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People share useless facts that simply won't leave their heads

Photo by Sean Benesh on Unsplash

Some facts are only useful for trivia contests.

Ah, useless facts. Random knowledge that serves no purpose other than to take up space in our brains, and maybe, just maybe, win a trivia game (yeah right) or kill time at a party.

Leave it to Ask Reddit to resurface all things odd and amusing, though. People shared their own useless facts that live rent free in their heads. And though they might be pointless, they are certainly entertaining.

Without further do:

  Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

Yep, this useless fact has stayed with us since elementary school. On the bright side, it’s been the source of many a fun meme.

Vending machines are more deadly than sharks.

Gif of a zombie vending machine in a graveyardanimation domination lol GIF by gifnewsGiphy

Think about this next time you go to retrieve a Snickers bar: Between 2002 and 2015, the National Electronic Surveillance System reported that vending machines caused four deaths per year in the U.S. Mostly due to people tipping the machines onto themselves.

Compare that to the shark-related deaths averaging out to just 0.6 deaths per year. Not sure how only about half of a person is considered dead, but math was never my strength.

This statistic might need to be taken with a grain of sea salt, however, given that those in landlocked states have next-to-zero chances of experiencing a shark attack. But there you have it, a useless fact to use when you’re at the beach.

Snails have teeth.

Gif of a snail biting someone's fingerhorror finger GIF by absurdnoiseGiphy

“They’re not big enough teeth to hurt humans. That’s what makes it a useless fact to know. & it won’t leave my head because it’s juuuuuust disturbing enough to make me rethink my entire opinion on snails.” – ghosts-go-boo

But cows do not.

At least, no upper front teeth. Makes chewing—and dentist visits—easier I suppose.

The Sun is about 400 times bigger than the Moon but also about 400 times farther away from Earth. So they look to be about the same size.

A black and white photo of a solar eclipse

A solar eclipse.

commons.wikimedia.org

This explains how the sun can be completely blocked in an eclipse.

Pigeons and doves are in the same bird family.

Gif of animated pigeons standing next to breadHappy Animation GIF by sahlooterGiphy

Columbidae is a subspecies of birds that are stout bodied, with short necks, and primarily feed on seeds, fruits and plants. Though one lives on as a symbol of peace and love, and the other is often considered a flying rat, the names are practically interchangeable.

However, thinking about Stevie Nicks singing, “just like a white-winged pigeon” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.

The length of a jiffy…

Gif of the Doc Brown from Back to the Futureback to the future great scott GIFGiphy

According to ScienceFocus.com, physicists use a “jiffy” to define how long light takes to travel one femtometer (which is a tiny fraction of a millimeter). In layman’s terms, one jiffy equals one-fiftieth of a second.

So next time you say, “be back in a jiffy,” know that you better return really, really, really fast.

Most corn is inedible for humans.

corn cob on teal surface

Who knew?

Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

“1% of the corn grown in the USA is sweet corn (the corn you eat as corn). The other 99% is field corn (or dent corn), which is fairly inedible raw and needs to be processed before human consumption. This field corn is also what they use for non-edible corn products, like ethanol, paint, cosmetics, etc. Yes, most corn goes to livestock feed. Ethanol and High Fructose Corn Syrup are up there as well. Yes, if you're driving on a highway and are passing fields of corn, you very likely cannot eat it.” – Kat_lbltko1pl

Infants have flexible bones.

Gif of stretching baby in diaperstretching GIF by AFV BabiesGiphy

Ever wonder why toddlers seem so much more flexible? This is because a baby’s skeleton is very different from an adult's. Babies are born with about 300 bones (94 more than adults) that are joined together with pliable cartilage to make that whole birth thing possible. As they get older, the bones will fuse together. And suddenly that toe touch is nothing but a distant dream of the past.

Numbers from 1-999 don't have the letter "a" in word form.

white printing paper with numbers

Sorry if your math teacher never told you.

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Some vowels just don’t get the respect they deserve.

John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald are both known by three names. And each full name is composed of 15 letters.

Gif of Milhouse dressed as Abraham Lincoln behind textsurprised season 4 GIFGiphy

Actually, this is not entirely correct. Oswald’s full name was not used until after Kennedy’s assassination, due to his habit of adopting false names.

Cockroaches molt.

Unlike a reptile shedding it’s skin, cockroaches molt out of their entire exoskeleton. Out crawls a soft, fleshy, ghostly-white creature that will turn brown over a few hours. You’re welcome for the nightmare fuel.

