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40 Random Bits of STEM Trivia That Technically Count As Reading a Book

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Climate change is causing human babies to pop out of the womb earlier than ever.

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40

Lead Masks

How did the men in the lead masks die? Two Brazilian engineers were found dead in 1966. They had a notebook which mentioned swallowing capsules, but i — Source: The 5 Creepiest Unsolved Crimes Nobody Can Explain: Update

39

Kitty O’Brien Joyner

Kitty O'Brien Joyner paved the way for female engineers. She won a lawsuit against the University of Virginia to enroll in the then all-male engineeri

38

Frosted Light Bulb

CRACKED THE ELUSIVE FROSTED LIGHT BULB Marvin Pipkin managed to make a frosted bulb on his first attempt, even though other engineers said it couldn't be done. His two-step acid treatment for frosting glass kept it strong and made the light look brighter, and it's still used today. — 5 People Who Succeeded Because They Didn't Know It Was Impossible / Wikipedia

37

Rudyard Kipling

CRACKED GRADUATING ENGINEERS TAKE PART IN A WEIRD RITUAL IN CANADA For 100 years, graduating Canadian engineering students have been taking part in a strange, secretive ceremony called the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, which was made up by Rudyard Kipling back in 1923. — The Star

36

Hertha Ayrton

Born in 1854, HERTHA AYRTON was the first woman to present a paper to the Institution of Electrical Engineers, to be elected a member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, and to be awarded the prestigious Hughes Medal by the Royal Society. CRACKED — Héléna Arsène Darmesteter/Wiki Commons
Physics World

35

Sally Ride

NASA's first woman astronaut was asked some truly ridiculous questions. JTCS AND For example, NASA engineers assumed Sally Ride would want a makeup kit in space, so they asked for her help in developing it. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — History.com

34

Cheaper By the Dozen

CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN The book: The real-life story of two engineers, and how efficiently they manage their large family. The movie: A co — Source: LittleThings.com

33

The Challenger Explosion

NASA didn't listen to their engineers before the Challenger explosion. HOUSTON, TEXAS CRACKED.COM Two engineers warned rubber seals would explode in the cold, but NASA went ahead with the launch anyway. — Source: 13 Bad Ideas That Should Have Been Stopped Earlier

32

Shipping Containers

Shipping containers could solve the ICU shortage. A team of over 100 architects and engineers, led by an MIT professor, is working on a method for tur — Source: Mashable

31

Pavement

CRACKEDo The pavement markings you see on the road aren't just graffiti; they help construction workers and engineers do their job. The markings are l

30

Apollo

NASA planned to have a manned mission to Mars in 1981 or 1983. NASA If funding had remained at 1969 Apollo mission levels, NASA planned to develop such elements as a lunar orbit station in 1978, and a lunar surface base in 1980. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

29

Government Spending

How much does the government spend on NASA? NASA's 2020 budget was $22.629 billion but consider that's only 0.48% of the U.S. government's spending. CRACKED COM — Source

28

Gattaca

Gattaca NASA voted it as the most plausible sci-fi movie. In 2011, NASA picked the movie as the best and most likely to happen science fiction film. Which is quite chiilling. CRACKED.COM — Source

27

Rocket Countdowns

NASA uses the T-minus countdown because of the movie Woman in the Moon Before NASA existed, the 1929 sci-fi silent film used a countdown clock before launching a rocket. CRACKED.COM — Source

26

Porn in Space

CRACKED NASA BROADCASTING PORN INTO OUTER SPACE Rumor has it that NASA is thinking about sending nude pictures into space to try and get the attention of aliens... which somehow grew out of NASA trying to figure out what kind of message they could send to aliens that would best represent humans. — Snopes

25

Mystery Rocket Body

CRACKED.COM NASA is confused as to what just crashed into the Moon The 'mystery rocket body' left an equally mysterious double crater on the Moon's surface on March 4, 2022. — Source: 12 Out-Of-This-World NASA Facts

24

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Steven Spielberg Movies Close Encounters of the Third Kind NASA warned Spielberg the movie was dangerous. Spielberg reached out to NASA for them to be involved. But NASA was concerned Close Encounters could bring about a UFO panic, similar to the shark panic caused by Jaws. Conspiracy theories having pernicious effects? That sounds paranoid. CRACKED.COM — More: Did NASA Try To Stop Spielberg's 'Close Encounters Of The Third Kind?'

