The Science Page

Peanuts can be used as an ingredient for making dynamite, but not in their whole form. The connection lies in peanut oil, which can be used to produce glycerol. While peanut oil is a viable source of glycerol, it is not the only one. 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲: You cannot turn kitchen peanuts into explosives at home; the conversion requires refining the oil into glycerol and then a precise chemical reaction with nitric and sulfuric acids in a lab setting.

A one-horned cow, sometimes called a "unicow," is an extremely rare animal, typically featuring a single horn in the center of its head due to a genetic mutation. 📹viralhog

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗿𝘆? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝙊𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙛𝙪𝙧-𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 Onions absorb sulfur from the soil and store it in amino acids inside their cells. 𝘾𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: When you slice or chop an onion, it releases the 𝒆𝒏𝒛𝒚𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒔𝒆, which mixes with the sulfur compounds and water, producing unstable sulfenic acids. 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙧𝙮𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧: Another enzyme, called 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒚𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒚𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆, quickly converts the sulfenic acid into syn-propanethial-S-oxide. This is the key volatile gas responsible for the tears. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨: Being lightweight and volatile, the compound floats into the air and contacts the moisture on your eyes. It dissolves and forms a mild sulfuric acid-like irritant, 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮'𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙚: The nerves signal your brain, which activates the tear ducts to produce tears. This flushes out the irritant to protect your eyes. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐮𝐦𝐬 (𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐜, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠).

Quote something you learned on X that you never knew.

This 1983 Casio was truly decades ahead of its time. 📹watch_time_traveler

Invented in 1905, the Rubens tube makes sound visible with fire. 📹Moises Alves

In 1959, Volkswagen offered one of the most unusual optional extras in automotive history : a built-in coffee maker for the Beetle. 📹dailyhistoryclips

A list of red gemstones. 📷labradoriteking

The art that monks create just to destroy it at its completion.

Chongqing, China hosts a massive, record-breaking weekly drone light show, featuring thousands of drones (over 10,000 for major events) in a 15–20 minute spectacle. 📹 shanghai_views

Owls can rotate their necks up to 270 degrees in either direction. 📹mukul.soman

This double maze lock made of copper alloy has been used in China for over 2000 years.

The early attempts at creating a helicopter included the Pitts Sky Car which was an experimental vertical take-off and landing aircraft designed by inventor John W. Pitts in 1924.

The female Cuckoo-finch shows off its dance moves as a courtship ritual and communication in thick grass.

Did you know that rats laugh when tickled? They emit high pitched ultrasonic chirps around 50 kHz that signal joy and happiness. These vocalizations remain inaudible to the human ear unless special equipment is used. Research shows that tickling their backs and bellies serves as a social reward, encouraging the rats to seek more interaction. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗝𝗼𝘆: Tickled rats display what researchers call joy jumps and eagerly chase the researchers hand for additional play. 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀: Just as in humans, tickling activates the somatosensory cortex in rats, the brain region responsible for processing touch and play. 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Anxious rats, for example in bright open spaces, do not laugh. This indicates that the sounds link to positive emotions rather than physical stimulation alone. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹: Belly and back tickles produce the strongest laughter, whereas tail tickles prove less effective. These findings suggest that the neural mechanisms of laughter and play trace back deep into mammalian evolution.

This necklace and these earrings were presented by Emperor Napoleon I to Marie Louise, Archduchess of Austria, on the occasion of their wedding in 1810.

Did you know the Juliet Rose is a rose known as the "£3 million rose" due to its extensive 15-year development cost, introduced by British breeder David Austin in 2006? 📹Grace Rose Farm

It took a whopping 9 years and 3 billion miles to capture this moment. Take a look at Pluto's icy mountains.

Is it a cat? 📹bluejay_corvid

The ceramic artisans of Jingdezhen, China possess some extraordinary skills.