10 Fun Facts About The Brain

Most people think the brain is completely solid but this isn't true at all. 
75% of the brain is actually made up of water!

The "solid" part of the brain is actually made up of fat and is about 10-12% 
of the brain. The rest of the brain is made of proteins, carbohydrates and salts.  




This means that if you put all of your brain's blood vessels in a straight line, you 
could wrap them around the whole earth four times! Amazing!

This is enough to power a light bulb! 

Most of the energy of the brain is used for brain cells to communicate with one another.



According to a New York study, if you eat a lunch that doesn't have any artificial
flavors or preservatives you can score 14% better on IQ tests! Amazing!

The brain is incredibly flexible and more supple than people realise. 

If you think new thoughts, you create new neuron connections right away! 




You are thinking all the time. By changing your thoughts, you can totally change
the wiring of your brain from the inside out!

Laughing is no laughing matter, as it involves a lot of the brain. This is a good way to 
stimulate your mind and also helps to release happy chemicals into your system. 

Research has shown that laughing for several minutes every day can help to 
boost your mood and overall happiness. 



Juggling or learning any new complex thing has a very positive effect on the brain. 

Juggling causes certain areas of the brain to grow, so you have more connections 
in your brain. Any complex task will give similar results!



There are literally no pain receptors in the brain. So, though the brain can process
pain coming from other parts of your body, it can't feel it itself!



The brain is actually smaller than most people realise. It is 16cm long and 14cm wide. 
This gives the brain a total weight of about 1.3kg.

That 1.3kg has over 200 billion neurons! Amazing!




Source: geniusintelligence.com

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10 Scariest Rides in the World

How many of you have been to amusement parks and love them? How many of you like to be scared by mere rides? How many of you are into thrill? I am sure most of you out there are complete fans of amusement parks as am I. It is summer ladies and gentlemen and there is no better way to blow of some steam than taking a trip to an amusement park and have your mind blown. Listed below are ten of the scariest rides in the world. Of course, if you live in the United States you are lucky because majority of the rides discussed are located there. You can share you experiences with us in the comments and let us know if we missed any. Enjoy the read.

10. SUPERMAN RIDE OF STEEL, SIX FLAGS NEW ENGLAND AGAWAM, MASSACHUSETTS

The first one is the Superman Ride of Steel. There are around three different versions of this particular ride in all of United States and this particular one is the best of all. It drops you off into a tunnel from a height of 221 feet at speeds exceeding 77 miles an hour. There are two bunny hills, ten seconds of zero gravity and three camel backs. The ride has won several awards so you better just try this one.

9. MAVERICK, CEDAR POINT AMUSEMENT PARK SANDUSKY, OHIO

Cedar Point is the self-proclaimed home of the rollercoasters. I would vouch for it because it offers around 17 different rollercoaster rides. Maverick was built in the year 2007. It might not be the highest or the fastest but it definitely is one of the best. The total trip takes around 2.5 minutes (which is more than enough) and if offers several twists and turns. There is also a surprise element about this one, but I am not going to mention it. It is a surprise for a reason right?

8. EXPEDITION GEFORCE, HOLIDAY PARK HABLOCH, RHINELAND-PALATINATE, GERMANY

This happens to be one of the largest rollercoasters in all of Europe. It offers a lot of satisfaction as well because the track is quite long. It takes you to a height of 203 feet and lets you go at speeds exceeding 74 miles an hour. This ride offers seven moments where you feel you are flying and that your weight has vanished; zero gravity. I was in Germany a few months back and experienced this one. It is a bad, bad ride. You’ll love it.

7. TOWER OF TERROR, DREAMWORLD GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA

Yeah, I know it is far away but I am not suggesting you to actually go to Australia just to experience this ride. There’s plenty more in the world. This is the fourth fastest ride in the world at around 100 miles an hour. It takes you to a height of 38 stories and then you are in for a zero gravity drop. The drop takes around 6.5 seconds. You know the moment when it is most scary is the second it reaches the top, because you know that THIS IS IT!