23

Calculation Error

In 1999, a calculation error led to the loss of a $125 million NASA orbiter. NASA It happened because Lockheed Martin used imperial measurements, and NASA used metric. CRACKED.COM — Source

22

NASA Interns

A NASA intern wanted to irpress his roistress. So he stole a safe full of moon rocks. Married NASA intern Thad Roberts was looking for a way to impres

21

The NASA Vehicle Assembly Building

The NASA Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida has its own indoor weather system. NASA GRACKED.COM At 526 feet, it is the tallest single-story building in the world. The building interior volume is so massive that rain clouds form below the ceiling on humid days. — Source: Atlas Obscura

20

Sarcasm

40 Random Bits of STEM Trivia That Technically Count As Reading a Book

19

Touch Grass

CRACKED TOUCH GRASS IS ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD HEALTH ADVICE. Over 28 studies have found that being outside can lower blood pressure and reduce depression symptoms. — Source

18

Traffic

CRACKED TRAFFIC IS LITERALLY ROTTING YOUR BRAIN. New studies show a direct link between air pollution and general cognition. — Source

17

Exercise

CRACKED PEOPLE WHO WORK OUT MORE ALSO TEND TO DRINK MORE. Studies suggest it has to do with those people's addictive personalities. — Source

16

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Careers built on a lie Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Oxford diploma or BA? The President of Philippines has been accused of misrepresenting his studies at Oxford University, where he was awarded a special diploma in social studies in 1978, not a BA as he has claimed. CRACKED — Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs/Wiki Commons
The Guardian

15

Sugar

Sugar doesn't cause hyperactivity in children. Over 12 studies showed no behavior change, even among kids with ADHD. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

14

Narcissism

Narcissism is linked to aggression CRACKED.COM 437 studies showed a significant link between narcissism and both aggression and violence. — Source: EurekAlert!

13

Climate Change

Climate change is shortening human gestation. - Studies have found that high temperatures are causing an increase in preterm births. The numbers are e — More: 5 Crazy Ways Climate Change Is Affecting Us

12

Alcohol

MYTH: ALCOHOL KILLS BRAIN CELLS! FACT8 IT JUsT IMPAIRS THEM FOR A WHILE. According to scientific studies, the dopiness associated with being drunk has

11

Stradivarius

Studies have shown that Stradivarius violins don't sound better than modern ones. mp Supposedly the million-dollar Strads are able to project sound in

10

Chimps

Chimps learn how behaviors from each other Researchers show that chimps learned how to crack nuts with tools by watching others. This shows, that like humans, they have a cumulative culture. CRACKED.COM — Source: ScienceDirect

9

Fleas

Dog fleas jump much higher than cat fleas. 27% In one study, dog fleas jumped about 50% higher than cat fleas on average. NOW YOU KNOW — Source: NIH

8

Wolves

Wolves, unlike dogs, won't try to get human help to solve a problem. In a study that involved both dogs and wolves raised by humans, when help from humans was needed to get food, the dogs turned to humans - but the wolves rarely did. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source: Scientific American

7

The X-Files

The X-Files Actual scientists helped keep the show grounded. University of Maryland microbiologist Anne Simon joined in the first season and returned for the revival, and Chris Carter's MIT professor brother even patched up scientific jargon used in the pilot. CRACKED.COM — Source: Mental Floss

6

Orgasms

Why does having an orgasm sometimes clear your sinuses? An orgasm can cause a rush of adrenaline that can make your sinuses swell up temporarily. The tissues in your nose shrink, which opens up your nasal passages. CRACKED — tugol/Shutterstock
NBC News

5

MysteryVibe

HornyTech Wearable men's vibrator MysteryVibe, a company that specializes in sex-tech, has created a wearable vibrator for guys, called Tenuto. It's made to give both the person wearing it and their partner pleasure. Progress marches on. CRACKED — MysteryVibe
The Independent

4

Flies

15 Scientific Explanations For Dumb Everyday Problems - Yeah, flies are good at getting away from you. That’s because flies perceive about four times — Source: BBC

3

Termites

There's colonies of all-female termites in Japan These termites can clone themselves, which results in twice as fast of reproduction. Bad news for homeowners in Japan. CRACKED.COM — Source: ScienceDaily

2

Self-Compassion

Practicing self-compassion is good for your health Even when controlled for physical activity, smoking and depressive symptoms., women between 45 and 67 who practiced self-compassion had lower risk of cardiovascular disease. CRACKED.COM — Source: ScienceDaily

1

Cats

Cats walk around in a circle before they lie down SO they can detect predators better. It's a remnant of their days in the wild -- they'd walk around to find the best place to detect the scent of any threat coming downwind. NOW YOU KNOW — Source: VCA Hospitals

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