A Decibel is not its own unit, but actually 1/10th of the seldom used “Bel”, a unit named in honor of Alexander Graham Bell for his contribution to acoustics. – WTF Fun Facts
Science
WTF Fun Fact – Z Machine Melts Diamonds
The Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, can melt diamonds using pressure, electromagnetic pulses and enough current to light 100 million light bulbs. Its intended use is to research nuclear fusion. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: The Z Machine Generates Pressures so Intense That It Can Melt Diamonds (scitechdaily.com)
WTF Fun Fact – The Diderot Effect
The Diderot Effect is obtaining a new possession which often creates a spiral of consumption leading you to buy more new things. As a result, you end up purchasing things that your previous self never needed to feel happy or fulfilled. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Diderot effect – Wikipedia
WTF Fun Fact – Slow Blink To Communicate With Cats
By narrowing your eyes and slowly blinking, you can communicate with cats that you are friendly and improve your chances that they approach and are receptive to you. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Study Confirms ‘Slow Blinks’ Really Do Work to Communicate With Your Cat (sciencealert.com)
WTF Fun Fact – Cows With Human-Scented Cologne
Biotech company ISCA Technologies is developing a human-scented cologne for cows so that mosquitoes bite them instead of humans. The cows are not at risk from Malaria and can even be treated with insecticide to kill the mosquitoes that do bite them. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Helper’s High
There is a psychological state called “helper’s high” whereby giving produces endorphins in the brain that provide a mild version of a morphine high. Research has shown that helping others lights up the same part of the brain as receiving rewards or experiencing pleasure. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Bioengineered Mosquitoes
In April 2021, researchers from biotech company Oxitec released bioengineered male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which don’t bite, to mate with the wild female population in the Florida keys. The genetically engineered males will pass a modified gene on that will kill their female offspring as larva. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: First genetically modified mosquitoes released in the United States (nature.com)
WTF Fun Fact – Goat Milk Spider Silk
Scientists managed to successfully mix goats with spider genes and now they can produce an extra protein in their milk, which is extracted and spun into spider silk thread. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: The goats with spider genes and silk in their milk – BBC News
WTF Fun Fact – Enclothed cognition
A study found people scored higher in a mental agility test while wearing a lab coat that they believed was a doctor’s coat. The effect was not there when they believed the same white coat was a painter’s coat. – WTF Fun Facts