Voyager Online: Sci Facts

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So you're into sci fi? But what about sci fact? Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction...

Each month our very own Voyager Science Queen* will bring you interesting, quirky and downright bizarre tid bits from the world of science. And its all completely, totally, 100% true!

September Sci-Facts

A Grab Bag of Small Facts

Not all facts have to be big and important. The accumulation of small facts can add up to something spectacular, particularly if apparently unrelated facts are put together to create something new revelation on the structure of our universe. This isn’t going to happen here though. I’ve picked these facts for their fun value.

Bees can see more colours than human beings	Don’t go boiling eggs around the family silver
They see both into the infrared and the ultraviolet; flowers often have marking in these colours that are invisible to the human eye.	The heat releases the ‘bad egg’ gas, which soon convert to sulphuric acid in the steam. The acid will corrode you silver.
A pregnant woman can be referred to as the ‘third sex’	The Horse evolved in North America
The hormonal changes within her body have to be studied separately to the systems of males and non-pregnant females, as they change rapidly from conception to birth. The various hormonal levels can vary on a day-to-day basis. Even after the birth of her child, she may not return to her normal cycle for up to a year.	They became extinct there soon after man migrated over the Great Northern Land Bridge, while the ancestors of the modern animal crossed over into Asia, Europe and Africa. They were reintroduced by the Spanish, and rapidly reconquered their original territory.
Dinosaurs used stones in their guts to help digest their food	The human liver is designed to break down toxins
They share the use of grinding stones with their relatives, the modern day birds. One South American dinosaur skeleton was discovered with a large rock in the vicinity of its throat, giving rise to the speculation that it choked while trying to swallow another grinding stone.	This is why alcohol can damage the organ, as high levels of alcohol are quite poisonous. You can’t survive the removal of your liver, just as you can’t survive the removal of your heart or lungs; the toxins would built up in your tissues until your other organs ceased to be able to function.
The coastal littoral zone is one of the most diverse ecosystems in nature	Why can’t women run as fast as men? Or throw as hard and fast?
This is due to the constant introduction of new nutrients from the tidal inundations, and the variation in environmental conditions; in one day, the intertidal area can be desert dry & baking hot or cool & aquatic. This means that the life in these zones have to be equipped to survive both extremes. So, observe the mighty limpet! Not only is it designed to survive in these wildly variable conditions; it manages to thrive and reproduce.	Women need to have a bigger pelvic girdle, to accommodate the large heads of her offspring. This means that women do not have the optimal structure for running…but it does give them the ‘wiggle’ in their walk, to compensate for the wider stride. As well, their wider hips mean that their skeletons have an alternative ‘hang’ structure for their elbows, so as not to interfere with the ‘swing’ of their arms.
Predators see movement before they see pattern	Houdini’s milk can escape was dependent on the pocket of air trapped at the top of the sealed can.
As humans are excellent at pattern recognition, we must have been prey long before we developed our hunting abilities. In fact, without our social structure, it is unlikely we would have ever stopped being a prey animal.	Houdini nearly died when he substituted beer for milk, as the gas in beer bubbles doesn’t contain oxygen.
A giraffe’s neck contains no more bones than any other animal.
Instead, the bones are unusually elongated, with special articulations to help support the weight of the structure.

*The Voyager Science Queen is also known as Lynne Green

So, who is this woman who attempts to entertain us with Science?

Well, I really am a scientist. I have a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Queensland, in Zoology. And, at the moment, I am working in a Pathology laboratory.

I have always been intensely curious about every aspect of our universe, from the teeny tiny workings of the gene right up to the mind-bending forces that are twisting and knotting inside a blackhole. So, now I am sharing a brain stuffed full of trivia…and hopefully entertaining people at the same time.

As well, I write Fantasy stories and novels. One day, I hope to have a book published, but don't hold your breath. Reading is my other major love, and my favourite authors are Terry Pratchett and Isaac Asimov, though I could list hundreds of others. If I had one wish, I ask for more time to write!

Read previous Sci-Facts:

Bits and Bobs
Australian Achievements
Getting Your Attention
May Sci-Facts
After the Big Bang
The Big Bang
Ashes to ashes; Dust to dust
Twists in the tale
Robots in the Swim and other things
The Tachyon and other things

Looking for more scientific oddities? Have you checked out Dr Steven Juan's website? He is, quite literally, the wizard of odds!