lick a slug enough, and your tongue will go numb.

If you lick a slug enough, your tongue will go numb. In fact, some Native Americans used to put slugs in their mouths when they had a toothache and let it crawl around. I don't recommend licking a slug, because I'm sure it's not good for them. Slug slime is actually made of a highly organized polymeric material that can absorb water extremely rapidly—up to 100 times its initial volume. It absorbs the water so fast that it's almost explosive. So, you ask, how come slugs don't soak up too much water and explode when the crawl across water? Well the slug cleverly packages up the dry mucus in granules, coating it with a layer of cell membrane material, thereby keeping it dry until it is ready to make slime. When the slug thinks it's time for slime, the granule is broken open and whammo...Slime everywhere!

Another little known fact about slug slime is that not only does it deter predators by being gross and slimey, but it also numbs the tongue of anyone who dares taste it. Go ahead...try it. Slug Slime actually contains an anesthetic. This doesn't keep everyone from eating slugs however. Shrews actually relish the slippery critters, and racoons roll slugs around in the dirt to give them a more palatable coating before eating them. My grandma swore that chickens and turkeys would eat slugs as well.

Scientists are very interested in the characteristics of slug slime. Researchers foresee numerous potential uses, such as pollutant traps for sewage treatment plants, effective water-based lubricants, and improved surgical implants and wound coverings. Slug slime is one of the best natural glues ever discovered and because it sticks especially well to human skin, doctors are studying slug slime to develop surgical implants that will stick to and be accepted by human bodies. Read more!

A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue.

It is commonly known that the Giraffe is the tallest animal in the world, sometimes reaching a height in excess of 18 feet. Along with it’s length neck, the giraffe has a very long tongue — more than a foot and a half long.A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue! Giraffes are the only animals born with horns. Both males and females are born with bony knobs on the forehead. Read more!

It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open !

A sneeze helps clear the nose and sinus regions while injecting oxygen into the cells of the body. A sniff does much the same thing. Nevertheless, a sneeze is a very complicated body action. Technically, a sneeze is produced when an irritant contacts the nasal mucosa, which in turn stimulates the trigeminal nerve, which in turn stimulates the pons and medullai of the brain, which in turn sets off additional nerve reactions, and so on.During a sneeze, tremendous stress is placed on the body. Considerable air pressure is place upon the eyes. This pressure is not enough to pop your eyes out of your head or even make them bulge out, but enough to make your eyes feel uncomfortable from the added pressure. According to Dr. G.H. Drumheller of the International Rhinologic Society in Milan, we close our eyes when we sneeze in order to keep the eyes from “extruding”. Read more!

Ears and nose never stop growing ?

In July 1993, 19 members of the south east Thames faculty of the Royal College of General Practitioners gathered at Bore Place, in Kent, to consider how best to encourage ordinary general practitioners to carry out research. Someone said, "Why do old men have big ears? Some members thought that this was obviously true--indeed some old men have very big ears--but others doubted it, and so we set out to answer the question "As you get older do your ears get bigger?"206 patients were studied (mean age 53.75, range 30-93, median age 53 years). The length of the left external ear was measured from the top to the lowest part with a transparent ruler; the result (in millimetres), together with the patient's age, was recorded. The mean ear length was 675 mm (range 520-840 mm), and the linear regression equation was: ear length=55.9+(0.22 x patient's age) (95% confidence intervals 0.17 to 0.27). It seems therefore that as we get older our ears get bigger (on average by 0.22 mm a year). (James A Heathcote BMJ 1995;311:1668, 23December)

But there are other reasons than continued growth that could explain this. Maybe fewer people who are old now had plastic surgery for large ears when they were young, and lots of young people are having plastic surgery for large ears. These are alternative explanations. One of the things that does happen is that skin loses elasticity as we age, so it stretches. Ear lobes tend to increase in length with age.
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The Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters

The Hawaiian language was an oral tradition. The Hawaiian alphabet (piapa), was written by 19th century missionaries. The alphabet contains 12 letters: 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 7 consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p, w). To simplify pronunciation, sound consonants as in English and break up words so they are easy to say e.g., Waianapanapa sounds like Wai-a-napa-napa.Pronounce vowels as follows:

* a - a in above; e - e in bet; i - ee in see; o - o in sole; u - oo in moon.

* pronounce stressed vowels marked by a macron (-) like unstressed vowels except for a - a in far and e - ay in pay. e.g. Mãnoa is pronounced Mah-noa. The word for macron in Hawaiian is kahakõ.

* pronounce vowels marked by a glottal stop (`) quickly e.g., o`o sounds like oh-oh! in English. The word for glottal in Hawaiian is 'okina.

* stress rising dipthongs (ae, ai, ao, au, oi, ou, eu, ei) on the first letter and end with a short e, i, o or u e.g., oi sounds like oy in boy, ending with a short "i".

NOTE:
Placement of macrons and glottals can change the meaning of Hawaiian words. However, current browser technology does not facilitate universal and uniform application and utilization of these diacritical marks by browser fonts and search engines. As a result, we have been unable to use them on this site.
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Katy Perry Defy Gravity In The Latest Trailer For “E.T.”

Katy Perry has worn some wild costumes before. This one is out of this world.
The pop megastar constantly shakes up her look, creating a fantasy land of different disguises: she's gone sexy toy soldier; worn a latex catsuit; gone adult-style Candyland; and even suited up in seven unique outfits for the Kids Choice Awards, including goth, hippie and geek.For her new "E.T." remix video, she's going off into space, donning a purple face, alien features and quite the head dress.

She's gone public with this look before, appearing with song collaborator Kanye West in semi-costume. But when the video drops next week, movie magic is sure to take her to the next level. Read more!

Dolphins sleep with one eye open!

Dolphins sleep only with one half of their brain at a time. Remember dolphins are conscious breathers. Should they sleep and go unconscious as we do they would simply suffocate or drown. Sleeping dolphins can be seen as resting, floating at the surface, with one eye open.After a time, they will close the one eye and open the other one. They alternate like this throughout their entire nap. Read more!