Interesting and Unbelievable Facts

The main reason behind earthquakes is the  movement of plate tectonics  in the earth’s crust.  Naturally, earthquakes can also occur with volcanic eruptions. Every year, around 500,000 earthquakes occur on earth . But most of these have very low intensity, and only 100,000 are noticeable. Severe earthquakes cause material damage and loss of life on a large scale. These destructions are not always directly caused by earthquakes but instead by  natural disasters triggered by these quakes. Tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, flooding, liquefaction, avalanches, and landslides are deadly natural disasters caused by earthquakes. ( Source ) In the East African Rift System (EARS), the tectonic plates continuously try to  create new plates  by splitting the old ones. It is a rare example of an active continental rift zone. ( Source )   Earthquakes produce massive energy. An earthquake of magnitude 9 is equivalent to  99 million tons of TNT . It is the e...

Black holes are formed when the matter of a dying star presses into a tiny space. Due to this collection of a large amount of matter in little space, the black hole contains excessive  gravitation force that nothing (even light, the fastest object) can pass through it. Subatomic particles can  escape from black holes . Just before reaching the event horizon, these tiny particles accelerate close to the speed of light and manage to move outside the black hole’s axis of rotation. ( Source ) The  fastest spinning supermassive black hole is present at the center of the galaxy NGC 1365. This black hole is spinning at 84% of the speed of light. ( Source ) According to a study in 2006, a black hole (GRS 1915+105) is spinning between 950 and 1,150 times per second. The speed of this black hole near the  solar system  is almost the  maximum possible spinning speed . The  sun cannot  change into a black hole due to its small size. The sm...

Belize is an independent country in Central America. But it is also part of the Commonwealth of Nations that makes British Queen Elizabeth II the monarch of Belize. The Chiquibul Cave System in Belize is the longest in Central America. It has an area of around 540,000 square feet. ( Source ) Around half of Belize is composed of  thick forests . 80% of rainforests in Belize are under government protection. Most of these tropical forests are still unexplored. There are more than  250 varieties of orchids  in the rainforests of Belize. These rainforests are also full of numerous birds, wildcats, and other  mammals . High-quality timber of  mahogany trees  inspired the British to set up a colony in Belize during the 17th Century. ( Source ) In 2010, Belize became the first country to completely  ban bottom trawling  in its waters. The step was taken to protect the Belize Barrier Reef from destruction. ( Source ) The Belize Barrier Reef ...

The relation between HIV and AIDS is an infection and the disease. HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) is the infection that causes the disease AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). After getting an HIV infection, a person can take up to 10 years to get a fully developed disease (AIDS). ( Source ) There are  two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is the more prevalent that is present in 95% of patients with HIV. HIV-2 is present mainly in West Africa . HIV-2 develops more slowly and has a lower mortality rate than HIV-1. ( Source ) Chimps transmitted SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus) in humans. It converted into HIV-1, which causes AIDS. According to a study, the  original carriers  of SIV were monkeys  that transmitted this virus to chimpanzees . ( Source ) In the USA,  82% of HIV-infected patients are male, particularly homosexuals. HIV infections are five times higher in males than females at birth. ( Source ) The main problem associated with ...

Due to its large size and icy surface (due to the presence of water, methane, and ammonia), Uranus is known as the “ Ice Giant. ” It is one of the two ice giant planets along with Neptune. Uranus and Neptune are two planets in the solar system that experience  diamond rain . Researchers have confirmed this theory in the lab. ( Source ) Uranus is one of the two planets (along with Venus) that spin on their axis from east to west . All the other planets rotate from west to east. ( Source ) The clouds in the upper atmosphere of Uranus are mainly composed of hydrogen sulfide. It is the reason that the planet  smells like rotten eggs . ( Source ) Neptune is farther from the sun than Uranus, but Uranus has the  coldest atmosphere among all the planets in the solar system. The temperature at the troposphere of Uranus is between -153 to -218 C .  ( Source ) At least  27 moons  are orbiting Uranus. Compared to moons of other planets named after ancien...

African bush elephant, Asian elephant, and African forest elephant are the three largest animals on land. African bush and forest elephants were considered the same species till 2010. They were later confirmed as separate species after a genetic study in 2010.  Elephant's trunk is very useful and strong. These mammals use them to eat, drink, breath, and smell. They can lift a blade of grass to objects weighing more than 700 pounds through these long noses. Elephants have the highest number of facial neurons among land animals , and nearly half of them control trunk. ( Source ) There are around 40,000 muscles and 150,000 muscle fascicles in the elephant’s trunk, but it is without bones. The trunk is the most sensitive part of the elephant’s body. It can die in case of any damage to this body part. ( Source ) Elephants can  inhale water through their trunks  at a speed of 540 km/h. It is 30 times faster than the speed of our sneeze. ( Source ) The  oldest e...

There are around 15,000 species of ants. The Australian state of Queensland hosts nearly 1,400 ant species, the highest number of native species. ( Source ) A recent study shows that  ants' nests  can indicate the presence of gold in the soil. Ants bring gold from underground into their mounds, providing a clue of gold underneath the ground. ( Source ) Colobopsis explodens (exploding ant) is an ant species in Southeast  Asia  that explodes itself to protect its nest. In this  suicidal procedure , the worker ant explodes and secrets a yellow-colored toxic to kill the invader. ( Source ) The fastest ant in the world is the Saharan Silver ant (Cataglyphis bombycina). This ant in Sahara can travel at a speed of 108 times its body length per second. Their long legs assist them in achieving a pace of one meter per second when finding food during the daytime in the desert . ( Source ) In the African savanna, ants  protect trees  from...