Curious about the scientific facts of our lives

Even if you have multiple degrees, a high IQ and the title of a walking encyclopedia in the world in the hole there will always be a few fun facts about which you have never heard or thought of. And it seems this stock is inexhaustible!

Editorial hurry to please you with a fresh portion of notes from the series "And do you know?" And satisfy your hunger for information.

1. Why does a cat purrs?

"Of course, because she is happy!" - to answer experienced kotovladeltsy and will be right. However, cats respond murchaniem not only caress they can emit the sound of fear or hunger, to express their support and even cure.

Scientists have found that the frequency of our murchaniya baleen pets average varies between 50-150 Hz. Depending on the situation (expressing gratitude or requiring feed) animal will produce sounds of different pitch. A purr frequency of 20-140 Hz accelerates the healing of bones and tendons and relieves pain. By the way, veterinarians have noted that often a healthy cat purring next to the patient.

Scientists also believe that cats are evolutionarily developed a healing mechanism. Applying it is at rest, the animals spend "samoprofilaktiku".

2. Why flamingoes stand on one leg?

Flamingo differ unusual anatomy: a massive body with a long neck rests on tonyusenkoy long legs. Complementing the picture that these birds can stand for a long time, balancing on one leg. Why a vacation in such an awkward position?

All the matter in the heat exchange: the ratio of uncovered leg feathers to the body such that when the wind flamingos loses too much heat. Therefore, standing on one leg, the other flamingo hiding in his plumage to warm her. Moreover, it turns out, this situation does not cause them any inconvenience: the special physiology of birds prevent flexing of the supporting leg so it stays straight even without muscle strain.

3. Why the tower of Pisa no longer falls?

Due to the engineering miscalculations famous Leaning Tower of Pisa began to deviate in the direction almost since its inception in 1173. For centuries, attempts were made to restore the balance of the building. In 1990, it even had to be closed for tourists for fear that it is about to collapse may finally.

The take emergency architectural and technical measures for several years, were installed stabilizers, was careful to work with the soil. Finally, the experts concluded that because of Advanced Engineering Tower for the first time for so many centuries has ceased to fall. Moreover, now it is rectified over the last 20 years, the bell tower has risen to 4 cm is now very design is in a stable position, and worry about the safety of the monument and tourists do not have to..

4. What hides impasse beak?

Ornithologist Dunning Jamie (Jamie Dunning), studying the Atlantic Puffin, intended to detect bird feathers particles ultraviolet due to its belonging to the family of auks, but certainly did not expect that the light will be a bird's beak.

With the bright colors of the beak males attract the attention of females. However, most of the time the beak unremarkable and becomes saturated hue only in the mating season. The fact that the beaks of deadlocks even fluorescent, tends to suggest that the birds see each other not as we see them. However, it remains a mystery, what is the role of ultraviolet radiation and why it is concentrated in its beak.

5. As proteins can outwit all?

proteins are almost never kept all the supplies in one place, it is extremely short-sighted. Usually rodents scatter caches on a very large area. However, they meticulously sorting the harvest, leaving intact only the choicest fruits and seeds. Just dig into the ground stock is insufficient: squirrel mask its top foliage to its existence no one guessed. If the wily rodent notice that he was being watched, he would make an empty hornblende, and for this cache will choose a quiet place.

The scientists also concluded that the proteins have a phenomenal memory and an excellent landmark: they accurately find up to 95% of their "savings". In this case, the scent of them hardly is useful: firstly, smell the nuts under a layer of ice and snow is impossible, and secondly, rodents often ignore other people's caches, confidently heading towards its own.

6. Why is there no fingerprints in some people?

It seems that these people are simply created for megasekretnym agent never leaves traces, but in real life, this feature delivers more trouble than good. The absence of an individual pattern on the fingertips even called "immigration delay syndrome", as the entrance to the different countries, involving fingerprint verification, it becomes problematic for people who do not have fingerprints.

Now there are only 4 families in which there is a rare genetic disorder, scientifically called adermatoglifiey. It is associated with a mutation of a specific gene in the embryonic stage of development. Scientists continue observations, but so far no significant troubles with health in people with adermatoglifiey found.

7. Why is a beautiful bird, or "talented"?

In the animal world, males must have special qualities to get the attention of females. Studying birds, scientists have noted an interesting trend: males with bright and fancy feathers can only emit repetitive signals, while the nondescript, almost indistinguishable from females of other species of bird specimens possess enviable vocal. Ornithologists believe that to develop just two ways of conquering females was too expensive for evolution, so that each of the species was forced to make a choice in favor of the bright appearance and charming voice.

8. Why Japanese ice melts?

Innovative ice cream, known as Kanazawa Ice, has become quite popular in Japan. And all because of this cold dessert does not melt and does not spoil everything, even on hot summer days.

This effect is possible due to the polyphenols prepared from strawberry extract. Polyphenols herein function as an emulsifier, preventing mixed oil and aqueous parts cream. It's funny that the developers do not plan to improve the classic recipe for ice cream, and experimented with new strawberry dessert.

9. How green tea can be purple?

If you somehow decide to order green tea in the Azores, prepare to observe an interesting trick: right before your eyes water, bathed in a teapot, posereet first and then start to acquire a lilac hue, condensing to a saturated purple color. Do not worry, the owners of coffee shops are not planning to poison you: the whole thing in a special volcanic water obtained from local geothermal sources.

Boiling water rich unoxidized iron reacts with antioxidants in green tea. Such a "volcanic" drink is not just safe, but even pleasant to the taste and extremely rich in minerals.

10. Why is the main part of the Machu Picchu can not be seen?

Talking about the ancient city of the Incas, we will first of all pay tribute to its monumental walls and buildings of the complex. However, the expert Kenneth Wright (Kenneth Wright) argues that highlight Machu Picchu is not in the architecture and in engineering. We recall that the Incas did not use any draft animals, no iron tools, or even the wheel, and yet they were able to build stone structures and razravnyat area between two mountain peaks. Kenneth says that about 60% of the construction of Machu Picchu lies underground. It consists of a deep underground leaving the bases of buildings and crushed stone used as drainage. Due to such an incredibly well thought-out engineering work the city has survived to the present day.