"We don't really know who first came up with the idea for looking at things in nature and divining influences on humans," NASA astronomer Sten Odenwald told Time. "There's some indication that cave art shows this idea that animals and things can be imbued with some spirit form that then influences you, and if you appease that spirit form, then you will have a successful hunt. That was taken over by the idea of divination, where you can actually look at things in nature and study them carefully, such as tea-leaf reading."

Japan paid a million yen to a team of scientists who claimed to develop a "death ray" that would use wave electric power to kill persons standing kilometres away, based on Nikola Tesla's ideas. The Japanese got as far as developing a prototype that could kill from half a mile away—but the victim had to stay motionless for 10 minutes for it to operate.

Knowing that there was a "year without summer" two centuries ago can make you enjoy our pleasant, bright weather a little more, according to USA Today. The entire world witnessed a dip in temperature as well as other winter-like circumstances, such as snow in June and frost in August, in 1816 following a huge volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia that produced enough dust, ash, and sulfur dioxide to partially veil the Earth's atmosphere.

When you arrive in Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, the first thing you'll notice is the enormous queue of tuk tuks at the airport and on practically every street corner. While the route might get your pulse racing (standard driving laws are ignored), it is a faster method to explore the cities. In addition, tuk tuks are more common in various places. But remember to haggle the price before entering!

Many armoured rhinos are ridden by members of Wakanda's Border Tribe, including Daniel Kaluuya's W'Kabi, during the battle scene at the end of Black Panther. However, contrary to popular belief, these tough-skinned warriors aren't entirely computer-generated. According to Associate Visual Effects Supervisor Todd Sheridan Perry's comments to VFX Voice, some of the war rhinos were played by Clydesdale horses, similar to the ones from the famous holiday-themed beer commercial.

Over 300 different types of bread can be found in Germany, which is another interesting fact. Regional variations aren't even taken into account in that! There are more than 1,200 different varieties of pastries, cakes, and other baked products. If you're a foodie who enjoys trying new meals from different cultures, Germany is a unique place where you may sample a variety of cuisines. Really, Germany is a carbohydrate lover's dream.

The appendix used to be mainly disregarded as being useless. The appendix would need to be removed in the event of appendicitis, a potentially fatal condition. The vermiform appendix was the subject of study by Randal et al. in 2007 at Duke University. The probiotic bacteria in the appendix were found to release when the body was being attacked by a particular sort of infection, as was discovered by the researchers. When the body is contaminated, the appendix accomplishes this by releasing them into the cecum.

Many different things, such as illnesses and daily lifestyle choices, can contribute to fatigue. It has been established that a 100-gram custard apple has 101 calories, or about 5% of the daily recommended intake. Therefore, the fruit will enable you to carry out your daily tasks without difficulty.

Legend has it this 15th-century vase was given to a bride on the eve of her wedding in Naples, Italy, but she was murdered that night holding the artifact. After her death, any family member it passed to also died. The family stored the vase, but it resurfaced in 1988 with a note warning of its capabilities. Even so, the vase was auctioned off for $2,250 without the note. The pharmacist who bought it died shortly after as did various others who owned it until, finally, a family demanded that the police do away with it completely.
 

Have you ever wondered why there are no baby pigeons in the flock? This is due to the fact that newly hatched pigeons can stay in the nest for up to six weeks, which is longer than most bird species. Except for the downy feathers on their head and the lack of red around their eyes, they resemble a fully-grown adult pigeons when they ultimately leave. The eyes of a pigeon do not become red until they are seven months to one year old.

We propose ground almonds, which you can either create yourself from ground almonds or crush up whole almonds. This delicious dish wraps fish with ground almonds, an egg, and almond flour! See the recipe>>here.

You've most likely heard of Santorini, Mykonos, and Crete... But did you know that Greece has dozens of more gorgeous islands? Greece is thought to have up to 6,000 islands and islets, with just about 200 of them inhabited.

Sunflowers enjoy the sunshine. Even their name implies it. Sunflowers track the sun when they are young and face the east when they are mature plants, but that is not all.

No one is totally sure why hypnic jerks occur but they are deemed to be perfectly healthy. However, they may be increased by anxiety, caffeine or physical activity close to bedtime. They’re more frequent in young people and decrease as we get older.

 

Although Lionel Messi is one of the most brilliant football players in history, and despite winning the Under 20 World Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal with Argentina, he has yet to win a major international prize. He came close in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and will have another shot as a veteran in 2022. Lionel, go for it! You certainly deserve it!

Fennel seeds are supposed to help reduce gas because of their great digestive effects and antibacterial capabilities. This seed facilitates bowel movement by increasing digestive motility and preventing gas build-up. And, because of its antibacterial properties (mostly derived from anethole, an organic molecule in the seed), it stops bacteria from developing and emitting gases in the first place.

Long-term lung function reduction can result from exposure to air pollution throughout childhood. Fetuses' growth has also been proven to be impacted by dirty air. The majority of the UK's regions exceed the EU's air pollution regulations. However, according to the government's present plans, it won't be safe to breathe until at least 2020, and 2025 in London.

In 1996, a team of anatomists at the University of Adelaide in Australia revealed that koala and human fingerprints are readily confused, most likely due to the fact that koalas are primates' progenitors.

The Vatican is the only nation that has been listed as a World Heritage site on its whole. It was added to the list in 1984. The list contains both the city of the Vatican and extraterritorial sites in Rome, such as St. Peter's Basilica and Saint Mary Major.

Toby Gard hacked together Lara Croft Manor, one of the most iconic locations in the original Tomb Raider, in a weekend, and it was based on the actual building Core Design was headquartered in. Yes, even indie video game developers can stay in castles in England.

The iguana has a third eye called the parietal eye. This pale-colored eye is positioned on the top of the head. It cannot distinguish between forms or colours, but it can detect light and movement. This allows the iguana to detect predatory birds from above.

In the 1920s, makeup artist Michelle Menard invented a nail polish made of car enamel. Her recipe was popular among flappers. Their preferred method, known as the Moon Manicure, was to paint only the centre of the nail, leaving the tip and cuticle uncovered. Menard was working for Charles Revson, which is now known as Revlon, at the time.

Do you want to know some movie trivia that no one knows? In previous versions, Janet van Dyne, Henry Pym's wife, was slated to appear as the Wasp, an intriguing scenario given that she was one of the founding Avengers with Hulk, Thor, and Iron Man. Her function, on the other hand, was handed to Black Widow in order to eliminate clutter, as she was in Iron Man 2.

Despite the fact that it's become commonplace to call the Inuit "Eskimos," this is neither their preference nor a representation of their cultural history. The term "Eskimo," which is thought to have been initially created by either the French or the Danes, probably meant either "snow-shoe netter" or "meat eater." In any case, the majority of contemporary Inuit see the term "Eskimo" as derogatory against their race. So be sure to avoid using the offensive term when speaking with anything from an Inuit community. It's also critical to be aware that Inuk is singular and Inuit is for plural usage.

These two gorgeous names are associated with Sri Lanka. This little island country is known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean because of its remarkable natural beauty, extraordinary biodiversity, and rare jewels. Furthermore, the island is shaped like a teardrop and is located off the coast of India, making it simpler to locate on a map. That is why it is also known as India's Teardrop. A Google map of Sri Lanka is shown below to give you an idea of its location and form.