6. EEJANAIKA, FUJI-Q HIGHLAND FUJIYOSHIA, JAPAN

This particular name should translate into something like ‘Hey, What the Hell?’. This is the second fourth-dimensional coaster in the world (the first one is discussed below). There are a few differences though, the track is longer and the height is a wee bit taller at 250 feet. When it comes to height, this ride is the seventh in standing. You can also grab a quick and short view of Mount Fuji once you reach the top, but that will not last for long. Enjoy it while you can.

5. KINGDA KA, SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE JACKSON, NEW JERSEY

This happens to be the father of all the roller coasters in the world. You are taken up around 456 feet; that is about 45 stories of a building. How you go to that height is another exciting story. You are launched by a catapult which accelerates the coaster to 128 miles an hour in just 3.5 seconds. Your heart stops once you reach the top. While going down, there is a 270 foot spiral as well. Imagine the thrust it would produce. You will experience both negative and positive G Force so brace yourselves.

4. COLOSSUS, THORPE PARK, CHERTSEY, SURREY, UNITED KINGDOM

This is perhaps the scariest ride in all of United Kingdom. It was built in the year 2002 and it holds the record for the number of inversions which amounts to a total of ten. An exact replica of this ride was built in China in the year 2006 so if you are in China, you can still enjoy this ride. You will not be able to feel your head after you sit this one out; there’s too much spinning you would say. I am sure the picture is a better explanation of the ride.

3. INSANITY STRATOSPHERE HOTEL AND CASINO, LAS VEGAS

If you think that for a ride to be scary, it has to be a rollercoaster, boy you are wrong like anything. Go to the top of the tower and take this ride; it will blow you away. It extends around 64 feet over the north edge and it spins at around 40 miles an hour. You sit in a couple and you face the ground at an angle of 70 degrees. That’s not scary? Well, you should know that you are 900 feet above the ground. It might not sound that scary but you have to sit the ride and then say it. For the people who are afraid of heights, you better stay away from this bad boy.

2. FAHRENHEIT HERSHEYPARK HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA

This particular ride opened up in the May of 2008. The place is known as the sweetest place on Earth; I am sure you guessed that by the name. But this ride is everything but sweet. It takes you up around 121 feet and then drops you off at a 97 degree angle. That’s not all this ride has to offer. After the initial drop, you will have to bear the 107-foot inverted loop, corkscrew roll, cobra element, airborne S-roll and another corkscrew. The ride still doesn’t finish. The funny thing is that it happens in a mere 85 seconds and those seconds are as thrilling as you can possibly imagine.

1. SIX FLAGS MAGIC MOUNTAIN

At the number one spot we have the Magic Mountain. This particular ride opened up in the year 2002 and it claimed to be the world’s first fourth-dimensional ride as well. The seats rotate a full 360 degree and it gives you facedown and headfirst drops. The ride closed down in 2007 and it re-opened in May later. It has become scarier than ever. There really is no explaining what the ride can do to you but it is definitely not for the faint hearted. You may find video views from the seats of this ride on YouTube. Watch them and try this ride out if you dare.

Source: smashinglists.com

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10 Weird and Strange Syndromes

When we get ill, majority of us think this is the worst illness we’re going through RIGHT? I used to think this way too before finding about many of the weird syndromes that have to live with throughout their lives. And the sad part is that most of the syndromes have NO CURE AT ALL!

Here is a list of 10 weird and strange syndromes. I’m sure you’d be shocked and surprised after reading about them.

Sexsomnia Syndrome

It is a sleep disorder in which the sufferer engages in sexual acts while sound asleep. Similar to sleep walking and talking. It was introduced officially in 2003 and has been accepted as defense against rape cases.

Exploding Head Syndrome

A disorder in which the sufferer hears loud, noisy, exploding-like sounds. Occurs after falling asleep. They don’t feel any kind of pain but it scares the hell out of them. Nobody knows why this happens.

Fatal Familial Insomnia

Genetic sleep order which causes sleeplessness. Starts at the age of 50 normally. Causesmental illness, panic attacks due to less and less sleep.