There you have it. Gems of wisdom no one asked for. They say knowledge is power. But in this case, I’d say knowledge is unnecessary. But still fun!

This article originally appeared three years ago.

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Health

Ear rumbling is a special 'superpower' that not everyone has

Can you do this?

via Eltpics / Twitter

Mapping out the structure of the inner ear.

There are no two human beings who are exactly alike. One of the funny quirks of evolution is that some of us can do things with our bodies we think are routine, but are impossible for others.

Some people can wiggle their ears, others can't. Some can wiggle their nose like Samantha from "Bewitched" while others just look really silly when making an attempt.

Not everyone can lick their elbow but most wouldn't attempt to do so in public.

A Twitter user named Massimo dropped some knowledge about a skill that not everyone has and even fewer discuss: ear rumbling.

Those of us who can do it know exactly what it is, while it's a mystery to those who cannot.

People who can ear rumble have the ability to control the tensor tympani, a muscle within the ear. Contracting the muscle creates a rushing, rumbling sound that, if flexed enough, can drown out a significant amount of noise.

This can be useful when someone is saying something that you don't want to hear but don't want to be rude and cover your ears. It can come in real handy if someone is about to spoil your favorite TV show or if you live with someone who can't stop nagging.

Some people cannot voluntarily create the rumbling sound but hear it when they let out a large yawn.

There's a Reddit sub-forum just for ear rumblers with over 60,000 people. Here's how some of them get rumblin'.

"I just squeeze the muscle in my ears I guess," — melvinthefish

"When I flex and hold whatever I'm manipulating to do that, I get my rumble," — ttywzl

"I get a mild rumble just doing the usual flex, but i can make it a bit louder by bringing my top lip up to my nose," — Willmono7

"The best way I can describe it is I 'squint my ears,'" —SteeleIT

The muscle exists to mask-low frequency sounds so we can focus on those at a higher frequency. It also works to mute sounds we create ourselves such as eating potato chips or coughing. It's a way that helps us from becoming annoyed with our own bodies.

Unfortunately, the muscle has a rather slow reaction time so it cannot prevent us from hearing loud sudden noises like a gunshot or a book slamming on the ground.

Massimo's tweet caused quite a stir on the platform.

Although scientists have known about ear rumbling since at least the 1800s, there doesn't appear to have been too much research on the topic. We know that some can rumble and others cannot, but it's unclear how it breaks down percentage-wise or if it's more prevalent in certain groups.

The good news is that the word is starting to get out and people who've been rumbling all their lives suddenly don't feel so alone.


This article originally appeared on 03.05.20

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Wellness

18 body hacks that seem 'crazy,' but real people swear by

Who knew that push-ups were good for stuffy noses!

Photo credit: Canva

Almost all of these have scientific backing!

You can always count on Reddit to be a treasure trove of various life hacks. From minimal effort meals to help through depression spells to genius decluttering strategies, these unique pieces of online advice from strangers can, surprisingly, bring fold together in a meaningful way.

This time, we’ve got a great list of crowdsourced body hacks—lesser known home remedies, helpful daily routines, and super simple tweaks that have helped real people transform their lives. Or at least earned them some extra zzzzs (something everybody seems to want more of these days).

Considering folks were prompted to name only their “craziest” body life hacks, some of these suggestions might sound…odd. And many might not have actual scientific backing, so of course we should take this anecdotal advice with a grain of salt (funny enough, that phrase itself comes from a potential “body hack” against poisoning, but I digress).

But still, you never know what seemingly crazy idea might be exactly what you need. And we promise, there is zero mention of using Mucinex to conceive.

So without further ado…

1. “If you feel light-headed as you stand up (orthostatic hypotension) you can squeeze any muscle as hard as you can and it will quickly raise your pulse and blood pressure so you don't black out and fall.”—u/Love2go

This tactic actually has an official name, The Applied Tension Technique, and was developed to help prevent people from fainting when donating blood, to lessen recovery time if someone did faint.

2. “When you brush your teeth, close your eyes and stand on one foot. Alternate feet. Your balance will improve a lot.” —u/theLaLiLuLeLol

3. “If you have lower back pain or sciatica try gluteus medius burnouts. Use a chair or table to steady yourself and raise one leg straight out to the side as high as you can and hold that until it feels like your hip is on fire and trying to cramp. Repeat on the other side. It sounds crazy but it can eliminate lower back pain instantly.”


via GIPHY

—u/Evan_keir

Again, this is backed by experts. On its website, The Spine Institute of North America writes: “There can be many reasons your back hurts, from soft tissue strain to damaged joints, but one thing is for sure, strong muscles can help to support your spine. And your glutes are a critical component for a healthy lower back. It doesn’t matter how old you are or where you are in terms of your physical condition, there are simple things you can do to stretch and strengthen your glutes and hamstrings in order to help find sciatica pain relief.”

u/Doshyta, a physical therapist, happened to add:

“My experience treating low back pain is that most people with back pain are weak or bad at using their glutes, and that is a pretty strong driver of pain. Any sort of glute work (max and med/min) helps probably 60-70% of my low back people.”

