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Even [[identical twins]] with the same [[genes]] can differ in handedness: one may be [[left-handed]] and the other right-handed. Such discordance in twin studies shows that although genes influence handedness, they do not determine it alone.
TwinIdentical twinHandedness+2About 10% of people worldwide are [[left-handed]]. A 2020 [[meta-analysis]] covering more than two million people estimated the best overall prevalence at 10.6%—confirming the familiar figure of roughly one person in ten.
Left-handednessHandednessHuman+1In 1907, biologist [[Henry Van Peters Wilson]] pushed a [[sponge]] through silk mesh into loose [[cells]]. They regrouped in seawater and regrew into a sponge. Later experiments mixing two species found that cells sorted by species and formed separate sponges.
Henry Van Peters WilsonSpongeCell+2One reason [[Airplane|airplane]] [[Airline meal|meals]] taste flat is [[Air pressure|cabin pressure]]. Cabins mimic 1,800–2,400 m altitude and dry nasal passages. A 2010 Fraunhofer experiment found sweet and salty [[Taste|taste]] sensitivity fell ~30%, so airlines emphasize umami and tomato juice.
AirplaneAirline mealAir pressure+3More than 90% of the [[Methane|methane]] [[Cattle|cattle]] produce escapes through [[Belching|belching]], not flatulence. Anaerobic microbes in the rumen ferment grass and generate methane, which exits primarily through the mouth.
CattleMethaneBelching+3[[Schrödinger's cat]] was made to criticize [[Quantum mechanics|quantum mechanics]], not explain it. In 1935, [[Erwin Schrödinger]] argued that the [[Copenhagen interpretation]] absurdly leaves an everyday cat both alive and dead. His critique became quantum theory's best-known illustration.
Schrödinger's catErwin SchrödingerQuantum mechanics+3[[Earth]] reaches its farthest point from the [[Sun]], aphelion, in early July—the Northern Hemisphere's [[Summer|summer]]. At ~152 million km, it is 5 million km farther than in January. [[Season|Seasons]] come from axial tilt, not distance: Earth is farthest from the Sun in midsummer.
EarthSunSummer+3On August 9, 1945, atomic bomb [[Fat Man]]'s primary target was [[Kokura]], not [[Nagasaki]]. Smoke and clouds obscured the target through 50 minutes and three failed runs. With fuel critically low, the B-29 Bockscar diverted to Nagasaki, its secondary target.
Atomic bombKokuraNagasaki+3In 1897, the [[Indiana]] House passed a bill that effectively made [[Pi|pi]] 3.2, 67–0. Its author, an amateur mathematician, thought he had squared the circle and offered free school rights. Purdue professor Clarence Waldo saw it in the Senate, explained the error, and the bill was tabled.
MathematicsPiUSA+2Sterile fly [[Maggot|maggots]] are an FDA-approved medical device. They eat only dead tissue and secrete compounds that clean wounds and kill drug-resistant bacteria. Where [[Antibiotic|antibiotics]] fail against chronic infections, maggot therapy can work. The [[FDA]] cleared it in 2004.
MaggotMedicineAntibiotic+2
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In 1945, engineer Percy Spencer noticed his [[Chocolate|chocolate]] bar had melted near a [[Radar|radar]] device. He tried [[Popcorn|popcorn]]—it popped. An [[Egg|egg]] exploded. Realizing microwaves heated water molecules, he patented the idea, and the world's first [[Microwave oven]] was born.
RadarMicrowave ovenInvention+5The first [[FIFA World Cup]] final in 1930 used two different [[Soccer ball|balls]]. [[Argentina]] and [[Uruguay]] both wanted their own ball, so FIFA split the match: Argentina’s ball in the first half, Uruguay’s in the second. Argentina led 2-1 at halftime; Uruguay came back to win 4-2.
FIFA World CupSoccer ballArgentina+2Four months before the 1966 [[FIFA World Cup]], the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen from a London exhibition. A week later, a dog named Pickles found it wrapped in newspaper under a south London hedge, and his owner received the reward.
FIFA World CupFootballJuvenile male [[dolphin]]s engage in same-sex sexual play, including inserting the penis into another male's [[blowhole]]. This serves as practice for later [[mating]] and forges bonds between males. Males who played more as juveniles later had greater reproductive success.
DolphinBlowholeMating+2[[Pluto]] hasn't completed a full [[Orbit]] around the sun since its 1930 discovery. With an orbital period of about 248 years, it will finish its first lap in 2178. Counting from its 2006 demotion as a [[Solar System]] [[Planet]], it will complete a full orbit in 2254.
PlutoOrbitSolar System+1Chemist Fredric Baur, whose [[Invention]] was the iconic [[Pringles]] tube [[Packaging]], asked that his ashes be buried in a Pringles can. When he died in 2008, his family stopped at a drugstore on the way to the funeral to buy an original-flavor can and placed his remains inside.
PringlesPackagingInvention+1
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The [[Axolotl]] can regrow a lost limb instead of sealing it with a scar. Cells at the wound form a blastema, then rebuild bone, muscle, and nerves with positional cues. It can also regenerate parts of its spinal cord and tail, making it a favorite model for regenerative medicine.
AxolotlRegenerationRegenerative medicine+1