Walking Corpse Syndrome

Sufferers believe that they are dead or have lost some body parts or internal organs. Some of them believe that they do not even exist. Occurs due to mental illness or brain damage.

Busy Life Syndrome

Majority of the people are having this syndrome now a days. Sufferers forget things due to busy life and load of work. It is believed that the information overloads in your brain thus you forget things.

Moebius Syndrome

The most weird syndrome. People suffering from this syndrome are unable to move their facial expressions like laugh, smile, frown or blinking eyes. It’s a neurological disorder that is present at birth.

Congenital Insensitivity to Pain

People with this syndrome are unable to feel physical pain. It might sound interesting but trust me it’s really bad. Caused by the mutation of a specific gene that is responsible for the pain in body. They mostly die of trauma due to the fact that they are unaware of any bone damage.

Alien Hand Syndrome

Sufferers believe that their hand has its own brain and cannot be controlled by them. They believe that their hand does things on its own like unbuttoning, waving etc. they often do not know what their hand is doing unless they are told to give attention to it.

Medical Students’ Syndrome

This syndrome emerges in medical students. Sufferers begin to believe that they are suffering from many diseases they learned about.

Stendhal Syndrome

A name given to a feeling of anxiety, dizziness, confusion, rapid heartbeat upon seeing beautiful works of art. The sufferer sometimes faint due to the overwhelming sensation.

Source: listphobia.com

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Top 10 Prehistoric Fish Alive Today

10
hagfish

According to the fossil record, hagfish have existed for over 300 million years, which means they were already old when dinosaurs took over the world! Found in relatively deep waters, these animals are sometimes called slime eels, but they are not really eels, and actually, they may not even be fish at all,
according to some scientists. They are very bizarre animals in all regards; they have a skull but lack a spine, and they have two brains. Almost blind, they feed at night on the carcasses of large animals (fish, cetaceans etc) which fall to the sea bottom. They owe their “slime eel” nickname to the fact that they produce a slimey substance to damage the gills of predatory fish; as a result, they have virtually no natural enemies.



9
Lancetfish


The lancetfish has a very obvious “prehistoric” appearance, with those fierce-looking, sharp teeth on its jaws and the sail on its back, reminiscent of that of some dinosaurs (although, in the lancetfish the sail is actually an enlarged dorsal fin). Even its scientific name has a dinosaurian sound to it (Alepisaurus ferox). Up to two meters (6′ 6″) in length, this predator is found in all the oceans except for polar regions; very voracious, it feeds on smaller fish and squid, and has known to feed on members of its own species sometimes.

8
Arowana

Belonging to the ancient group of the Osteoglossids, these fish already existed in the Jurassic period. Today, they are found in the Amazon, and in parts of Africa, Asia and Australia. Sometimes kept as exotic pets, arowanas are voracious predators that feed on any small animal they can catch, including birds and bats which they catch in mid flight (they are able to leap up to 2 meters (6′ 6″) into the air). In China, arowanas are known as “dragon-fish” due to their appearance, and they are thought to be harbingers of good luck.


7
Frilled Shark


This deep sea predator, one of the most primitive sharks alive today, is a relic from the Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Seldom seen alive, and only recently filmed for the first time, the frilled shark can grow up to 2 meters (6′ 6″) (with females being larger than males) and they live in deep waters, where they feed mostly on squid. They are not dangerous to humans, and as a matter of fact, most frilled sharks spend their whole lives without seeing a human being. Only dead or dying specimens are usually seen and recorded by fishermen or scientists.

6
Sturgeon

Another survivor from the age of dinosaurs (they were already around in the early Jurassic), the sturgeon is well known for being one of the main sources of caviar (which is made out of their roe or egg masses); due to overfishing, these magnificent, armored fish are sadly endangered nowadays. The largest sturgeon species can grow up to 6 meters (19′ 7″) long, being as large as most great white sharks; they feed on small animals from the sea bottom and pose no danger to humans, unless provoked (although they are so big that they have hurt, and even killed, people unintentionally by leaping out of the water and landing on boats!)

