12 Farm-Fresh Trivia Tidbits for Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Somewhere out there, a Dutch thief is being possessed by the golden fifth-century helmet he stole from a Dutch museum.
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Only 74 Athletes Have Been Awarded Sumo’s Highest Honor
Hōshōryū Tomokatsu will be promoted to the rank of Yokozuna, the 74th person to do so in the sport’s 2,000-year history.
Rich People Think Their Stealing Doesn’t Really Count
A survey by anti-fraud technology company Socure found that 49 percent of Millennials and 55 percent of Gen Z-ers making over $100,000 per year have deliberately stolen a product or service in the past year. The catch is that they did it online — either claiming a bad sports bet was a technical glitch, or disputing a large online credit purchase — so it doesn’t count as much as, say, a homeless person stealing deodorant from Walgreens.
Scientists Have Uncovered 66-Million-Year-Old Puke
A local Danish “fossil geek” was poking through a hunk of chalk on a seaside cliff, and found some fossilized fish vomit among a group of ancient starfish-like creatures.
Dutch Thieves Are Hurtin’ for A-Cursin’
Thieves broke into the Drents Museum by blowing open the doors with explosives, then stealing some ancient artifacts: three bracelets and the golden Helmet of Cotofenesti, which sounds like it’s packed full of powerful and vengeful magic.
A Principal Threw a Huge Rager for 100 Underage Students (Which Is Generally Frowned Upon)
An elementary school principal and one of her teachers were arrested after police rolled up to an enormous, alcohol-fueled party being held at her house. She scrambled to turn off the lights when the cops came, but they had to blast their high beams on the property to treat a kid who was puking up hard seltzer on the front lawn.
You Know How Seeing a Yawn Can Make You Want To Yawn? Chimps Have That Too, But With Peeing
Kyoto University scientists have observed “contagious urination,” a phenomenon where a chimp is more likely to start taking a leak if another nearby chimp is taking a leak.
You Can Rehabilitate Your Sense of Smell
Losing the ability to smell is associated with illnesses like COVID, and also neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Olfactory training has been a legitimate area of study since 2009 — the idea is that smelling very strong scents and meditating on them can help reorganize nerve connections and redevelop your sense of smell.
Which Countries Speak the Most Languages?
A data analysis has shown that Nigeria (530 languages), Indonesia (710) and Papua New Guinea (840) are the most collectively polyglottal. The United States sits in eight place with 236 languages.
Dating Preferences May Be Breeding Taller Men
A study found that over the past century, when a society has undergone a collective growth spurt, men have grown twice as fast as women. The study suggests that women’s desire to date taller men, as well as a more robust man signifying a healthier potential baby, are behind the trend.
The Largest Single-Day Loss in U.S. Stock Market History
Stock market darling Nvidia lost $589 billion in market value after a Chinese start-up ate their lunch with an A.I. model that’s just as good as anything already on the market, but doesn’t rely on Nvidia’s chips. Generative A.I. is still a nightmare, but it’s nice that there’s one out there making the wealthy elite spackle their Dockers.
Someone Chucked a 2,000-Year-Old Statue in the Trash
A Good Samaritan walking on the street outside of the Greek city of Thessaloniki spotted a garbage bag tossed haphazardly near a garbage can. When he picked it up to throw it out, he found a 31-inch tall statue whose arms and head had broken off. Local archaeologists have dated it to the Hellenistic era.
A Scientist Accidentally Made Spider-Man-Like Web Shooters
A biotech researcher at Tufts University was studying how mussels are able to stick to rocks with a combination of silk and dopamine, and while cleaning his equipment with acetone, found that this trifecta created an incredibly strong fiber. He and his colleagues developed a way to drip a liquid concoction onto objects, and lift them up when it solidifies.
