A list of curious facts

One: Did you know that the “witch bee” often looks like it is riding a broomstick as it zooms around the grass. That’s because the female mason bee collects grass sticks—which she uses to disguise her nest:

She is nicknamed the ‘witch bee’ as after laying each egg she seals up the shell and then hides it under a pile of tiny sticks. She collects each stick individually and carries it, as she flies, under her body and looks like she is riding a tiny broom.

You can see her in action below in a David Attenborough documentary or in the lead image above—it’s pretty awesome:) (The Guardian)

Two: Here’s a bizarre bit of cricket history. Back in 1989, Indian and Pakistani teams were practising in the evening when they suddenly saw the legendary spinner Abdul Qadir chasing after a fan—who had wandered on the field. Here’s Sanjay Manjrekar’s memory of the incident:

And there was Qadir, running after him as if his life depended on it. The rest of the crowd started to watch it and enjoy it. This man was younger and fitter than Qadir, and just as Qadir would get close to him, he would suddenly change direction. The chase went on for about five minutes. Both the teams stopped doing whatever they were doing, and began to watch this spectacle: a great leg-spinner running after a fan during a practice session before a Test match.

The reason for Qadir’s rage: the guy had pinched his bottom. What is even more amazing is that there was a photographer on hand to capture this priceless image. (ESPNcricinfo)

Three: Have you ever experienced ‘somniphobia’? That’s the fear of falling asleep. According to experts, it can often be triggered by sleep paralysis: “[U]p to 40% of the population have had that at least once. It can be very frightening to be paralysed and wide awake. You can’t call out.” Another cause: sleep apnea—where your breathing stops while you are asleep. FYI: the condition can become so severe that patients become delirious due to the lack of sleep—and have to be hospitalised. Ok, so this is more an alarming than curious fact… (The Guardian)