13 Awesome Facts That Sound Like Bullshit But Are Actually Real

Our planet is full of wonders. Some of these wonders are just too magnificent to be comprehended and understood by our brains. When this happens it seems unreal and unbelievable to the point it may sound like a hoax or in crude terms – bullshit.

But when the wisdom of scientists catches up with us, after reading the well-explained theory behind these facts, we finally wrap our heads around the awesomeness of it all.

Yes, human acts are also included. After all, humans are also wonders in themselves.

Take a look.

1. Radioactive elements were added to toothpaste and chocolates in the 1920s

We all remember Radium in our watches and on stickers, but when it was newly isolated in the 1920s, American businessmen put the radioactive element in consumable products, thinking it will sell more.

What is even more bizarre that they even labelled these products as radioactive, which today, would have made people run away as fast as possible.

They put Radium in everything – chocolates, woollen sweaters, toothpaste, lipsticks and even in cigarettes.

Fact Source

 

2. There are people on the planet who haven’t had human contact forever

The North Sentinal island in Andaman is home to the most isolated group of the people in the world. They hate any outside human contact, and also cannot really afford it since they do not have the immune systems to handle our diseases.

Yes, they are so isolated for millennia that their bodies haven’t evolved to fight even simple diseases like the common cold.

Fact Source

 

3. Squirrels have been trained and acted as spies

Sounds like paranoia, but the Iranian intelligence agencies captured a squad of 14 squirrels with alleged hi-tech gear on them and detained the whole group. They accused them of spying on the nuclear power plant where they were caught.

This is not the first time an animal has been accused of spying. A vulture was caught by Saudi authorities for spying and a cat was accosted by the Brazilian police when it tried to smuggle illegal goods into a prison.

Fact Source

 

4. You get permanent tattoos after being struck by a lightning

Not really tattoos, but technically the same thing, when you get hit by a lightning and survive – you get scars. And these scars have a pattern that are called the Lichtenberg Figures.

They are there for life – just like tattoos.

Fact Source

 

5. The light that you are seeing right now is 100,000 years old

Our Sun is very dense although it is made by plasma. It is so dense that the photons produced at its core take almost 100,000 years to get to the surface.

That means all the light around us was created approximately when the first humans walked the earth.

Fact Source

 

6. Humans can be trained to see without eyes

A simple device which captures images and transmits them onto an electronic pad that rests on your tongue can teach you to see without having the ability to see.

The pad on the tongue recreates the image and we can feel it and know how our surroundings actually look. After a while, our brain can efficiently navigate through rooms aptly recognizing objects and obstacles in our path.

Fact Source

 

7. A mantis shrimp can produce the heat wave that is equal to the surface temperature of the sun

The Mantis Shrimp kills rapidly by quickly moving its appendages and creating a vacuum under the sea. These appendages move at the speed of a gun bullet and because of this sudden and fast movement, temperatures of thousands of Kelvin is produced in the bubble.

This magnificent creature kills with this combination of claws and the shock-wave produced by the rapid unfurling of the claw.

Fact Source

 

8. The Playboy magazine can be read by blind people

Because it was  printed in braille too. The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped has been printing the braille versions of the magazine since the 1970s.

Good people.

Fact Source

 

9. Liquor and wine are illegal in the USA unless it is radioactive

Liquor in America is allowed to be sold only if it is radioactive. When tested, it has to have 400 radioactive decays per minute.

This is done to test for authenticity of alcohols. A very efficient way to test your favorite wine for sure.

Fact Source

 

10. There are psychopaths in animal kingdom

The Least Weasel has a penchant for hunting, so much so that it hunts compulsively even after killing once. It sets the uneaten prey aside and proceeds to another kill, and so on.

Classic serial killer characteristics.

Fact Source

 

11. There is a medical condition where humans turn into literal statues

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva  is a disease where the body replaces all connective tissue with bones. This means all your joints can be frozen into place because they are turned into hard bone.

In the most famous case, the patient suffered from this condition to the extent that he could not move a single muscle – except his lips.

Fact Source

 

12. The classic Windows XP wallpaper is a real photo

Yes, the default wallpaper we all remember from Windows XP is a real photo. It was not digitally retouched or modified in any way.

The photo was taken by Charles O’Rear when he was passing the Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California.

Here is what the location looks like today –

Fact Source

 

13. More than a 500 species exhibit homosexual behavior

I am just going to leave this here.

(Some sources peg the number of species to 1600.)

Fact Source

The world is a strange and wonderful place with new things to learn every day!

Cover Image Source