Animal Curiosities: Tarantulas, not dangerous to humans

Tarantulas represent a group of hairy and very large (approximately 3-4 cm in length) spiders which belong to the family Theraphosidae. There are many colour variations of tarantulas – from light-brown to dark-gray. Tarantulas live in deep and damp holes in prairies and desert places. In the dark of night tarantulas hunt their prey. The tarantula’s poison is not very dangerous to humans, and some people even keep them as pets. The worst of a tarantula bite to a human is generally severe pain in the spot of the bite, later changing into reddening and swelling. Within 5-6 hours the mild illness resulting from the bite passes.

Curious Fictional Names: Yen Sid

Yen Sid is the powerful sorcerer in The Sorcerer's Apprentice, appearing as an old man with a long beard and robes that extended to the floor. The nickname ("Disney" spelled backwards) was given by Disney animators, as the sorcerer in the The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment of Fantasia had no onscreen name, nor does the character in the original Goethe poem "Der Zauberlehrling", the inspiration for the music piece by Paul Dukas.

Source: Wikipedia

Fun Facts: Why do People Yawn & Why is it Contagious?

You’re sitting in the middle of class, listening to a boring discussion, and you just can’t help but yawn. A classmate who was looking at you saw you yawn, and unconsciously yawned too. Why do people yawn? And why do people yawn after seeing someone else yawn?
Yawning is an interesting behavior that is being done not only by humans, but also by animals. Most individuals assume that yawning is brought about by boredom or exhaustion. Others don’t know why they yawn, except that they see someone else yawn first, and yawn too.
Although scientists still cannot pinpoint the exact biological mechanisms of a yawn, they agree that it is an involuntary reflex that controls the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood.
What is a yawn?
Technically speaking, a yawn is a reflex wherein the individual opens his mouth and inhales deeply, followed by a slow exhalation. This is one among the many involuntary reflexes managed by the nerve and spinal centers.
Why yawn?
Many scientists believe that the beginning of a yawn is due to fatigue or boredom. During these moments, breathing is thin and shallow, and less oxygen is brought to the lungs. When you yawn, more oxygen gets into your lungs and into your brain, making you feel more alert and energetic.
Effects of Yawning
When you yawn, the sudden rush of oxygen into your system increases your heart rate and eliminates the carbon dioxide buildup in the lungs and blood stream. Oxygen is also brought to the brain. Yawning ventilates the lungs and restores normal breathing.
Why is yawning contagious?
Scientists don’t really know why one person yawns when he sees another one yawn. And, this seemingly “contagious” behavior not only affects humans, but can be observed in animals as well. Others believe that it is because of the power of suggestion, but there’s really no exact explanation to this.
Also, another thing worth pondering on is that fetuses in the womb also yawn. Because they do not take in oxygen to their lungs until after birth, their act of yawning remains a mystery. Another thing that questions the theory of yawning is that even individuals who already have a high level of oxygen in their blood stream still yawn. If this is the case, what purpose does yawning serve?
There’s really no certain and direct answer to the reason behind yawning and why it is contagious. However, it is definitely something interesting to think about. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one to discover the answer to this great mystery!

