Some amateur scholars believe that aliens built Machu Picchu. They find it difficult to believe that a people without iron tools, draught animals, or even the wheel could have lugged such large stones up the mountainside and built such magnificent structures. Archeologists and scholars agree, however, that the Incas, with their impressive engineering techniques and use of human labor, were more than capable of constructing the site without the assistance of outside (or otherworldly) forces.

The name Dussehra is derived from the Sanskrit phrase Dash Hara, which in English means "the defeat of the Sun." Hindu scriptures claim that the Sun would never have risen again if Lord Rama had not vanquished Ravana.

If your clip-ins become damaged over time, don't toss them out completely! If the wefts appear to be in good condition, you may simply extend its life by removing the broken clip and sewing in a new one.

To be honest, the way a spider's muscles work is quite fascinating. Their muscles can only pull their legs inward, not extend them out. Spiders will pump a watery liquid into their legs to help push them out again to avoid this problem. Because there is no fluid being distributed to retract the legs of a dead spider, they are always curled inwards.

As you may have heard, Starbucks offers a generous benefits package to their employees, including providing healthcare to employees who work 20 hours a week or more. In fact, according to Howard Schultz, CEO of the company in 2008, Starbucks spends $300 million annually on healthcare, which is more than what they spend on coffee beans.

A command entered in the "master machine" where the animation for Toy Story 2 was stored deleted 90 percent of the work the Pixar team had done on it. As Mental Floss describes, "A plan was quickly hatched to restore the data from a regular backup, which meant that only half a day of work would have been lost. But the backup system had failed. Pixar, incredibly, did not have a copy of the Toy Story 2 files on its servers." Fortunately, the film's technical director had a copy she had been working on from home, and much of it was restored.

not even contemporary graffiti. The graffiti that covers Pompeii is not a result of disrespectful tourists; rather, it dates from before the eruption. Private messages, public announcements, and election notices are just a few examples of how it provides tourists and historians with a remarkable window into Roman society. On one of our Pompeii tours from Rome, you can see all of this graffiti while imagining yourself going about your daily business in an ancient city.

Although we are accustomed to seeing spider silk in the form of webs, did you know that it is actually a liquid? When the silk is exposed to air, it hardens, allowing them to create and build their webs.

It should come as no surprise that "Avatar" has the highest production budget of any Oscar-winning film, with an estimated $280 million spent on its making. It received Academy Awards for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Visual Effects despite not winning Best Picture or Best Director.

Beagles enjoy making noise. This breed might not be the best choice for you if you'd like a new BFF that is a little more reserved. They enjoy barking, howling, and even a vocalisation known as baying, which sounds somewhat like a yodel. Most individuals have no problem with this. Actually, a lot of people find it amusing. Consider it your friend's way of saying hello.

Holmes employed chemistry, bloodstains, ballistics, and fingerprints to catch criminals long before actual detectives began employing forensic evidence to solve cases. It should come as no surprise that Sherlock Holmes is the first and only fictitious figure to get an honorary fellowship. The detective was recognized by the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2002 for his use of forensic science and analytical chemistry to solve murders.

Girls, on the other hand, are more likely to be taught how to track and budget their spending. According to a GiftCards.com poll conducted in the United States, girls receive less money from their parents, whereas boys in high school and primary school receive around twenty dollars more on Christmas, three dollars more for chore completion, and one dollar more for allowance.

Niacinamide is not the same as niacin, despite their names being similar. B-3 comes in two separate varieties. However, the niacin supplements you've taken can help your body create niacinamide. This occurs when the body has an excessive amount of niacin. Niacinamide can also be created by the body from tryptophan.

 Rorschach invented the inkblot test, which consisted of ten splotchy cards, to detect mental disease. According to Damion Searls, author of The Inkblots, a history of Rorschach and his invention, no surviving memoranda or notes reveal Rorschach's technique for making the cards or what data or sources he may have utilized to create them. According to Searls, Rorschach subsequently stated simply that "empirical observations" guided the blots and that he had "no explanation for why the test functioned at all."

Vatican City is most likely the only country on the planet without a prison. The country does have a few pre-trial detention facilities. According to the Lateran Treaty, those convicted and sentenced to jail serve their time in Italian prisons. The Vatican government pays for the costs of incarceration.

The Netherlands has one of the highest home birth rates in the developed world. Around 30% of Dutch women deliver their babies at home, and this figure has changed little since 1990. 

So why are home births still cherished in the Netherlands? It’s partly because Dutch health insurance fully covers home births, but doesn’t always cover hospital births without medical necessity. 

The Dutch medical system also has a good screening system and provides midwives (verloskundige) who help mothers have a safe delivery at home.

Along with former Late Show with David Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer, the trumpeter and jazz pioneer played a street musician in the 1988 Bill Murray holiday comedy.

Anya Hohnbaun, a TV researcher, visited 20 nations in 2006, including New Zealand and South Africa, in pursuit of the country with the bluest sky. Using a spectrometer produced by experts at the British National Physical Laboratory, she arrived at the scientific conclusion that Rio de Janeiro had the bluest sky.

Hong Kong's skyline is always a sight to behold, with over 8,000 sparkling buildings. A skyscraper is defined as any structure with more than 14 stories, and Hong Kong has twice as many as New York City. With 118 stories, the International Commerce Centre (ICC) building is now Hong Kong's tallest skyscraper.

In our list of Spider-Man facts, we discussed how the Clone Saga nearly ruined Marvel Comics, but a decade earlier, DC was in trouble because its heroes weren't selling well. Jim Shooter, Marvel's editor-in-chief at the time, was approached by the head of Warner Communications' publishing but declined the offer, arguing that DC characters wouldn't sell since they weren't very good. Ouch! Consider what would happen if the deal went through. That old Marvel vs. DC comics dispute would not have occurred!

According to the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP), outdoor air pollution causes up to 36,000 premature deaths in the UK each year. 29,000 premature deaths per year are caused by fine particle air pollution. The harmful gas nitrogen dioxide's (NO2) impact raises the number to 36,000 every year.

And did you know that the antioxidants in chia seeds prevent the fats from spoiling?

Halloween is more fun than serious, but contrary to popular belief, it is not particularly important in a witch's calendar. They are also thought to celebrate Beltane, the first day of May, and Midsummer's Eve, which coincides with the summer solstice. In fact, in Sweden, Easter is associated with witches.

The only creatures that live permanently on Mt. Everest are jumping spiders. Jumping spiders lurk in nooks and crannies on the slopes of Everest at a height of 6,700 meters (22,000 ft), making them one of the Earth's highest permanent dwellers. Animals such as the snow leopard, Himalayan tahr (a goat-like species), and Himalayan yak may be found below an elevation of 6,000 meters.

Even though the first cataract extraction operation was conducted in the 18th century, cataracts have really been treated for a much longer. In actuality, the earliest known cataract operation took place in the fifth century BC. As a result, it ranks among the earliest surgical techniques ever performed. The methods employed then were undoubtedly less advanced than those used now or even in the 18th century. When the lens was fully opaque and hard, a procedure called "couching" was applied. This involved poking the eye with a sharp item or striking it with a blunt one.