4. “If you're prone to anxiety attacks, keep some really sour candies on hand. I normally take medication for anxiety attack onsets, but sometimes I forget to pack it. It works.”


via GIPHY

–u/Otherwise-Tune5413

While this one certainly seems a little out there, Toya Roberson-Moore, MD, associate medical director and psychiatrist at Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center, told Health “Sour candy shifts our attention quickly to the sense of taste, intensely, which in turn dampens our amygdala (the feeling part of the brain) and gives us better access to our frontal cerebral cortex (the thinking part of our brain).”

5. "Vagus Nerve Trick" for calming yourself down. If you're feeling super anxious or stressed, try splashing your face with cold water or holding an ice pack on your forehead and under your eyes for a few seconds. It activates your vagus nerve, which helps slow your heart rate and calm you down almost instantly. Thank me later.” —u/ChiefGallantry

This one was confirmed by a study held in 2002. Guess Wim Hoff is onto something.

6. “Stretching. Every morning when waking up. My grandpa taught me. He’s 94 now and still does everything as if he’s 50. He’s even able to run. Of course it’s also genetics, but a life filled with stretches every morning definitely doesn’t make your body worse, even if it’s just for a couple of minutes every morning!” –u/nigartmann

Nobody needs evidence of this. We all know we need to stretch more. But it’s a nice reminder WHY we need to.

7. “Putting on a fresh pair of socks can really improve your mood.”

via GIPHY

—u/_geesegoose

For many, this little self care ritual is the ultimate midday boost.

8. “If you have a stuffy nose due to a cold or allergy, try doing push-ups, jumping jacks or any form of intense sudden activity. It's near-instant relief. I always get the exact mechanism wrong, but since stuffy noses happen due to swelling in the tissue of the nose, sudden activity promotes blood flow and drainage of mucus. It's temporary, of course, but worth a try.” —u/Loxagos_snake

Jamaica Hospital confirms that “exercises such as push-ups can provide quick relief by opening your nasal passages and reducing inflammation that may be affecting them.” However, that’s only with moderate symptoms affecting your nose, throat, or other parts of your head. Anything worse, and you should probably avoid the exertion.

9. “The 20-20-20 rule for eye strain. Every 20 mins. look away from your screen, focus on something 20 feet away, do this for at least 20 secs.” —u/DivineHeartMuse

According to a 2023 study posted in Pubmed, 20 seconds might not be enough time to offset myopia. Still, adding a break from screens into the work routine is very beneficial.

10. “To quickly relieve a cramping calf (usually happens while sleeping) stand on your feet. Feels counter intuitive, but standing up forces your leg muscles to stretch and stop the cramping.”


via GIPHY

—u/mr-blister-fister

Mayo Clinic says that this can “ease a cramp in the back of the thigh too.” And for a front thigh cramp, “try pulling the foot on that leg up toward your buttock. Hold on to a chair to steady yourself.”

11. “So I just recently read that if you can't sleep, just start thinking up a dream in your head, and out you go. Some nights I have trouble sleeping, so I decided to give this a shot, thinking it was complete bullshit. But it works. That shit is like 'Cthulhu rose from the sea, so I grabbed my lingerie clad wife and kissed her deeply, 'ill be back in no time, babe.' I grab my helmet and head toward my modified F-22. I nod towards my wing man, call sign Beastman, who is a velociraptor, and we both climb into our zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz'” —u/Fappy_as_a_Clam

Below—another sleep hack…

12. “If you can't get a full night's sleep for any reason, aim for 3, 4.5, or 6h -- even if that means you get less sleep. Sleep isn't one big REM cycle. You go through a complete cycle every ~90min. In general, if you feel terrible when you wake up (and it's not due to being ill or a hangover or similar), it's because you forced yourself awake during the deeper parts of sleep. Aiming to wake up at the end of a REM cycle will leave you feeling more rested than if you had less sleep. This also applies to naps, by the way - it's better to either wake yourself up before or after the deeper REM sleep; which means naps should be either ~20min or ~90min; not anywhere in between. Ask anyone who says they feel terrible after naps how long they nap for; most of the time, they'll say "about an hour" - despite that being our standard unit of time, it's basically the worst length of nap imaginable.” —u/fredemu

13. "If you are bloated and alone, bend over and touch your toes for an extended period of time. additionally, get into child’s pose and rock back and fourth. You can also lay against a wall or couch with your feet up in the air. rotate between those three positions if you are by yourself and you should be significantly less bloated!” —u/keelykate77

If you don’t want to take this person’s word for it, or Medical News Today…I can also personally confirm. Would definitely recommend making sure your alone…for etiquette purposes.