Interesting Facts about Lemon

Lemon is better known to most of us as a fruit, mostly for its juice. Homemakers and caterers often use the zest or rind and the pulp in lemon for baking and cooking purposes. The most important fact about this lemon is that it contains citric acid with a tart flavor and a pH of around 2 to 3. More than its tart-like taste and its utility as lemon juice or lemonade, this little fruit has immense medicinal or healing features, which makes it so special. It would not be out of place to say that lemon is the synonym for Vitamin C, though there are also other forms of Vitamin C as well.
The rich source of chemical compounds that lemon contains plays an important role in improving immunity, strengthening the blood vessels, and healing the skin. It has been discovered that some of the chemical compounds present in lemon are successful in blocking certain cell changes that lead to the killer disease called cancer.
Lemon is useful for even small things apart from the big things such as fighting cancer, and strengthening the blood vessels. A quick rub of lemon in the armpits helps to combat the unpleasant smell. If you are suffering from a sore throat, then the instant relief from that would be to have a drink prepared by squeezing lemon into a cup of hot water and adding a little bit of honey. You will get an instant relief from the sore throat. Such is the effect of lemon that it is no secret that most of the cough syrups you find in a medical store have some amount of lemon content in them.
Lemon is the single largest and best source of Vitamin C. It has been found that a single lemon contains as much as 40 mg of Vitamin C, which, incidentally is the recommended intake of Vitamin C for one full day. The Vitamin C in lemons reduces the levels of histamine, which is responsible for contributing to stuffed noses and runny eyes. It is for this reason aged people and experienced persons advise to drink lemony drinks while suffering from cold.
We often come across the ailment of stones in the kidney and heard about or experienced the pain caused by those tiny stones. The chemical named citric acid, present in abundance in lemon, plays a vital role in reducing calcium excretion, and thus helps to a great extent in preventing the formation of little stones in the kidney.
The zest or rind of the lemon has some special properties as well. This zest has a rich content of bioflavonoid called rutin. Bioflavonoid belongs to a group of anti-oxidant plant chemicals. This rutin helps in strengthening the walls of the veins and capillaries in our body and reduces the pain in the veins considerably.
It has been found that a cup of black tea everyday with lemon added to it reduces certain types of skin cancer. The lemon content in the tea helps in enhancing the capability of an enzyme called glutathione S-transferase, which, in turn, detoxifies certain cancer-creating compounds in the body.

The Man Who Loved Women & Chocolate

Chocolate has a reputation as an aphrodisiac. The physiological basis of this claim is still controversial; but the insatiable womaniser Giacomo Casanova made a habit of consuming chocolate before lovemaking - and few of the women he seduced complained afterwards.
Giacomo Casanova also believed that chocolate had aphrodisiac qualities. He used to drink chocolate before making love to a woman. His lifetime consumption of the invigorating beverage is believed to have been huge.

Giacomo Casanova, the world’s most famous lover, had a secret weapon: chocolate. He savoured it before every romantic escapade, even drinking a mug of rich cocoa right before lovemaking. While the ultimate ladies’ man knew of chocolate’s aphrodisiacal powers, he probably didn’t know that eating it helped his health, too. Chocolate, Casanova's sensual secret, contains a high percentage of cocoa. Cocoa is high in flavonoids, which contain a host of health benefits.

A Disease with a Curious Name

Usually diseases are named after the scientists who discover them. The nerve and muscle disease known as Lou Gehrig's disease, however, is named after a famous American baseball player, Lou Gehrig, who died of it in 1941.
Henry Louis Gehrig (born June 19, 1903 — June 2, 1941) was an American baseball player. He played with the Yankees for most of his playing time which started in 1923 and ended in 1939. When he stopped playing, he went to a doctor who found out Gehrig had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS — which is now sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease). The doctor told Gehrig he had only a short time to live since amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s disease or motor neurone disease) is a chronic, progressive, almost always fatal neurological disease.
On July 4, 1939, there was a special observation of Gehrig by the other Yankees, and Gehrig gave a public talk that became well-known. When he spoke that day he said he was "the luckiest man on the face of the earth". The mayor of New York City congratulated him for his teamwork. He died less than two years later.
ALS does not show many symptoms, making it very hard to diagnose. It usually affects people ages 40-60. The earliest symptoms may include twitching, cramping, or stiffness of muscles; muscle weakness affecting an arm or a leg; slurred and strange-sounding nasal speech; or having a difficult time chewing or swallowing. These general symptoms then develop into clear weakness or atrophy that may cause a doctor to believe that a person has ALS.
Among the people who suffered from this disease is Professor Stephen Hawkins, the famous English theoretical physicist and mathematician. Because of ALS, he can not move or talk very well. The illness has gotten worse over the years and he is now almost completely paralyzed. He uses a wheelchair to move and an Intel computer to talk for him. He is one of the most clever living people.

Fun Facts: Do Cats Have Nine Lives?

