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  Original photo by RealPeopleGroup/ iStock Around one in four people sneeze when they see a bright light. Sunlight tends to be good for us. It helps our bodies create vitamin D and mood-lifting serotonin, and  even syncs our circadian rhythms . However, some people experience an unexpected side effect after glancing into the sun: sneezing. As many as   one in four people have the reaction , appropriately   called ACHOO syndrome   (short for autosomal dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst). The sun isn’t the only thing to blame — the reaction can occur when moving from dark to light settings, after seeing bright lights, or even from witnessing a camera flash. ACHOO syndrome — also called “photic sneeze reflex” or “sun sneezing” — isn’t an allergy. While researchers  aren’t entirely sure why it happens , one theory is that it’s caused by a nervous system misfire involving the trigeminal nerve, which connects the eyes and nose with the brain. Within s...

  Original photo by Andriiii/ Shutterstock You can see inside your own eye. Your eyes are how you see the world, but they’re also how you see yourself — including  inside of your own eye . You may have experienced this while having your eyes examined, such as when the doctor shines a light on your pupils. When light comes from a small point and hits your eye just right, you can see your own blood cells as they move through the capillaries on your retina. The light reflects off the vessels, casting a shadow onto the light-sensitive cells in the retina and rendering them visible to your brain in a pattern of orange or red coloration. Each heartbeat sends those blood cells surging, adding a rhythmic quality to this strange phenomenon.  You may also have experienced what’s called the  blue field entoptic phenomenon  while staring at the clear blue sky and noticing clear, floating cells moving through your field of vision. Unlike red blood cells, white blood cells do...

  The United States is made up of 50 states, yet four of them — Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Kentucky — are officially referred to as commonwealths. Their names are technically styled as the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, etc. The term “commonwealth” is frequently associated with Great Britain, and its ongoing alignment with many countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. But in the U.S., which was also once under British rule, the term has a somewhat different meaning. A commonwealth is defined as a political entity founded for the good of the people. The word dates back to the mid-15th century and was given weight by political philosophers such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes throughout the 17th century. The term was also popularized during this period due to the execution of England’s King Charles I in 1649. After the king’s death, the country was declared a republic , and was known as the Commonwealth of England until t...

America's first theme park was focused on Santa Claus. In most cities, Christmas comes once a year… unless you live in Santa Claus, Indiana, the self-proclaimed home of the holiday season and America’s first theme park: Santa Claus Land. While amusement parks have  existed in the U.S. since the 1840s , at the beginning the general idea was just having fun. It wasn’t until 1946, with Santa Claus Land’s opening, that amusement parks  began developing specific themes . The attraction took advantage of the town’s unique name, hoping to draw in visitors who wanted to experience a bit of holiday spirit any time of year, and especially youngsters keen to meet St. Nick himself. Owner Louis Koch, who built the theme park as a retirement project, planned the destination with children in mind; his original park featured a toy shop, doll displays, children’s rides, and a restaurant. Over time, Koch also added a mini circus, deer farm, wax museum, and live entertainment. But Santa Claus La...

  F rom 1776 to 1800, the United States capital bounced around between  nine different cities . This frequent relocation was due to a mix of safety concerns amid the American Revolutionary War and a lack of a bureaucratic infrastructure in one centralized place. Philadelphia served as the nation’s first capital (at the time, the capital was considered to be the city where Congress met and enacted legislation) after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. But due to safety concerns regarding a potential British attack on the city, Congress relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, on December 20, 1776, and the seat of government remained there for just over two months.  Congress returned to Philadelphia in March 1777, but fled once again due to the British occupation of the city that September. Delegates retreated further into Pennsylvania, settling in Lancaster for a single day on September 27, 1777, and then moving to York. After the British army departe...

  It’s technically impossible to be “double-jointed.” Growing up, many people encounter that one friend who seems to be especially flexible — thumbs curve back, limbs jut out at awkward angles, and legs bend with unparalleled pliability. While this contortionist act is often said to be the result of being “double-jointed,” such a medical  diagnosis doesn’t actually exist . Instead, a large portion of humanity is  best described  as having “hypermobility” or “joint laxity.” This means that some people are born with loose ligaments or other bone oddities that make them more flexible than most. For the majority, hyperflexibility isn’t harmful, but a small percentage — those with  joint hypermobility syndrome  — can experience pain. So in the end, all humans have the same number of joints, but as for the tautness of our ligaments? Well, that’s a different story. Note:  The above comes directly from the Interesting Facts website.

  About 10% of adults have an extra vertebra in their spine. The adult human body  contains 206 bones , but that’s just a rough estimate. Biology doesn’t always follow the rules when humans — and other animals — grow from a clump of cells to full-fledged creatures. Even in generally healthy humans, this growing process can create a series of extra, or “supernumerary,” features. This can mean an  extra rib ,  additional teeth , and yes, even  an additional vertebra . This last one is particularly notable considering how central the spine is to a healthy, well-functioning body. According to scientists, about 10% of the population has an extra lumbar vertebra (known as L6). Lumbar vertebrae,  the largest bones  in the spinal column, protect the spinal cord — filled with tissues, cells, and nerves — while supporting the body’s weight and allowing for a wide range of motions. One might think that adding a sixth vertebra to the mix would mess with this delic...

