Got a two-fer for you. I was originally looking up how many people die by Champagne corks per year (24 to be exact). Be careful, those corks are clocked at around 55 MPH (88.5 kph). Should be no problem, since most of you are sober nowadays, though here’s an additional reason for you. Anyway, in my search for that answer I came upon something way funnier.
Clement Vallandigham, an American politician and leader of the Copperhead faction of anti-war Democrats during the American Civil War. He died in 1871 in Lebanon, Ohio, at the age of 50, after accidentally shooting himself in the abdomen with a pistol. He was representing a defendant, Thomas McGehean, in a murder case for killing a man in a barroom brawl in Hamilton, Ohio. Vallandigham attempted to prove the victim, Tom Myers, had in fact accidentally shot himself while drawing his pistol from a pocket while rising from a kneeling position. As Vallandigham conferred with fellow defense attorneys in his hotel room at the Lebanon House, he showed them how he would demonstrate this to the jury. Selecting a pistol he believed to be unloaded, he put it in his pocket and enacted the events as they might have happened, snagging the loaded gun on his clothing and unintentionally causing it to discharge into his stomach. Although he was fatally wounded, Vallandigham’s demonstration proved his point, and the defendant, Thomas McGehean, was acquitted and released from custody (only to be shot to death four years later in his saloon). You can read about the guy here.
Tetrodotoxin is a potent neurotoxin derived as a byproduct from certain types of symbiotic bacteria. These bacteria are frequently found in marine animals such as: Pufferfish, Cuttlefish and Octopuses (especially the Blue Ringed Octopus), Angelfish, Porcupinefish, Moon Snails, Ocean Sunfish and Triggerfish. It also includes certain species of Xanthid Crabs and Starfish, several species of toads and newts, and a variety of different types of worms.
The neurotoxin is dangerous, because it inhibits sodium ion channels from firing, leading to paralysis of muscles. This can be fatal in certain doses. One can develop insensitivity to it as seen with some types of garter snakes, who prey upon newts with the toxin.
Some of the most notable deaths from Tetrodotoxin are found in the preparation of Fugu (Pufferfish Sushi). This was depicted in a famous episode of The Simpsons once. If prepared incorrectly, the neurotoxin can be accidentally introduced into the food, sometimes leading to death.
It was -3 F here where I live. That’s too f’ing cold. The highest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 136 Fahrenheit (58 Celsius) in the Libyan desert. The coldest temperature ever measured was -126 Fahrenheit (-88 Celsius) at Vostok Station in Antarctica.
Caffeine. Caffeine acts as a neural stimulator of the Pituitary Gland. This the brain perceives as an emergency response stimulating the adrenal glands to produce Adrenaline. The artificial stimulant often becomes addictive, simply because excessive and repetitive use depressed the Adrenal glands ability to function normally. The now impotent Adrenal glands require additional artificial stimulation to produce Adrenaline and the subsequent Dopamine release. This is known as Adrenal Insufficiency. The use of these artificial stimulants (which could be other substances other than Caffeine. i.e. amphetamines, heroin, etc.) additionally causes Cortisol production in the body, which can cause increased bodily stress and inflammation.
So, not to point fingers or cause a fight, but the habitual use of Caffeine could be seen as a replacement drug in some instances.
Slowly improving your health, one step at a time. It’s so crazy to me to see people so proud and vocal of their sobriety, yet they down 8-10 cups of coffee a day. No judgements though. I’m not the picture of health. I try to eat healthy, exercise regularly and limit things like caffeine, refined sugars and processed foods. I’m not always good at these things, especially with the latter two.
Just got back from Costco. What is it that’s so awesome about this super store? The $1.50 hot dog and drink? Perhaps. I haven’t shared a mind blowing fact in months, but it was pondering this, so here it is.
Costco sells 106 million rotisserie chickens a year, which breaks down to an average of about 181,200 birds per each individual U.S. Costco outlet. That’s about 506 chickens per day at your local Costco Warehouse.
Not sure if I’ve shared this before, but I was thinking about it, because tonight I’m going to be summitting Mount Hood in Oregon, USA. It’s a tough climb and people die doing it. We should be fine, since we’ll have cramp-ons, ice axes and will be leashed/anchored together in groups. This got me thinking about Mount Everest and how dangerous it is. So, here’s a mind blowing random thought about mountaineering.
Crumpled near a rocky alcove (Green Boots’ Cave), jacket pulled up over his face as if still shielding from the wind, Green Boots serves as a popular marker for climbers ascending into the Death Zone, on their way to the summit. The climber has remained unidentified, though people have theories of who he was. He died in 1996 after laying down in a hollow, never to move again.
Many species of Marine Annelid Worms when they reach full sexual maturity will undergo a process called Epitoky. This process involves the worm “exploding” or rapidly disintegrating. When the entirety of the worm dissolves, it releases all its gametes (eggs and sperm).
It’s like it spontaneously explodes and it’s leftovers are it’s babies. Pretty mind blowing.
While it is a Myth that Camels store water in their humps, they are very resilient against heat and can go up to 15 days without water. This is due to the fat stored in their humps. A thirsty camel can drink roughly 53 gallons (200 liters) of water in around three minutes.
The animal who drinks the most volume of water per pound of bodyweight goes to dairy cows though. On a hot summer day, milk cows can drink up to 100 gallons (378.5 liters). That’s a lot of water.
Ive done sone reading on this subject. I find it all very interesting. I enjoy economics and how planned obsolescence can have an effect, if we presume this is a thing (which I personally think it is).
I know I don’t pop in here as much as I used to. Wish I had a schedule that allowed that like I used to. Anyway, this morning I was wondering what Insect has the longest lifespan. This is what I found:
Termites have a similar colony structure to ants with a queen, reproductive males, and workers. Queens in a termite colony can lay more than 300,000 eggs in their lifetimes, and live for 25 to 50 years, making them the longest lived insect and explaining how they can cause so much damage to homes.