5
Arapaima


A close relative to the arowana (see #8), the Amazonian arapaima is sometimes considered to be the largest freshwater fish in the world. According to early descriptions, it could grow up to 4.5 meters (14′ 8″) long, but today, enormous individuals like these are seldom found and most adult arapaimas average 2 meters (6′ 6″) long. These slow moving predators feed on smaller fish, crustaceans and whatever small animal they can fit in their mouth. An interesting trait of this fish is that it needs to breath oxygen from the air, like a cetacean, in order to survive. Arapaimas pose no danger to humans and are often hunted for their meat; unfortunately, they are very scarce nowadays. Although the arapaima seemingly appeared in the Miocene period, it belongs to a much older family, the Osteoglossidae, and therefore its origins can be traced back to the age of dinosaurs.

4
Sawfish


This critically endangered animal is a survivor from the Cretaceous period, and can be found both in saltwater or in rivers and creeks, and has been found up to 100 kms inland. Up to 7 meters (23′) in length, sawfish may look like sharks but are actually more closely related to rays. Their “saw” is both a weapon and a sensory organ, covered on electro-sensitive pores which allow it to sense prey despite its terrible eyesight. Although usually peaceful, the sawfish can become extremely dangerous if provoked. Due to an extraordinary fossil, we know that gigantic, prehistoric sawfish were probably a staple food for the largest carnivorous dinosaur, Spinosaurus, as a vertebra from the fish was found stuck between the dinosaur’s teeth.

3
Alligator Gar


This formidable, thick scaled predator is found in the southern US and northern and eastern Mexico, being the largest freshwater fish in North America (although it sometimes wanders into the sea). It can grow up to 4 meters (13′) long and weigh up to 200 kgs (440lbs). Gator gars are so called because of their reptilian appearance and long jaws, armed with a double row of sharp teeth. They are voracious ambush predators and have been known to bite humans on occasion, although no confirmed deaths due to alligator gars have been recorded to date. Gars are among the oldest fish alive today; their origins can be traced back to the Cretaceous period.


2
Polypterus Senegalus


These african fish are often called “dinosaur eels”, due to their reptilian appearance and serrated dorsal fin, reminiscent of some dinosaurs’ spiked backs. They are not really eels, but members of the bichir family. Bichirs were already around in the Cretaceous, so the “dinosaur” part of their name is actually fitting in a way. Although often sold as exotic pets, dinosaur eels are prone to escaping their fish tanks. They can survive out of the water for long periods of time as long as their skin remains wet, which enables them to wander far away from their tank.

1
Coelacanth

The Coelacanth is the most famous of all “living fossils” and deserves to be #1 in this list, because it is the best example of a “Lazarus taxon”, this is, animals that were supposed to be long extinct and are unexpectedly found to be alive. Coelacanths were supposed to have become extinct in the Cretaceous period, along with the dinosaurs, but in 1938, a live specimen was caught in South Africa. Since then, more specimens have been seen and photographed, and a second coelacanth species was even found in Indonesia in 1999. Coelacanths are large predators, up to 2 meters (6′ 6″) long; they feed on smaller fish, including small sharks, and are usually found in deep, dark waters. Although rarely captured and consumed due to their horrible taste, coelacanths are critically endangered nowadays.



Source: humormachine.blogspot.com

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10 Most Common Superstitions

Do you guys believe in superstitions? It is defined as an event that might lead to another event without any linkages between the two events whatsoever. There are many people who believe in them very religiously and then there are some, like me, who really don’t care. That’s not the point though, this list aims and educating you with ten most common superstitions that prevail around this world. I am very sure that most of you know all the superstitions I am about to mention, but it is still worth a read. Enjoy!

10. GARGOYLES

Gargoyles are a major part of gothic architectures. The gargoyles were present on the churches all around, which is why they were considered a symbol of protection that would fend off evil. People believed that these gargoyles would come to life in the dead of the night and perform their roles as protectors and when the sunlight came they would settle down on the very same spot. That is an interesting concept, but it can easily be proven wrong. Bottom-line is that gargoyles mean protection.

