A list of curious facts
One: Every year, there is something called the Mermagic convention—which celebrates all things mermaids. And it’s very inclusive: “It is really for everyone, because you don't necessarily have to swim to be a mermaid, you don't necessarily even have to have a tail.” This Agence France Presse report has everything you need to know.
Two: Which pop stars singing in the English language have the biggest vocabularies—as in don’t just croon ‘ooh baby, baby’ over and over again? As per this analysis of 100 modern stars and the 100 greatest singers of all time: Patti Smith who uses 217 unique words per 1,000 words in a lyric. Billie Eilish is the modern star with the biggest vocabulary: 169 per 1,000. The song with the most unique words: Lou Reed’s ‘The Murder Mystery’ recorded by The Velvet Underground with 639 words. Word Tips has all the nerdy analysis you need.
Three: Something amazing about whales: Humpback whales work together to corral fish in a spiral net of bubbles—and use vocal signals to coordinate. What’s truly impressive: This behaviour is learned not inbred. And not all humpback pods know how to bubble net.
Four: Everyone thinks Elvis died because he was a pill-addicted rock star. A new biography uses his medical history to rewrite his past: “Among Presley’s ailments attributed to his genes were alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, which can attack the lungs and liver; colon issues; an immune deficiency and lifelong insomnia.” And most of the pills he took were to manage his symptoms. (The Guardian)
Five: Hermit crabs are sexually excited by plastic garbage. The reason: A chemical oleamide that is leaked from plastic dumped in the ocean. There is no news as to whether the crabs act on these forbidden feelings. (Washington Post)
Six: Elon Musk’s company SpaceX is going into partnership with a Canadian startup to beam ads in space. The plan: to launch a satellite whose one side will have a pixelated display screen where the advertisements, logos, and art will appear. No, mercifully, we won’t be able to see them flashing across our skies. Instead, a selfie stick will record and stream the ads to a YouTube channel—which sounds kinda odd and pointless. But, hey, ads in space! (Business Insider)
