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.
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Termites are being researched as a possible renewable energy source as they can produce up to 2 litres of hydrogen from ingesting a single sheet of paper, making them one of the planet’s most efficient bioreactors.
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Scientists are attempting to create a synthetic brain by reverse-engineering the mammalian brain down to the molecular level. A cellular human brain is predicted possible by 2023. It hopes to shed light on consciousness.
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A single cup of gasoline, when ignited, has the same explosive power as five sticks of dynamite.
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A ball of glass will bounce higher than a ball made of rubber.
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Galalith is a type of plastic that can be made from milk. It is odourless, insoluble in water, biodegradable, anti-allergenic, antistatic, and virtually non-flammable.
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The most expensive material on the planet is antimatter - worth $62.5 trillion per gram.
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A cubic yard of air weighs about 2 pounds at sea level.
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