12 Fresh Trivia Tidbits for Friday, August 30, 2024

The U.S. comes in fourth with $565k per person, followed by Hong Kong ($582k), Luxembourg ($608k) and Switzerland ($710k).

Researchers have found that, much like whales, bats and naked mole rats, Central America’s yellow-naped amazons have regional dialects. That said, habitat loss and resulting new migration patterns have caused these accents to morph in recent years.

Heat indexes are calculated using temperature and dew points, and as such, corn’s evapotranspiration (aka “corn sweat”) has a major impact on soaring summer heat indexes.

The International Avogadro Project is a planetary cabal of scientists who have commissioned seven glossy, silicon balls that are nearly perfectly spherical. If blown up to the size of the Earth, the difference between its highest “peak” and deepest “ocean” would be about 10 feet. Each ball costs over $3 million to make. The whole point is to somehow redefine the way we measure a kilogram, which doesn’t seem worth the squeeze.

In 1977, an Ohio radio telescope picked up on a signal that seemed to be indicative of extraterrestrial life. Astronomer Jerry R. Ehman printed it out and wrote “Wow!” next to it, hence the name. Researchers now believe it’s the result of a humongous hydrogen cloud colliding with a magnetic field. A likely story.

A 2,492-carat diamond was extracted from a mine in Botswana, making it the largest diamond found in 119 years. It has yet to be named or priced, but the previous second-place diamond sold for over $50 million in 2017.

Researchers have found that the Araneus ventricosus has a diabolical hunting strategy: It will catch a male firefly, then manipulate it to flash in the signature patterns of a female firefly. This attracts more males, creating a never ending supply of food and bait.

Scientists have released a list of 144 birds that haven’t been seen in the wild in years, but that they’re hopeful are still out there somewhere. They’re asking amateur birdwatchers to keep an eye out for them and report back if they see any.

A study found that participants felt more engaged and interested when forced to watch a longer video, rather than shuffling through endless shorter videos. Forcibly watching a 10-minute video was better on the brain than flitting between five-minute videos.

A Pew survey has found that 32 percent of adults in the U.S. have at least one tattoo, and 22 percent have two or more.

A “spiritual entrepreneur” is offering day-long ($222) or week-long ($4,000) retreats where women can go to bellow and smash sticks to release their rage, therapeutically.

Based on reviews from Google and Tripadvisor, Mammoth Cave National Park (19.4 percent one-to-three star reviews), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (19.6 percent) and the Kennedy Space Center (20.2 percent) are the biggest letdowns the U.S. has to offer.