That’s Hard to Believe

Urban legends abound in cyberspace

In today’s informed society you wouldn’t think that some urban legends would be so believable.  Yet these obvious tall tales still persist and flourish on the internet, where everything is so easy to debunk with a little research.  People blindly forward email containing promises of riches untold for forwarding said email and there is always an abundance of Photoshopped pictures that defy all known laws of physics.

Some of the storytelling has become quite good, while others are the same old story with a new face.  Regardless of the method, the myths and legends still persist.  This can only mean one thing, it’s not the technology or the education, it’s the human mind.  We still believe what we want to believe and discount everything that we don’t.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the truth is in the mind of the believer.

Here is a list of the top 25 urban legends as of this week at About.com

Some Interesting Science Facts

At the apex of knowing everything, is a complete understanding of random science facts

You never know when you might find yourself on a game show, or deep into a tough competition of trivia with your neighbors. In any case, it is always handy to have some solid bits of science fact to keep you at the top of your game.

Did you know that 10 percent of all human beings ever born are alive at this very moment? Did you also know that every second around 100 lightning bolts strike the Earth? All this and more await your approval.

Read 100 Interesting Science Facts at Ibzi.net (via Digg.com)

Building a Hydrogen Bomb with your Kids

Share the joys of science with your little ones as you recreate the fundamentals behind a weapon of mass destruction

It sounds like the perfect terrorist weapon, but it is a toy that teaches the principles of electrochemistry. It’s also a high-tech squirt gun.

The Plastic Hydrogen Bomb uses electricity to break apart water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Then it uses a spark of electricity to explosively recombine the gases into high pressure steam, which propels a stream of water high into the air. Who says science can’t be fun?

Learn how to create a Plastic Hydrogen Bomb at “Science Toys You Can Build with your Kids”

The Hutchison Effect

Once again, one of our favorite stops on the expressway of obscure education succeeds in keeping our brains stocked with fresh knowledge

Alan Bellows of DamnInteresting.com writes... What the H-Effect is purported to do is nothing short of extraordinary. It is said to cause objects to defy gravity, cause metal to spontaneously fracture, cause dissimilar materials to fuse (such as metal and wood), and other strange phenomena.

Hutchison has captured the effect on video many times, and claims to have demonstrated it for scientists from U.S. Army intelligence. But the claims are mired in doubt because the effect is not reproducible, even by the discoverer himself.

Read the Full Article at DamnInteresting.com

A Glimpse into the History of Easter Candy

Join us as we delve into the delectable not-so-distant past of Easter candy and learn, among other things, just how Marshmallow Peeps came to rule parts of the world.

The days are longer, the sun is brighter, the colors are rich, and the candies are pastel. It’s springtime for many parts of the world once again, and in celebration of its triumphant return we enter into the saccharin sanctity of a world filled with Marshmallow Peeps, Jelly Beans, and other well packaged bits of sweetness sure to bring about a sugar-induced coma.

What are Cobwebs?

That nagging question you’ve always wondered about is finally answered!

You’re cleaning your house, you look up, and you spot what appears to be a dusty spiderweb.  But is it really a spider web?  You don’t see any spiders in the web or nearby, nor does this look like any spiderweb you’ve ever seen.  There is no definite pattern to the web’s design and you see no helpless prey stuck in the sticky mess.

What is this “spiderweb” and where did it come from? If this question has been on your mind for one reason or another, or you think you know and just want to check your fact; feel free to read on.

Chaos and your everyday Traffic Jam

Can the careless actions of a single person leave behind no physical trace, aside from a troublesome traffic jam?

The story is all too familiar. You’re on your way somewhere, when suddenly you find yourself stuck in traffic. It’s not a typical “rush hour” time of day and normally traffic does not get backed up like this. You figure there must be an accident or some type of serious incident up ahead just out of sight.

You slowly creep your way forward, bumper to bumper, continually looking for the flashing lights of ambulances and police cars; the telltale signs of a roadway incident. Then, all of a sudden, traffic begins to move normally again. There is no sign of an accident, incident, or any other cause of the slowdown in traffic. What happened?

The Ultimate Banana Buyers Guide

All you never wanted to know about bananas

When thinking of fruit, most people can’t help but to picture a banana almost immediately. Bananas were first introduced to the American public at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, the same expo that introduced Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone. They were wrapped in tin foil and sold for 10 cents each.

Over the years, the banana has become one of the most well known fruits and is symbolic of what many believe to be the perfect fruit. The average person in North America alone consumes approximately 29 pounds of (yellow cavendish) bananas per year, making it the world’s most popular fruit.

That Sharp Pain in your Chest

Do you ever get a piercing pain in your chest, usually on your left side under your rib, which almost feels like a bubble ready to burst?

It causes you to catch your breath, and you try not to breathe in or breathe out too much because it’s extremely painful either way. You take short, staggered breaths and try not to move. Finally, you work up the courage to take a sharp inhale or exhale. You feel a sensation similar to a bubble bursting and the pain is gone.

What is this strange sensation that is so painful and uncomfortable? It is actually a very common condition and most people have experienced it. The medical term for this occurrence is Precordial Catch Syndrome.