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.
If stomachs did not have a lining of mucus, your stomach would digest itself. The stomach produces more than just the acids, fluids and other chemicals for breaking down food. It also produces a lining of cells, or mucus, which protects the stomach walls. These cells are constantly being replaced by the body to maintain a coating that will protect the stomach from the acids.
Although, exess secretions of stomach acids can be released due to things like stress or smoking. If this occurs, the stomach walls may be damaged, and an ulcer is produced. To learn more facts about people, please visit our Human Facts page.
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Lightning detection systems have discovered that lightning can travel a distance of 60 miles or more. Vertical lightning strikes can stretch a distance between 5 to 10 miles while Horizontal lightning strikes can be 60 miles or more.
The longest lightning bolts start at the beginning of a squall line and travel horizontally behind the squall line back into the clouds. To date, the longest recorded lightning bolt, which occurred in Texas, traveled a distance of 118 miles.
To learn more facts about weather and climate, please visit our Weather & Climate Facts page.
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A cockroach can survive for about a week or so without its head! If a cockroach becomes decapitated, the wound on their neck would clot and seal off. If this happens they will no longer be able to eat food, but insects can survive for weeks on only one meal.Â
Without a brain, cockroaches can still perform simple bodily functions and simple reactions. Cockroaches have existed on Earth for about 350 million years. This amazing feature of cockroaches shows the endurance that they have gained over their existence. Their head can even survive for a few hours after being cutting off.
To learn more facts about animals, please visit our Animal Facts page.
Halley’s Comet appears every 75 to 76 years. It has had a recorded appearance since at least 240 BC. The last time Halley’s Comet crossed our planet’s sky was in 1986. Sometimes referred to as Comet Halley, it was formed 4.5 billion years ago.
Halley’s Comet was named after Edmund Halley who predicted the next time it would be seen. After his prediction came true, the comet was named after him. Halley’s Comet is about 6 miles across in length and is composed of rock, dust, and ice. The next time that Haley’s Comet will be visible to us is in the year 2061.
To learn more facts about outer space, please visit our Outer Space Facts page.
One out of every hundred American citizens is color blind. But did you know that everyone is color blind at one point in their life. As a newborn until about six to eight months old, babies are in a state of being colorblind because their cone cells have not developed yet.
Many people have a misconception of what it is like to be colorblind. Rather than not being able to see colors, those who are colorblind have a hard time distinguishing between colors. Of the different forms of color blindness, someone who is color blind usually finds it difficult to determine red and green hues or blue and yellow hues.
Remeber you can test yourself for color blindness by taking the Ishihara Color Blindness Test or by visiting the here‘.
Lightning sets about 10,000 forest fires every year in the United States. These fires begin when lightning strikes dry “fuel”. The dry fuel can be dry grass, shrubs, leaves, branches, and brush among others.
During the dry season, these fires will rage continuously feeding on everything in sight. This high volume of destruction causes approximately $100 million in losses from fires started by lightning.
To learn more facts about weather and climate, please visit our Weather & Climate Facts page.
On average, a person loses 40-100 strands of hair per day. Yes, both men and women are constantly losing hair whether they realize it or not. In comparison to the amount of hair lost daily, the average head contains 100,000 strands of hair. This is just part of the hair growth cycle.
On the other hand, balding is a condition that 40% of people will face. While balding is more prevalent in men, it can also occur in women. Women are more likely to see thinning hair or a receding hairline.
To learn more facts about people, please visit our Human Facts page.
Some large asteroids in outer space even have their own moon. This surprising feature of asteroids was first discovered orbiting around the asteroid, Ida. Ida’s moon, named Dactyl, roughly measures 0.75 x 0.87 x 1.0 miles.
It is estimated between 10-30% of all asteroids have their own moon. To learn more facts about outer space, please visit our Outer Space Facts page.