14. “Use your hand to dry off in the shower like a squeegee before you use the towel. You will dry much faster.” —u/Actuaryba

Couldn’t find anything for this one. Guess we’ll all have to try it ourselves and report back.

15. “Okay, this sounds wild, but if you ever have a headache, try pinching the web between your thumb and index finger for a minute or two. It seriously helps relieve pain!” —u/nonamegirlfriend

This pressure point, known as LI-4 or Hegu (her-goo), is , in fact, used to help with pain and headaches.

16. “If you’re sick and pounding lots of water be sure to salt it a tiny bit. Otherwise you flush your electrolytes and get even sicker. Learned this from the ER staff when I had to be treated with IVs during a lengthy sickness.” —u/PeaceAlwaysAnOption

Yep, this is more than just a TikTok fad.

17. “Lasting cough that won't quit at the tail end of a cold/sore throat? Take Vicks vapor rub and heavily smear it on the bottoms of your feet and throw on socks. In minutes, the cough substantially subsides or goes away entirely. It's not science. It's magic.” —u/Cordeliaolin

GoodRx has a bit of a clapback with this one, saying “There's no evidence that putting Vicks VapoRub on your feet will relieve a cold, congestion, or cough. But it might help moisturize your heels and relieve toenail fungus.”

18. “If you're drunk and the room starts spinning, find a place to lay down that is against/near a wall (like a couch). Put a hand above you on the wall and the opposite foot down on the floor. The room immediately stops spinning. It's magical, but you will look a little silly. My aunt taught me this one haha!” —u/techXwitch

Looks like aunty knows best! While this process won't completely cure your spins, it will make your brain feel far less off-balance. But of course, maybe try to prevent the spins from happening in the first place.

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Pop Culture

Think the weird way we save contacts to our phone is new? A language nerd says guess again.

Turns out a common phone habit is connected to the way last names were created thousands of years ago.

@etymologynerd/Instagram

Suddenly "Joanna Math Class" in our phone makes a whole lotta sense.

It might seem like a very modern concept to label contacts like “Richard Chiropractor” or “Sarah Pilates,” but as one self proclaimed etymology nerd explains it, this way of naming people is actually a time honored tradition for western languages.

Adam Aleksic, a 23-year-old linguist and content creator from New York City, broke down exactly how western surnames were created using this very method.

“Before the 12th century, everybody just had first names,” Aleksic began. But as England’s population began expanding, more record keeping was needed.

This introduced four different types of surnames—occupational, toponymic, adjectival, and relationship descriptor.

An occupational surname categorizes a person by their profession, much like today you might save someone as “A.J. Plumber” or “Leo Finance” in your phone, Aleksic explained.

Toponymic surnames, on the other hand, are linked to the place a person is from or where you met them. Aleksic used "Joanna Math Class" or "Raina Minnesota” as examples.

Then there are the adjectival surnames, referring to a characteristic or behavior. Aleksic’s examples included "Dylan DO NOT ANSWER" and "Steph (stoner)."

“Imagine ur last name is ‘do not answer’ lol” quipped one viewer.

Finally, there’s relationship descriptor names, which Aleksic said represent someone’s personal connection to another person—think "Johnson," meaning "John's son." This might be the most common way we categorize our contacts today, with an additional layer. "Ina Bestie" or "Sam Tinder," for instance, both reveal our own unique connection to this person.

So all this to say—this new thing really isn’t all that new.

And that’s a major reason why Aleksic makes videos about linguistic fun facts in the first place. In an interview with Buzzfeed, he said, "A common theme in my research and videos is that we're constantly playing out old linguistic patterns in a new medium. I find that comforting because it means you don't have to be alarmed by language change. Rather, you can be aware of how language holds power and then use it wisely."

On his account, you can find all kinds of fascinating language and/or history tidbits—from how certain colors got their names to dissecting Gen Z slang terms to breaking down how fonts hit differently. If you’re looking for fun an educational scroll give Aleksic a follow here.

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