funfact.wiki
AboutGuidelinesTermsPrivacyContact

Content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Researchers found 33 ancient viruses in a Tibetan glacier... | funfact.wiki | funfact.wiki
Researchers found 33 ancient viruses in a Tibetan glacier core, about 15,000 years old. 28 were new to science. Because ice can preserve microbes and viruses for millennia, melting glaciers may expose long-frozen microorganisms to today's environment.
  • Glacier
  • Virus
  • Microorganism
  • Environment
  • Science
0
DiscussionHistory

Related Cards

Seasonings slow food spoilage not by killing microorganisms, but by stealing their water. Salt and spice molecules bind with free water in food, lowering its 'water activity.' Even if water is present, microbes cannot use it.
  • Seasoning
  • Food
  • Salt
  • Water
  • Microorganism
  • Chemistry
0
In the 1920s, Soviet biologist Ilya Ivanov tried to create a "Humanzee," a human-chimpanzee hybrid. All experiments in Africa and the Soviet Union failed. Modern genetics confirmed this is impossible: humans have 23 chromosome pairs, chimpanzees 24.
  • Soviet Union
  • Chimpanzee
  • Artificial insemination
  • Genetics
  • Chromosome
  • Science
0
The earthy smell after rain has a name: Petrichor. Its core is Geosmin, a molecule from soil Microorganisms that the human nose catches at just 5 parts per trillion—said to beat a shark smelling blood in water. Perhaps a trace of ancestors who sniffed out water on dry land.
  • Petrichor
  • Geosmin
  • Microorganism
  • Smell
  • Rain
0
In 2004, physicist Andre Geim discovered graphene by peeling scotch tape off graphite during a casual Friday evening experiment. This "dream nanomaterial"—200 times stronger than steel and 100 times more electrically conductive than copper—earned him the Nobel Prize in 2010.
  • Scotch tape
  • Graphene
  • Nobel Prize
  • Science
  • Invention
0
The "photic sneeze reflex," nicknamed ACHOO syndrome, causes people to sneeze when suddenly exposed to bright light. It's surprisingly common—affecting 18–35% of Americans and about 25% of the Japanese population.
  • Sneeze
  • Syndrome
  • Science
  • Light
0