What 5 Countries Don't Have Airports?

Five countries don’t have airports.

The quintet of nations lacking their own airports: Vatican City, San Marino, Monaco, Liechtenstein, and Andorra. 

They are all within Europe. 

What Barnyard Animals Don't Sweat?

Pigs don't sweat.

Although not the most glamorous of methods, sweating is a biologically ingenious way to keep cool. 

Our sweat glands employ energy. In this case, heat to evaporate water off our skin, which in turn cools us down. 

What Tool Was Once Called "the Puffing Billy"?

The earliest vacuum cleaners were horse-drawn.

In early 1901, English inventor Hubert Cecil Booth traveled to Empire Music Hall in London to witness a strange invention.

That was a mechanical aspirator designed to blow pressurized air to clean rail cars. 

Why Your Brain Uses Less Power Than a Lightbulb

The human brain runs on less power than a 60-watt lightbulb.

Some 500 million years ago, an ancient fish-like creature produced at least one offspring with a curious mutation — twice the number of genes. 

These excess genes began developing in new directions, eventually creating more and more complex brains.

What Animal Can You Hear From 5 Miles away?

A lion’s roar can be heard from more than 5 miles away.

It’s generally a good idea to keep your distance from lions, which is why it’s reassuring to know that hearing one doesn’t necessarily mean it’s nearby. 

A lion’s roar is so loud, in fact, that it can be heard from more than 5 miles away.

When Was a Pants Button a Life Saving Device?

Royal Air Force WWII uniforms included a pants button that served as a compass.

Tiny, hidden survival tools packed into the waistband of your pants may sound like something fantastical from a spy movie. 

But in the case of British wartime pilots, they were a reality.

What Breakfast Food Used to be a Gift for New Moms?

Bagels were once given as gifts to women after childbirth.

After a woman has had a bun in the oven for nine months, presenting her with a bagel might seem like a strange choice.

But some of the earliest writings on bagels relate to the idea of giving them as gifts to women after labor.

What Animal Has Been Around Longer Than Trees?

Sharks have been on Earth longer than trees.

Some species of trees that line city streets predate the dinosaurs by millions of years, but when it comes to the truly ancient, you need to look to the oceans. 

Sea-dwelling creatures have a many-millions-of-years head start on any terrestrial life-forms.

Take, for instance, the shark. This apex predator of the sea has been stalking the world’s oceans for upwards of 450 million years. 

A Newborn Red Kangaroo is Very Small

Newborn red kangaroos are less than an inch long.

A baby red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) is about the size of a jelly bean. 

Born after about 34 days of gestation, it’s less than an inch long or 100,000 times smaller than its adult height (roughly 4 feet). 

What University is Older Than the Inca Empire?

Oxford University is older than the Inca empire. 

You might associate the development of modern universities with intellectual movements. 

But the first universities predate those major periods in history, not by years but by centuries.

Octopuses Don't Really Have Tentacles!

Octopuses don’t have tentacles. They have arms.

The most distinguishing feature about an octopus is its set of eight appendages — after all, they’re right there in the name. 

But don’t confuse that tangle of limbs for tentacles, because octopuses don’t have those — they have arms. 

A Cat Once Co-authored a Scientific Paper

A cat once co-authored a physics paper.

Cats certainly aren’t unknown in the world of physics. 

Isaac Newton had a cat named Spithead (and supposedly created a cat door for him), while Albert Einstein once said that only two things provided refuge from the misery of life: “music and cats.” 

What Creatures Can Only Taste Salt?

Dolphins and whales can only taste salt.

Compared to other members of the animal kingdom, humans are pretty good at tasting things. 

Our primate biology gives us the ability to detect five basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (or savory).

What Fruit Was Once So Valuable People Rented Them for Parties?

Pineapples were once so valuable, people rented them for parties.

If you’re planning to throw a party, you might need to rent extra tables or chairs, perhaps even a tent or a tux. 

But in the 1700s, party hosts and guests looking to make a statement were in the rental market for an entirely different accessory: pineapples. 

Meet the Birds That Use Fire to Hunt

Certain birds in Australia likely use fire to hunt.

Manipulating fire is an ability unique to humans. Well, humans and “firehawks.” 

In 2017, scientists from Penn State Altoona analyzed tales surrounding the fire-spreading habits of three Australian raptors: black kites (Milvus migrans), whistling kites (Haliastur sphenurus), and brown falcons (Falco berigora). 

Where Are the World's Oldest Mummies?

The world’s oldest mummies are in Chile.

Egypt may be home to the world’s most famous mummies, but not the world’s oldest. 

That distinction belongs to Chile, where mummified remains predate their Egyptian counterparts by more than 2,000 years. 

Why Your Fingers Don't Have Muscles

There are no muscles in human fingers.

One of the most complex parts of human anatomy is also one (or rather two) that we use hundreds of times per day yet often take for granted. 

Human hands are the body’s multipurpose tools, equipped with 27 individual bones. 

Want to See Into the Future? Visit the Diomede Islands

In the Diomede Islands, you can cross from one day into another.

Seeing into the future is supposed to be impossible. 

But if you travel to the Diomede Islands of the Bering Strait, the impossible becomes reality. 

Person's Gender and the Way Their Hand Smells

Women and men may have different hand odors.

No two humans smell exactly alike, because odor is a complex medley of aromatic influences that come from our environment, genes, and various secretions.

All of these add up to what’s known as our volatile organic compound (VOC). 

Gender can also be a differentiating factor, as a 2023 study from Florida International University discovered. 

The State Capital on Top of a Volcano

Jackson, Mississippi, lies atop a dormant volcano.

At first glance, Jackson, Mississippi, is like any other state capital, with its domed capitol building standing squarely in the heart of the city. 

However, 2,900 feet below the surface lies a surprising secret — an ancient volcano.