- When an organism is born it has all of its genes in every cell of its body intact. There are over 30,000 genes in each cell, carrying the replicated genes of the parent cell with it. We have hundreds of different types of cells in our bodies from that one original cell that created us from the beginning.
- Birds have 13-25 vertebrae in their necks. That's why owls appear to be able to turn their heads all the way around.
- Turtles are among some of the oldest living animals. The common box turtle can live over 100 years and a giant tortoise to 150 years.
- Most bats consume about 1,200 insects per hour in one night. There are only three species of vampire bats and they are found in South America and feed mainly on bird and cattle blood.
- Where else but on earth can you find the longest mountain range in the ocean, the deepest river gorge in a desert, and a lake 500,000 years old and as big as Lake Ontario under two miles of ice in Antarctica?
- Microorganisms are known to be the first life forms found from fossils.
- The hardest substance found on earth is the diamond.
- Citronella, an oil found in grass, is often used as a bug repellent.
- The smallpox vaccine was invented in 1796 by Edward Jenner.
- In 1842, surgery was made relatively painless when American surgeon Crawford Williamson Long first used ether as a general anaesthetic.
History, Science &
Reading Comprehension