A list of curious facts
Merkel Mysteries: This June, Italian viewers were treated to a two-part whodunit series—with an unexpected lead detective: former chancellor Angela Merkel. The title: ‘Miss Merkel and the Murder in the Castle’. The trailer for the original German version is delightful! We can’t wait for it to hit Netflix! (Deutsche Welle)
Space LEGO: Scientists at the European Space Agency are 3D printing LEGO bricks from 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite dust—to figure out how to construct buildings on the Moon. Since we can’t cart tons of material with us, we may be able to build Lego-style bases instead. Sadly, the “Space Bricks” only come in one colour—“space gray”—as you can see below. (Gizmodo)
Train-smooching: German trains will soon have ‘smooch cabins’ (‘knutsch-abteil’)—with frosted glass—that will give passengers greater privacy. So you and your bae can leave ‘digital towels’ on your seats—to mark them as ‘occupied’—and grab a quick snog whenever you feel like. Guess it’s more comfortable than shagging in airline toilets:) (Euronews)
‘Perfusion’ time: Organ transplant is a race against time—since an organ deteriorates without blood flow. But all that is changing thanks to a new device that pumps “blood or an oxygenated fluid through tubes into the blood vessels of the donated organ”—a process called ‘perfusion’. Surgeons can extract that kidney, get a good night’s sleep—and insert it in the patient when they’re well-rested. Great for docs—not so great for ‘Grey’s Anatomy’-style melodramas. (New York Times)
A bonus fact: In China, there is a booming market of wealthy families looking for live-in son-in-laws. The suitable boy has to earn more than 100,000 yuan (US $14,000) a year—and take the surname of his wife. Also: “lazy men need not apply.” The counterfact: “live-in son-in-law” sagas are wildly popular online novels—where “the protagonist is a scorned dog to his wife’s family. As the plot progresses, however, he gradually earns the respect of those who perpetually dismissed him — and, more importantly, the love of his wife… In many cases, the character’s odds of success are improved by the discovery that he has superpowers.” Yup, you read that right. We can’t stop laughing. (Sixth Tone)
