Â
Orville and Wilbur Wright are historical figures because of their pioneering work in aviation and the fact that they built and flew the first successful airplane, the Kitty Hawk. The amazing thing was that both Orville and Wilbur were not researchers or aeronautical engineers but simply mechanics who ran a bicycle shop in Daytona, Ohio.
After opening the shop in 1892, they designed their own bike called the Van Cleve. The bicycle shop paid the bills while they pursued their dream of conquering the skies.
The Wright brothers studied basic aeronautical books and constructed various airplane wings and prototypes before they finally created the successful Kitty Hawk which was constructed with huge 8 foot propellers and even had its own unique lightweight engine that produced around 12 horsepower and weighed just 152 pounds.
Despite the many counter claims and disputes over the Wright brothers title of the inventors of airplanes there is no doubt that what they achieved in their time was awesome by any standards.
Â
Â
There are 9 planets within our solar system and all of them are rotating around the sun thanks to its natural gravitational pull. Thats a pretty unique setup and until the mid 90s the idea of other solar systems in distant galaxies was mere speculation.
That speculation became a reality in 1995 when the first extra-solar planet called 51 Pegasi b was discovered. What exactly is an extra-solar planet then ? Well simply put it’s a planet that not only exists outside of our solar system but also has its own central star which it rotates around. These planets are known as exoplanets or extra-solar planets.
Most exoplanets are discovered by chance but certain signs such as the regular dimming of a star can indicate whether an exoplanet might exist. When a planet moves in a regular transit around a central star its mass causes the dimming of the central star. This dimming is a key sign and indicator of possible exoplanet existance.
Since 1995 more than 200 extra-solar planets have been found and all of these are as big if not bigger than Jupiter. As technology improves perhaps smaller exo-planets can also be found but for now the mere existance of these exoplanets is an amazing discovery and really brings the subject of extra terrestrial life to the forefront of scientific discussion.
Bats are always compared and associated with vampires, halloween and other scary things but did you know that not all bats drink blood. In fact the shape of the bat’s skull can indicate the food it eats ?
The bats with thicker jaws and bigger teeth eat hard-shelled insects such as beetles, these bats are called insectivores. The other bats with thick jaws but with blade-like teeth prefer hard fruits, such as figs and are called frugivores.
The bats with longer skulls and hence bigger brains prey on other animals and are carnivores. The bats with long but narrow skulls like to eat nectar and are called nectarivores whilst the bats with long snouts are sanguinivores. The long snout houses the tongue that is used to lap up blood. So although some bats do drink blood, a large majority don’t.
Â
For a long time it was believed that the T-Rex was the largest carnivorous dinosaur of them all but that was before the Giganotosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus were discovered.
Ok so he wasn’t the biggest of the meat eaters but he was still the largest member of the Tyrannosaurid family and of course recognised as one of the fiercest land predators ever to exist.Â
At over 20 feet tall, 40 feet long and weighing up to 8 tonnes one can only imagine the fear that the roar of a T-Rex would place in the hearts of its enemies.
In a single week this massive flesh eater was known to consume its equivalent weight in meat. Try finding up to 8 tonnes of meat at your local super market, not an easy task but thats exactly how much this killer consumed each and every week.
 
Most of you already know the horrible health effects related to smoking but did you know that nearly 85% of all cases of lung cancer in the U.S. are caused by smoking and that all smokers have an increased chance of developing other deadly cancers such as leukemia, stomach, bladder, and kidney cancers.
Apart from Cancer did you know that smoking  can also lead to severe heart problems,  arthiritis and causes a general greater risk of developing injuries by slowing down the bodys natural healing time.
On the upside it’s never too late to quit smoking. If you were to quit smoking right now, here’s what you would gain…
Amount of time after you quit:
8 hours: Oxygen levels in body would return to normal.
48 hours: All nicotine has left your body.
2 weeks: Circulation will increase, energy will return to normal.
1 year: Risk of heart attack will drop by half.
5 years: Risk of stroke will return to that of non-smokers.
10 years: Risk of lung cancer will return to that of non-smokers.
15 years: Risk of heart attack will return to that of non-smokers.
Along with better health you will save money and lead a generally more fulfilling life! Quit Today Its Good For You!
Part 1: Insects
In terms of “dangerous”, we are referring to life threatening effects that certain species around the world can cause to humans.
 
What’s the world’s most dangerous insect?
Mosquitoes. Yes, mosquitos account for millions of deaths world-wide per year. Mosquitoes can be carriers of countless diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus, yellow fever, and dengue fever. Forms of encephalitis are deadly mosquito-borne diseases in the United States that effect humans as well as animals.
The spread of disease occurs when female mosquitoes bite an infected person and then bite an uninfected person. The mosquito can potentially leave a trace of a virus or parasite with someone who was once uninfected. Mosquitoes kill more people than any other single factor.
Â
The ever rising problem of pollution and greenhouse gases are not just generated from the exhaust of your automobile’s engine but from your house as well. Its a well known fact that more pollution is emitted from the average home compared to the average car.Â
In fact, the average home generates about 200,000 lbs or more of carbon dioxide per year. This is the equivalent of putting 25 mid-size cars worth of carbon dioxide per year!
With abit of effort from everyone, taking some simple steps like buying smaller cars, using less energy etc can really help to reduce the ever growing greenhouse effect problem.Â
For more information and news on pollution as well as things we can all do to help protect the Earth, visit Friends of the Earth.
The Hoba meteorite is the largest to ever have been found on Earth. The Hoba meteorite was found in Namibia, Africa in 1920. This meteorite, which landed some 80,000 years ago, is composed of iron and weighs a hefty 60,000 kg. It still lies in its original resting spot in Namibia, Africa.
The Williamette meteorite found in Oregon is the largest meteorite found in the United States. It was found in 1902 in the Williamette Valley of Oregon. It is now on display at the American Museum of Natural History.
Fact or Fiction? Claims have been made by a small mining firm in South Africa that the largest diamond ever has been found.Â
At an estimated 7,000 carats, it would double the size of the previous “largest diamond ever”. Although, the recently found diamond has yet to be officially declared as existing and is a topic of skepticism among diamond experts.
It would be more than twice as large as the 3,106 carat Great Star of Africa found in 1905. Time will only tell the validity of this new find.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records (2008), Leonid Sadnyk is the current tallest man alive in the world. At 8 feet 5.5 inches, this Ukrainian has been growing excessively since he was 12 years old. The growth was determined to be an effect from brain surgery.
Stadnyk replaces the previous holder, Bao Xishun from China. Word of advice don’t mess with a guy pushing 8Â feet tall weighing roughly 440 lbs.
