A list of curious facts
One: Admit it! The first thing you think of when someone says ‘New Zealand’ is sheep (and maybe Jacinda Ardern). Well, Jacinda is no longer on the island—neither are the sheep. The ratio between the woolly creatures and humans was once 22:1. But it has now hit an abysmal low of less than five sheep per Kiwi—for the first time in 170 years. The greater scandal: The Aussies have three times as many sheep as them.
The reason for this precipitous fall: Sheep farming is no longer profitable—because of falling global prices of wool. An equally curious fact: what they’ve been doing with all their land:
[In] 2019, NZ pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050, leading to the introduction of a trading program that allows companies to offset emissions with carbon credits purchased from forest owners. As the price of these credits soared, the math became clear for farmers: cash-in on the credits by converting their agricultural land to forest.
Trading sheep for forests—not so bad after all. (Sherwood News)
Two: One day, many a dissertation will be written about the psychological quirks of the Swiftie. Among them is a most curious malaise known as ‘post-concert amnesia’. Basically, they don’t remember much about the concert. For example:
Three days after Jenna Tocatlian saw Taylor Swift perform at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, she was still on cloud nine. But something felt weird when she tried to relive the memories: in her mind, where vivid specifics of the concert should have been playing on loop, there was just a blank space.
According to experts, this is just an effect of being over-excited—not some mysterious power exerted by Taylor, as she does on local economies. People often can’t remember great parts of their own wedding, for example.
If you’re slightly on edge, with a little bit of excitement, you’ll actually remember better. But too much excitement pushes you over the edge in terms of memory formation, and you’re unable to make memories.
This is a bit sad since these fans paid a stupid amount of money to be there—a fact their bank account most definitely remembers. (TIME Magazine)
Three: How about a nice cuppa of onion tea? Or onion sugar? The Indian government is betting big on the humble pyaaz—to battle the epidemic of type 2 diabetes. Both these innovative ideas were winners in a 2022 grand onion challenge—organised by the Department of Consumer Affairs. The chai will be served up in handy tea bags—under the name PreBiotea—and come in three flavours: cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon.
In case you think this is some made-up Ayush idea, here’s the science behind it:
What’s unique about the prebiotic onion tea, according to the institute, is that it’s infused with inulin-fructo-oligosaccharides, or inulin-FOS, a blend of dietary fibres that support gut health by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the colon. Besides, inulin also serves as a sweetener with low caloric value.
For what it’s worth, the good people of the Dominican Republic and Germany swear by their red onion tea—as do Indian grannies. If you don’t want to wait for those wondrous tea bags, we suggest checking out the Dominican recipe below—or the Indian version here. (Mint)