9. OPENING AN UMBRELLA INDOORS

So what exactly is the point of opening an umbrella indoors? See, it is made to save you from getting wet, or getting too much of direct sunlight, neither of which are present indoors which is why it is pointless to open an umbrella indoors. In other words, it is wrong. What happens when you do something wrong? Something bad happens. Therefore, before you open an umbrella indoors, think about that fact (superstition) that it is bound to bring you bad luck. It is something you are NOT supposed to do.

8. EVIL EYE

This is a very common phenomenon all over the world although of course it is called different names. It involves a wicked glare and that could be because of jealousy or envy etc. One who gets the evil eye, will be subject to physical and spiritual harm and may as well result in death. This is by far the most sensible sounding superstition to me. Of course if someone looks at something you have with jealousy and envy, it is bound to bring you bad luck. It is only logical.

7. RABBIT’S FOOT

If you carry a rabbit’s foot in your pocket, it will bring you luck. Most people would just hang them in the car. This particular superstition dates back to around 500 BC. In those times, rabbits would keep the land fertile (I’m sure you know how) and that would bring a good yield of the crop. The rabbits have been considered lucky since. People believe that since the hind legs of rabbit touch the ground first, the foot must be some sort of a powerful charm and therefore the rabbit’s foot.

6. SALT

You must have seen this one happening in a lot of different movies. If you spill the salt, you will face bad luck. The probable reason behind why spilling it is considered bad was because it used to be a very expensive commodity and so it stop people from spilling it, this superstition was created. If you spill salt, and want to get rid of the bad luck it brings, you take some of that salt and throw it over your left shoulder and problem solved. Ironic it is that wasting an expensive commodity will bring you bad luck and wasting it even more will get rid of that bad luck.

5. BLACK CATS

Many years ago, cats were feared for some reason. People thought them to be dark and evil creatures. Then in Egypt, the goddess Bast was worshipped. It was a black female cat. Soon thereafter, these cats were branded unlucky and the old women who adored them, witches. The belief is that if a black cat cuts your path, it will bring you bad luck. Another belief suggests that if a black cat walks towards you, it will bring good luck, however, if it walks away from you, it will take the good luck with it.

4. WALKING UNDER A LADDER

The ladder, the plain surface and the spot at which the ladder leads forms a triangle. In early times, Christians believed this to be the Holy Trinity. If you walked passed it, you would be branded as the devil. So remember this, walk from under a ladder and you will face bad luck. If you want to undo that however, you can walk backwards under the ladder and make a wish. If you believe in superstitions, you better just believe this one too.

3. BAD LUCK FOR SEVEN YEARS

Reflections in the mirror were considered to be a glimpse into a man’s soul. If that image is disturbed it is said that it will bring you bad luck. So if you are viewing your reflection in still water and the ripples disrupt your image, you will be facing bad luck soon. Same is the case with a broken mirror. Break a mirror while looking at yourself in it and you will bring about seven years of bad luck. Now I cannot say for certain if it is true, because I haven’t ever broken a mirror while looking into it. Have you guys had any such experiences?

2. KNOCK ON WOOD

This habit comes from the Romans and is intended to keep the devils in the wood. If you say something good about someone or yourself, you immediately have to knock the wood twice just so the devil will not take away the good. There are a million other theories about this particular superstition. The thing is that I never knocked on wood and nothing bad ever came out of it. True, many things that I thought or talked about didn’t happen so do you think I should try the knocking thing from now on?

1. FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH

The number thirteen and the day Friday together are bad luck. Friday the thirteenth have proven unlucky for many and countless occasions and it is the most commons superstition which is the reason why it has a movie based on it. Judas was the thirteenth guest on the last supper. A long time ago Jacques DeMolay, the King of Knights was executed on this day and date. It is also considered unlucky for men. Long ago the calendar was thirteen months because of the thirteen phases of the moon. But it was changed to twelve, what didn’t change was the thirteen cycles of women. There are many theories regarding the date. Do you have any 13^th Friday story?

Source: smashinglists.com

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