General Discussion

[i]*cracks knuckles*[/i] Random useless (animal/plant) facts are my jam. [LIST] [*]There is a very important protein in our bodies that is named Sonic Hedgehog. Mutations in the gene that codes it can lead to extra limbs and fingers/toes. [*]Banana trees are actually not even trees, they're overgrown herbs. Literally. [*]Speaking of bananas... they're berries. So are tomatoes and eggplants, pumpkins, melons and cucumbers, kiwis, and coffee. Know what's [b]not[/b] berries? Strawberries, mulberries, bayberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Blueberries, cranberries, huckleberries were correctly named. [*]You get 3 guesses to guess what kind of animal a "Mountain Chicken" is. Done guessing? Check your answer >[url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptodactylus_fallax]here[/url]<. [*]Anemones and jellyfish are closely related. In fact: Anemones are basically jellyfish who decided they didn't want to be jellyfish. You see, jellyfish have two life stages: 1. The [b]polyp[/b] phase. Looks and behaves like anemones, but is usually much, much smaller. One polyp can divide into multiple jellyfish when it matures. 2. The [b]medusa[/b] phase. What we know as the jellyfish! Anemones decided they were fine just staying as polyps throughout their entire life cycle. [i]To add to what @FutureChiken mentioned on the first page: It's named Turritopsis dohrnii, the jellyfish can revert back into it's polyp stage when sick, old or injured. [/i] [*]To add to their first little fact,... No insects have lungs. Instead, they have airducts throughout their bodies. They also have no veins. Their blood just.. flows freely through their body cavity. Their organs just float around in it. They [i]do[/i], however, have a heart and an (open) aorta that pumps the blood around. [*]Sea cucumbers breathe through their butt. [*]This is a type of sea slug called a sea bunny: [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/622055418847428609/712836035486417038/unknown.png[/img] [*]Wanna see something cool and kinda creepy? >[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK5jfGe8RO0]Watch these brittle stars.[/url]< They're related to sea stars. [*]Wanna see something else cool and kinda creepy? Scallops have 2 rows of [b]30-36 eyes[/b]. [i](These "teeth" you see are not for biting, they're meant to keep the shell in place and also do a bit of filtering.)[/i] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/622055418847428609/712836209919000586/unknown.png[/img] [*]This is a peacock mantis shrimp. It has the best vision of any predator on earth, can see polarised light, and it punches so fast, [b]it instantly boils it's prey[/b]. >[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Li1k5hGBE]Here's an interesting video about them.[/url]< [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/622055418847428609/712838117853495426/unknown.png[/img] [/LIST] I have [b]loads[/b] more, but I'll end it here because my post is getting a bit long. - edit bc the first fact somehow got split up-

Babies are born without kneecaps. Babies' kneecaps are made up of soft cartilage that hasn't yet ossified into bones, so their “true” kneecaps don't show up on x-rays until somewhere between two and six years of age.

I found that out recently and it greatly disturbs me for some reason.

[quote name="Lazercat" date="2020-05-20 18:37:10" ] Anemones are basically jellyfish who decided they didn't want to be jellyfish. [/quote] Really wish I could like this post. -Prions are proteins that don’t fold correctly. They can also cause other proteins to become prions, and are the cause of mad cow disease. -CRISPR actually comes from bacteria. It targets viral DNA/RNA and cuts it up to protect the bacterium. -RNA has a different nucleotide base than DNA: uracil instead of thymine. -Commercial insulin is produced by bacteria. A modified bacteriophage (a virus that infects bacteria) injects a gene coding for human insulin into the bacteria. -Mitochondria have their own DNA. -Red blood cells don’t have nuclei or mitochondria.

As to why there's a gene called sonic hedgehog: it was first studied in fruit flies, possibly the most important model organism in genetics, where a mutation in it produced hairy flies that look a bit like hedgehogs. Naming genes like this is a bit of a problem since while working with flies etc. it's all fun and games but when humans happen to have a homologous gene and mutation in it causes serious disease... try to explain the parent their severely ill child has a mutation in sonic hedgehog.

Butterflies taste with their hind feet. (Common knowledge)
A group of crows is called murder. (IM DYING-)
Tomato sauce was sold in the 1800's as medicine. (Nice nice)
A donkey will sink in quicksand, but a mule won't. (HOW AND W H Y)
Barbie has a last name. (WHAT IS IT-))
Croissants aren't from France. (THEY WHAT-)
There are over 100,000 ways to tie a tie. (H o w)
The signature line is not a line. (How is it not a line-)
Chocolate milk was once sold as medicine. (how was it medicine-)
Buttermilk contains no butter. (I-)
The chainsaw has a surprising origin. (TELL ME MEDIA)
Nobody knows who invented fire hydrants (HOW THO)




I included my reactions also just because it adds onto the fact to make it more surprising lol

You’re more likely to be killed by a vending machine than a shark.
why i know that, i have no idea

[quote name="moonwatcher59" date="2020-05-21 10:58:28" ] You’re more likely to be killed by a vending machine than a shark. why i know that, i have no idea [/quote] I'd still recommend interacting with the first and not the latter [emoji=coatl winking size=1]