Nylon is made from coal and petroleum.
42
Only 12,000 years ago there was a species closely related to modern humans called Homo floresiensis that had been living on an Indonesian Island. They used fire and rather advanced tools, yet were only about 3 feet tall and weighed around 25kg.
15
It takes a photon 170,000 years to travel from the core of the Sun to the surface, but only 8 minutes to travel the rest of the way to Earth.
6
Optical illusions occur when what the eyes see conflicts with what the brain expects.
75
At room temperature, the average air molecule travels at the speed of a rifle bullet.
55
A single speck of dust is half way in size between a subatomic particle and the Earth.
15
The idea of left brain (logical) and right brain (creative) has no basis in neuroscience and is in fact a myth.
16
At 15 years old, Jack Andraka invented a method of diagnosing pancreatic cancer, thus helping to save the lives of millions of people around the world. It is 168 times faster, 26,000 times cheaper, 400 times more sensitive, and has a 99% success rate.
15