As we used to say in Biology lab, 'Biological systems never do what they're supposed to.' Here are the answers.

1. A Microraptor was a winged dinosaur about the size of a crow that lived 120 million years ago. What find made it the subject of intense scientist excitement lately? The world's oldest dandruff.
2. Ancient dogs could crush bones with their teeth. How do scientists know that? Two words: Fossil Poop. Scientists do weird things.
3. Chimpanzees' forest beds are cleaner than beds in humans' houses. Why? Fewer microbes. (Wash that mattress cover!)
4. What do some skinks (a small lizard) have in common with Mr Spock? Green blood. (Cool.)
5. According to scientists (ahem), at what age do puppies reach peak cuteness? Six to eight weeks, when they're just weaned and need a new friend. (Sneaky.)
6. How did giant dinosaurs sit on their eggs without crushing them? They laid them in a circle with a hole in the middle, like an American doughnut. (Aren't you glad you know this?)
7. Besides humans, what usually kills male shrews of the Antechinus genus in Australia? Sex.
8. What animal-related charity did actor Russell Crowe endow in ironic honour of comedian John Oliver? John Oliver Koala Chlamydia Ward. (Paid for by Oliver's purchase of $10,000 worth of Crowe movie memorabilia.)
9. A newly-discovered shrew has been found on an isolated mountaintop in the Philippines – and only there. What mystery is driving scientists nuts? How the heck did it get there? (The shrew is 10 million years old. The mountain is five million years old. The nearest shrew relatives are in Africa. We think somebody had a bet on.)
10. More scientists getting excited: this time it was physicists. Researchers at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) Hanford Observatory in the US state of Washington found weird bursts of gravitational waves on their meters. Was it aliens, or something closer to home? Ravens. (They were thirsty, and pecking at the ice around the pipes.)

We hope these factoids have satisfied your thirst for knowledge about Life, the Universe, and Everything, at least temporarily. If not, please check out the LiveScience website, which is where we got all these cool stories in the first place.

Who's weird? Humans, that's who.

Dmitri Gheorgheni

18.06.18 Front Page

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