People Break Down The Weirdest Facts They Know

Not How I Pictured My Chips

"Fredric Baur, the inventor of the Pringles can, is buried in one"

-SupportiveMan

"I feel stupid for not even THINKING of cremation, i just thought 'damn must be a big*ss can'"

-Lemajrds

Cruciferous Facts

"Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, Savoy cabbage, kohlrabi, and gai lan are all the same species of plant (Brassica oleracea), just bred to enhance different parts of the plant."

-DestinyTaco3

I Didn't Know There Were Wild Camels In Arizona

"It is illegal to kill wild camels in Arizona."

"Back in the day they imported camels to cross Southern Arizona, found horses more reliable so released the camels. There's a thriving population of wild horses in Arizona but sadly no more camels.

"Llamas and other camel species can thrive here though."

"Lastly, I remember watching Planet Earth for the first time and seeing Bactrian camels on film, for the first time, in their natural habitat. One of my favorite tv memories."~DevilsAdvocate9

And it gets weirder. For example, did you know about the fungus that eats radiation?

The Fungus In Our Wake

"Radiotrophic fungus was first discovered at the Chernobyl site in 1991, just after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the start of internationally-aided cleanup/containment efforts."

"Not so sure about right next to the Elephant's Foot, but it was definitely found growing in large, flourishing colonies all throughout the site's cooling water supply."

"This fungus appears to use melanin - the same dark-brown pigment that gives humans all their various normal skin tones, except in much, much higher concentrations - to power sugar-producing reactions by deriving energy from nuclear decay the same way plants and cyanobacteria use the green pigment chlorophyll to synthesize sugars by deriving energy from (sun)light."

"Basically, this stuff is a mold colony that has the most extreme tan ever, and uses it to eat radiation."

"Similar fungi have been found accumulated on the exterior hulls of low-orbit spacecraft, and experiments were recently (2018-2019) conducted to begin investigating if the stuff could be used as shielding to protect astronauts from solar/cosmic radiation. Apparently, results were promising!"

~PaniqueAttaque

A Mic For A Bell

"Titanic was fitted with microphones for receiving underwater bell signals. With this system the sound of submarine bells was received through the hull of the vessel."

"Submarine bells, used as fog signals, were located on lightships, at lighthouses, and even on some specially equipped buoys. They were actuated by electric signals, compressed air, or simply by wave motion."

"Titanic had two submarine microphones on her hull, one on each side. These were the 'ears' of the ship."

"By switching between the port and starboard microphones and comparing the volume of the bells, the navigation officer could determine the direction to the navigation aid."

"Sound travels much further through water than through air - these bells could be heard over 15 miles away through the headset."

"A pretty cool way of navigating at a time when GPS and RADAR didn't yet exist!"-

DarkNinjaPenguin

Sneaky Little Bears

"Koalas have fingerprints that are very close to human fingerprints."

"There apparently have been several 'break-ins' in Australia by the same 'person' based of off fingerprint evidence. Turned out to be a koala that was responsible for all of these."-mx5e46

The Most Terrifying Partnership

"Anglerfish mate by the male biting the female's abdomen."

"Over time, the male is absorbed and linked to the female's circulatory system while the male basically melts into a parasite-looking growth that is actually nothing but testicles which the female will use when she's ready."

"Weird enough for you?"-Cavemanjoe47

But wait. There's, of course, even more where that came from.

A Study In Ancient Runes

"Most rune stones erected by Norsemen were erected by Christians, and they're often decorated with Christian crosses."

"Runic writing also continued for centuries after conversion, so it's not uncommon to see things like 'God help his soul' on rune stones."

"It might not be so weird if one's intimately familiar with the topic, but I think a lot of people just seem to associate runic writing with paganism"~SendMeNudesThough

The Poodle Shortage

"There was a genetic bottle neck in standard poodles starting in the 1950s."

"A kennel called the Wycliffe kennel linebred exceptional show dogs which became highly sought after as studs. "

"Even today, many standard poodles carry a substantial percentage from this line which traces back to just five dogs."-clickingisforchumps

Uranus Isn't Just A Planet

"Your anus comprises either thirty-five or thirty-seven creases, resulting in a pattern as unique as your fingertips."

"This discovery – first made by Salvador Dali – allowed for the development of an anus-examining smart toilet."

"On the same topic, it turns out that humans are deuterostomes."

"This means that at the start of its development, an embryo goes through a stage during which its tissue folds back over itself, creating something called a blastopore."

"As maturation continues, this blastopore becomes the anus."

"In short, you can make the argument that every person is an overgrown (and unique) a**hole."-RamsesThePigeon