021•2 min
As you may have already noticed, if you bite aluminum foil, the strange sensation of heat or pain in your teeth is quite unpleasant. This is due to the contact between the aluminum and the metals that make up the fillings in some teeth. If you feel a tingling sensation when biting aluminum foil, it is because some of your teeth have been provided with fillings. In this case, the connection between the aluminum and the elements of the filling causes a reaction similar to that of a battery. See ac...
Apr 20, 2021•2 min
You all know the Bermuda shorts: those shorts that come down to the knee, unlike the classic shorts that only cover part of the thighs. You may be more familiar with the name “dad shorts.” While today it is considered as a vacation or a summer outfit for older generations, its origin is quite different. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 19, 2021•2 min
According to some estimates, the surname "Nguyen" is used by around 40% of the population in Vietnam. This country is home to 95 million people, so there are nearly 38 million Mr. or Mrs. Nguyen. This makes Nguyen the 4th most popular name in the world, just behind Lee, Zhang and Wang, all Chinese names. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 18, 2021•2 min
Mankind doesn't just send rockets or space probes into space. In fact, many unexpected objects have been launched into space, all for the sake of science. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 15, 2021•2 min
On the walls of the Egyptian pyramids, human depictions, and especially depictions of nobility, are often represented in profile. The reason they are designed this way is primarily religious. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the ancient Egyptian characters are not entirely represented in profile. Only the face, the legs and the arms are painted in this way. The bust and torse is represented from the front. And actually the singular eye on the profile face is depicted as if being viewed fr...
Apr 14, 2021•2 min
Have you noticed this before? Try this little experiment: Try to break a raw spaghetti noodle in half with your fingers by bending it until it breaks. If you give it a go, the noodle will most likely break, but not into two pieces. There's no need to feel sorry for yourself if you failed – your skills are not at fault. Raw spaghetti breaks into 3, 4, 5 or more pieces, but almost never in two. In fact, it is almost impossible to do so. This is the "mystery of the broken spaghetti". It may seem tr...
Apr 13, 2021•2 min
The paper clip was indeed a symbol of unity and resistance of a particular nation in the face of the Nazi occupation during the Second World War. And this nation is Norway. It is hard to imagine that such a mundane object, primarily used to hold sheets of paper together, could have had such a great and noble meaning. Yet, history and Norway prove us otherwise. At the turn of the 20th century, a Norwegian by the name of Johan Vaaler patented the first paper clip model, close to the one we use tod...
Apr 12, 2021•2 min
It's a fact that the more aviation savvy among you may have already observed: on the whole, airliners fly slower than they used to. If we take a random flight, for example from New York to Denver, it takes 19 minutes longer today than in 1983 to connect the two cities. This seems to go against the grain of technological progress, so what are the factors that explain this? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 11, 2021•2 min
The Sphinx of Giza is a monumental statue consisting of two distinct parts: a human face (that of a pharaoh wearing the nemes, the emblematic pharaonic headdress) and the elongated body of a lion. This Sphinx stands in front of the pyramids of the site of Giza, upstream of the Nile Delta in Egypt, near the modern city of Cairo. The Sphinx of Giza is 73 meters long, 20 meters high, and 14 meters wide. It is the largest monolithic monumental sculpture in the world. See acast.com/privacy for privac...
Apr 08, 2021•2 min
Before we begin, you should know that there are approximately 930 million left-handed people in the world. But can dominant sides lead people to be better (or worse) in specific subjects? Actually yes. Left-handed individuals are better at mathematics. To reach this conclusion, researchers from the University of Liverpool and Milan conducted a study of 2,300 Italian students aged 6 to 17 years old. These students were given a mathematics test consisting of easy questions such as addition and sub...
Apr 07, 2021•2 min
This curious myth that boys are born in cabbages and little girls in roses has not only one but two claimed origins. Here they are. The first of the two theories, claims that since ancient times, cabbage has been a symbol of fertility. This can probably be explained by its form and composition: its countless superimposed leaves. It is known that in this period, as well as in the Middle Ages, cabbage soup was traditionally served to young couples to increase their chances of having a baby. It was...
Apr 06, 2021•2 min
Maybe you've already asked yourself this question. It's quite natural since there are sometimes very few chips in a bag, especially compared to its size. The reason why chip bags are always half empty is that it is necessary for preservation. In fact, if the chips are exposed to oxygen for too long, they soften and spoil quickly. To keep them edible and crispy, they need to be few in number, and in contact with a particular gas: nitrogen. The absence of oxygen slows down the oxidation of the fat...
Apr 05, 2021•2 min
Christmas in Japan is a modern tradition that is constantly growing in importance, although the birth of Jesus Christ is rarely celebrated on the occasion. Only 1% of the Japanese population is Christian, so Christmas primarily revolves around the myth of Santa Claus. In Japan, this holiday is not an occasion for family gatherings, but rather meeting up as a couple or with friends. On New Year's Eve, people will gather for fancy meal, but their Christmas spread is a bit different. The center of ...