  The forgotten history of cats in the navy Sailors embraced their feline colleagues, giving them tiny uniforms and their very own hammocks. But cats are natural outlaws—so it couldn’t last forever. By Scot Christenson April 12, 2023 They had names such as Tom the Terror, Wockle, Bounce, and Dirty Face. They traveled thousands of miles on the most storied warships with some of the saltiest sailors. They were valued members of the crew, often issued custom miniature uniforms and their own tiny hammocks. Many never set a paw on dry land during their entire lives. They were the cats that served in the world’s navies. Cats have been on ships for almost as long as humans have been going to sea, and sailors have been largely responsible for spreading cats across the globe. Ancient Egyptian tomb paintings depict cats hunting from boats sailing down the Nile, while Phoenicians recognized the value of controlling the rodent population on their ships as they traded throughout the Mediterrane...

  Some Civil War ships used cotton for armor. When the Civil War began in 1861, the United States Navy had just 90 warships. By the conflict’s end four years later, it had 626. Sixty-five of the ships were ironclads, which were the strongest seafaring vessels in the world at the time. But they were also expensive and made from scarce resources, which is why they accounted for such a small percentage of either side’s fleet. Hence the Confederacy’s eventual reliance on “ cottonclads ,” which were armored with 500-pound bales of cotton lining their sides. Because they were weaker than their iron counterparts, cottonclads would often steam at full speed toward their combatants as the cotton absorbed as much enemy gunfire as possible, then would attack once they were within firing range.  This proved more successful than you might expect. The Battle of Galveston began before dawn on January 1, 1863, with cottonclads playing a crucial role in the Confederate victory; the South held ...

  New bat discovery could help humans hibernate during space travel The 21-month trip to Mars poses a litany of problems, particularly keeping people healthy. Could hibernation be an answer? BySarah Philip    December 16, 2024 For its next giant leap forward, NASA plans to send astronauts to Mars by the 2030s . The 21-month trip presents unique challenges, particularly keeping people healthy during such a long space voyage. But what once seemed like an impossible solution is now gathering momentum: Hibernation. In winter, many mammals enter a state of torpor, dropping their body temperature and slowing down their metabolism and brain activity to save energy. However, people can’t hibernate for a few reasons: Our bodies can’t store enough fat without harming ourselves, function at such low energy and brain activity levels, or survive a massive drop in body temperature. (Read about surprising hibernators in nature.) Gerald Kerth , a zoologist at the University of Greifswald...

A 32-foot Christmas tree stands in Salisbury Cathedral in England. In the 17th century, churches across the country were forbidden from decking the halls for Christmas—which Puritans rejected as a pagan festival covered with a Christian veneer. Photograph by Finnbarr Webster, Getty Images In 1647, Christmas was canceled—by Christians Riots. Looting. Defiant acts of… stringing up holly? When Puritans in Parliament banned Christmas, it sparked revolts across England. ByParissa DJangi December 15, 2023 On Christmas Day in 1647, a riot broke out in Canterbury, a city 60 miles southeast of London. The inciting event? Mayor William Bridge had ordered the arrest of a shop owner and attempted to clap him in the stockade—all for closing his shop for the holiday. A crowd of onlookers refused to stand by and do nothing. They attacked Bridge—and then started to riot. They smashed the windows of shops that had remained open for business, looted them, and quickly claimed control of Canterbury. They...

  I n today’s English lexicon, the word “computer” almost exclusively refers to electronic devices — but it used to be a human job. For centuries, “computer” meant “one who computes,” particularly in an astronomical observatory or as a surveyor. This definition dates all the way back to the  early 1600s , long before even the most primitive digital computing machines existed. The role of computers was, more often than not, filled by women. Although the work required a great deal of skill and made major contributions to the field of astronomy, computing was considered clerical work. In the 1870s, the Harvard College Observatory hired several dozen women as computers, who compared photographic plates of the night sky and painstakingly measured the differences in stars’ positions. Among them were Williamina Fleming, who pioneered classifying stars by temperature; Annie Jump Cannon, who created the letter stellar classification system that scientists still use today; and Henrietta...

  Original photo by Kara Capaldo/ iStock Baby blue whales gain about 8 pounds an hour. In their first year of life, human babies  nearly triple their weight . And while that sounds like an impressive stretch of growth, it’s nothing compared to blue whales. These cetacean newborns, which already  weigh around 3 tons at birth , pack on upwards of 200 pounds  a day , meaning baby blue whales bulk up  at a rate of about 8 pounds an hour . This incredible growth spurt makes sense when you analyze a young blue whale’s diet, which consists exclusively of 100 gallons of its mother’s milk every day — and this isn’t anything like the milk you buy at the grocery store. Where cow-supplied whole milk contains around 3.25% milk fat, a female blue whale’s milk  contains upwards of 50% milk fat . A blue whale calf will nurse with its mother for about seven months until reaching around 52 feet in length and tipping the scales at around 23 tons.  Although weighing aroun...

  Why Do We Say “Bah, Humbug!”? Much like we associate “D’oh!” with Homer Simpson or “Good grief!” with Charlie Brown, the exclamation “Bah, humbug!” is forever intertwined with Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella  A Christmas Carol . But the word “humbug” existed prior to the work of fiction in which it was popularized, and furthermore, Scrooge’s grumpy message is often misinterpreted. The word “bah” has been used since the early 19th century as “an expression of contempt or disagreement.” But “humbug” was coined around 50 years earlier. (If you’re doing the math, “humbug” was 1750s slang, “bah” was from the 1810s, and Dickens wrote  A Christmas Carol  in 1843.) “Humbug” originally meant “a hoax; a jesting or befooling trick,” and was commonly used around that time to describe a sham or other misleading event. When Scrooge shouts, “Bah, humbug!,” you might think he holds feelings of hatred toward Christmas. While that could certainly b...