The world’s smallest wasp is smaller than an amoeba

The world’s smallest wasp is smaller than an amoeba
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The Megaphragma mymaripenne wasp has the same body parts as any other bug (brain, wings, eyes, and more) but is a fifth of a millimetre long, making it smaller than most amoebas, which are made of just one cell.

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Some single-celled organisms are bigger than a wasp

Some single-celled organisms are bigger than a wasp
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Two can play at that game. The Caulerpa alga is made of just one cell but can grow up to 30cm long.

Quit believing these 17 science “facts” that just aren’t true.

“OK” most likely stands for fake words

“OK” most likely stands for fake words
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In the 1830s, people jokingly spelled abbreviations incorrectly. One of the most famous: “All correct” turned into “orl korrekt,” and then of course into OK. Historians think it stuck because Martin Van Buren – known as Old Kinderhook, after his hometown in New York – supporters called themselves the OK Club when he was campaigning for reelection.

Here are 15 real words that were invented by accident. 

The Eiffel Tower was originally intended for Barcelona

The Eiffel Tower was originally intended for Barcelona
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The Spanish city thought the design was too ugly, so Gustave Eiffel pitched it to Paris instead, as a temporary landmark during its 1889 International Exposition. French critics didn’t like it much either though.

Queen Elizabeth II’s cows sleep on waterbeds

Queen Elizabeth II’s cows sleep on waterbeds
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They apparently help ease the cattle’s pressure points.

“Albert Einstein” is an anagram for “ten elite brains”

“Albert Einstein” is an anagram for “ten elite brains”
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British military tanks are equipped to make tea

British military tanks are equipped to make tea
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There’s a boiling vessel inside so crew can make tea and coffee anytime – including during battle. How frightfully English.

Researchers once turned a live cat into a telephone

Researchers once turned a live cat into a telephone
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Princeton researchers Ernest Wever and Charles Bray took out a cat’s skull and most of its brain to connect the animal to electricity. When they spoke into the cat’s ear, the sound could be heard through a phone receiver in another room. The twisted experiment paved the way for cochlear implant developments.

Don’t miss these other 25 cool science facts you never learned in school.

PEZ candy was invented to help smokers quit

PEZ candy was invented to help smokers quit
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The Austrian PEZ creator named the candies after the German word for peppermint (Pffefferminz). When they were introduced in 1927, they were round mints sold in tins, so you probably wouldn’t see a former chain smoker with a Mickey Mouse dispenser.

You can see four US states from the top of Chicago’s Willis Tower

You can see four US states from the top of Chicago’s Willis Tower
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From the top of the former Sears Tower on a clear day, you can see about 65 to 80 kilometres away – beyond the state of Illinois and out to Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.

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Source: RD.com

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