Apr 04, 2021•2 min
The "Hitler moustache": this is the familiar term used to refer to the mustache that prior to the end of the Second World War, was actually known as the "toothbrush moustache". Inevitably associated with the figure of the Führer, it has unsurprisingly been unfashionable since the mid-1940s. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 01, 2021•2 min
Loneliness affects between 10 and 20% of the population. It is known that loneliness can promote depression, lower the immune system, and even effect development. In order to measure the effects of loneliness on the brain’s mechanisms, a study was carried out using data from an English database. This database collects, among other things, genetic data and MRI results from approximately 40,000 people. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...
Mar 31, 2021•2 min
As you have no doubt noticed, yawning is a very contagious reflex. This mimicry, specific to humans and certain other primates, is explained by the activation of specific neurons called "mirror neurons". These neurons are activated when we see a person doing certain actions. If we see a person yawning, the mirror neurons lead us to imitate them. But this reproduction only applies to certain behaviors, such as yawning. In many other cases, the brain prevents this propensity to copy our fellow hum...
Mar 30, 2021•2 min
The leaves of laurel, a species of evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean basin, are often braided into a crown as a reward or as a symbolism of victory. To understand why, we have to go back to ancient Greece, and more specifically to a particular myth. According to ancient Greek mythology, Eros, the god of Love, decided to punish Apollo, the god of the Sun, for mocking him during an archery session. Both Eros and Apollo were renowned for their archery skills. See acast.com/privacy for pri...
Mar 29, 2021•2 min
The Veblen effect, more commonly known as the snobbery effect, can easily be summed up as the fact that we, as humans, like or want to buy objects, not because we need them or because we especially like them, but simply because of their price. Yep, because they’re expensive. This effect was highlighted by the economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen in his 1899 book The Theory of the Leisure Class. Veblen observes that if we look at the field of luxury goods, or at least those that allow peopl...
Mar 28, 2021•2 min
While not all bacteria that lurk in our homes are dangerous, some can transmit viral diseases and various infections, and some of which can be quite serious. These bacteria hide in every room of your home, but they are most prevalent in the kitchen. Yep, you heard it right. Contrary to popular belief, it is the kitchen and not the bathroom that is the most contaminated room in the house. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...
Mar 25, 2021•2 min
In these times of health crisis and containment, teleworking is on the rise. At home, some people tend to neglect their dress code. So the question is, does working in pajamas have consequences on the quality of our work? For many people, working at home does not imply the same dress codes. Many of us consider feel is no need to be dressed up to sit at the computer, especially if there are no video-conferences involved. So why not even stay in pajamas? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-o...
Mar 24, 2021•2 min
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Great Wall of China is the largest construction undertaken by man. Built, for the most part, between the 3rd century BC and the 17th century AD, it was intended to protect a unified China from invasions from the north. According to the latest official estimates, the Chinese Wall extends over 20,000 kilometers. The Great Wall is composed of walls averaging a height of six to seven meters, and also features ditches and natural barriers such as rivers or ...
Mar 23, 2021•2 min
Published in a specialized newspaper, a recent article echoes a Taiwanese study, which claims the consumption of wine would protect against Covid-19. Unfortunately for all our wine drinkers out there, this claim is anything but true. The study insists on the role of two natural components of wine, tannins, a biochemical found in grape skin or seeds, and polyphenols, an organic compound found in many plants. In addition to their antioxidant virtues, polyphenols are believed to disrupt the spread ...
Mar 22, 2021•2 min
The strange phrase "zero stroke" refers to a mental disorder that seems quite astonishing, earning it’s position in today’s You’ll Die Smarter episode, and not on a health podcast. So what is it all about? Zero stroke is a suspected mental disorder, diagnosed by doctors in Germany during the hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic (between 1921 and 1924). And this disorder was mainly characterized by the urge of patients to write endless rows of zeros. Yes, the number 0. How can this urge be expla...
Mar 21, 2021•3 min
The global symbol for "Peace and love" was invented in 1958. It was created at that time by the British graphic designer Gerald Holtom as part of protests against a nuclear weapons factory. This graphic designer, a graduate of the Royal College of Arts in London, was very involved in the movement. Holtom proposed that the protesters carry flags and posters with his logo during a peaceful march. This march had around 5000 people and took the protesters on a walk from Trafalgar Square in London to...
Mar 18, 2021•2 min
The protests in Tiananmen Square were immortalized by a photo that has become iconic. You may have seen this famous photo depicting a man with plastic grocery bags in his hands and standing in front of a line of tanks. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 17, 2021•2 min
You may have heard that, over time, couples end up looking alike. It has been said that by living together and sharing common activities, the faces of couples begin to resemble one another. This resemblance of couples who have been living together for a long time is a common statement, and sometimes supported by psychologists. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 16, 2021•2 min
Have you ever noticed that most male pilots are clean-shaven? Or if they have facial hair it is often a simple moustache? In fact, it is extremely rare to see a male airline pilot with a full beard, and there is a very special reason for this. And it has nothing to do with fashion. Let me explain. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 15, 2021•2 min
I’m sure you’re familiar with revolving doors. These types of doors that work like a turnstile are often found at the entrance of department stores and large hotels. Consisting of several wings, usually glazed, the user pushes a wing, causing the entire door to turn. By walking with the turning wings, the user then exits the dial on the other side. Interestingly, the direction of rotation doors is usually counter-clockwise. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Aca...
Mar 14, 2021•3 min