Surprisingly, some people still believe in this superstition. But where does this misconception trace its roots? And why do people still say that cats have nine lives when it is clearly biologically impossible?
Well, cats can survive a fall from high-rise buildings with minimal or no injuries. Cats can survive accidents that would have killed humans. And cats can survive on eating food that is not suited for humans. So, is it true that cats really have nine lives? No. It is just a saying with no grain of truth on it. The fact that cats have a higher chance of survival compared to humans have nothing to do with lives, it has everything to do with their bodies’ design.
Cats are able to survive from falls because it has four paws, have the ability to bend their legs, and have a good sense of balance. When cats fall from a building, they can still land on their feet because even if they fall upside down, they can easily reposition themselves on air to ensure that they will land on four paws. Cats also have the ability to cushion the intensity of their landing. Their bones will not easily break because the force of the impact is distributed to the muscles and joints.
It is surprising to note that unlike humans, cats actually have a greater chance of survival if they fall from a higher place. There are data available from New York veterinarians who observed that more cats will die from a fall of 2-6 stories compared to those who fall from 7-32 stories. Laws of physics suggest that the rates will vary.
Regardless of their mass, all falling objects accelerate by 22 miles per hour every send they fall. But once it reaches the “terminal velocity”, the object’s friction will allow the fall to slow down depending on the mass. The smaller the object and the bigger its area, the more it will slow down. So if a cat falls from a higher floor, it can spread its legs like an umbrella, this increases the area where air can push through. It slows down the cat’s fall and enables him to avoid fatal accidents.
It is clear that the belief that cats have nine lives has its basis. But continually believing this misconception will do nothing good. It will only make it appear ignorant and unaware of the cat’s innate design to survive otherwise fatal falls.

Why Do Onions Make Us Cry?

It is not the strong odour of the onion, but the gas that the onion releases when we peel off this member of the lily family, makes us cry.
The onion itself contains oil, which contains sulfur, an irritant to both our noses and to our eyes. Cutting an onion arouses a gas contained within the onion, propanethiol S-oxide, which then couples with the enzymes in the onion to emit a passive sulfur compound. When this upwardly mobile gas encounters the water produced by the tear ducts in our eyelids, it produces sulfuric acid. In response to the caustic acid, our eyes automatically blink due to irritation and produce tears to flush out the sulfuric acid.
Moreover, to rid the eyes of this foreign substance, we instinctively rub our eyes with our hands, while into the act, which again exacerbates the situation, as our hands are coated with the caustic, sulfuric acid producing oil from cutting the onion.
The only remedy to get rid of this pungent, irritating oil of the onion is to boil it, and not to slice it or dice it.
There are some tricks, however, to make onion-dicing less problematic:
- Chop the onion under cold water. The volatile sulfured compounds will be released but then they react with the water, instead of reaching your eyes.
- You can freeze the onion for 10 minutes before cutting it. The cold temperature of the onion will slow down the chemical reaction which forms the volatile sulfured compunds.

The Girl Behind the Name Wendy

Wendy is one of the children visited by Peter Pan in the children's story Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. The name Wendy, which is a derivative of Gwendolyn, was invented by Barrie.

The Girl who inspired Barrie

Barrie introduced the character Wendy Darling in Peter Pan in 1904. It is well-known that J.M. Barrie's work was often inspired by the antics of children. Many important characters in his books are modeled after children of his friends and associates.
One such child was a little girl named Margaret Henley (shown above) who adored Barrie and always called him "my friendy". However, because she couldn't pronounce her r's, the words came out "my fwendy". One variation of the tale says Margaret called Barrie "friendy-wendy" or in her pronunciation, "fwendy-wendy".
Margaret Henley died at age six (c. 1895). But Barrie used Margaret's invented name "Wendy" for a character who symbolizes mothering, caring, loyalty, and undying friendship.
Margaret also used to wear a cloak. This cloak was the model for Wendy Darling's cloak in Peter Pan.
Despite the popularity of Peter Pan, "Wendy" as a name did not come into general use until the 1920s, although some parents used "Wenda", first appearing in 1907, as a familiar form of the name. The name Wendy was more popular in Britain (its country of origin) than in the United States. In the 1940s, the variation "Wendie" was regularly used and "Wendi" appeared in the 1960s, which is when the name reached its peak in Britain. In the United States Wendy reached its peak in the 1970s. By the 1980s, the popularity of Wendy was in sharp decline.

Other Wendys

* Wendy house (in American English playhouse) is a small house for small children to play in, often made of cloth and about 1-2 metres high.

* Wendy's is a type of fast food restaurant which is known for serving hamburgers. Many towns in the US and some large towns in the UK have a Wendy's.