sue me if you don't learn anything #1

these are some random facts i've written in my notes over the past weeks:

1. lizards survive very dry climates by slowing their heart rate (by 50-80%) and having waterproof skin. but they still need water sometimes, and most water in the desert just kills them faster because it's so salty. so what do they do?

nature has evolved this cool feature where some insects can filter the salt water they drink and store the salt in special kidneys, keeping their body fluids fresh. so the little lizard can eat the insect, avoid the salty kidney, and enjoy its meal. the bug is like a floating water bottle for the lizard.

2. when radioactive elements were discovered in the early 1900s, people thought they were magical. they believed radioactive elements could improve health and cure diseases. what made them believe this? if high doses of radiation kills cancer cells, low doses might have a healing effect on healthy cells, right...

this led to radioactive elements being used in toothpaste, skincare, baby food, and even in condoms! (i wonder if there are any parallels to this today. maybe doomscrolling and animal farming?)

3. there was a period of 1-2 million years of rain on earth. it's called the Carnian Pluvial Event and took place some 234-232 million years ago. this rain, caused by the eruption of large volcanoes, led to the rise of the dinosaurs by wiping out dominant reptiles. (non-stop rain covering the entire earth for a million years straight, how crazy is that?!)

4. kings in chess were originally indian kings; queens were viziers; bishops were elephants. chess was born in india called "chaturanga". the pieces on the chaturanga board represented the ancient indian army. it seems the first origins trace back to some sanskrit from 7th century AD, almost 1,400 years ago.

5. a cubic centimeter of air contains ~45 billion molecules. (that's roughly the population of Earth multiplied by six, in a space the size of a sugar cube, and it's invisible?!)

6. einstein failed his first college entrance exams. he was also rejected after applying to jobs as an university lecturer and as a high-school teacher because of poor attendance and "rebellious behavior". this was some 15-20 years before he became famous.

7. birds are the only dinosaurs left (not even descendants, literal dinosaurs). they survived because they could eat seeds and move efficiently during the disaster (and they don't need much food anyway).

8. do you know the difference between a meteoroid, meteor, and meteorite? they're the same object, but the name changes based on its distance from the earth: • meteoroid is when it's in space. • meteor is when it enters earth's atmosphere. • meteorite is what's left of the object if it survives and lands on earth.

9. humans are more likely to comply if they have a reason to. but the "reason" you give can be nonsense, yet it has effect. in a famous study, people waiting to use a copier were more likely to let someone cut in line simply because the person said, "can i use the copier because i need to make copies?" instead of just saying "can i use the copier?"

so always follow your ask with a reason: "can I borrow your charger? my phone's about to die" "can i join your table? i'm here alone" "could i get your feedback on this? i'm trying to get better and you seem smart."

10. a reason humans die is because as we get older we become less calorie efficient: you can't provide enough calories to your tribe per calories spent, so you get filtered out. nature couldn't afford to keep you in the loop.

11. did you know sharks can sense electromagnetic fields?! they have jelly-filled pores on their heads that sense electric signals from other animals and also earth's magnetic field. this is how great whites can swim in a straight line from sf to hawaii. also, sharks release chemicals called necromones after dying that signal to fellow sharks that they've died so the rest can flee from the area asap.