http://www.didyouknowthat.net Nice to know facts Sun, 12 Oct 2008 08:54:33 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Biologists found a female shark which was pregnant without the involvement of a male.The embryo's found in the shark solely had the mothers DNA.Scientists think this is a mechanism and ability of nature to avoid extinction. The ability to reproduce  without the fertilization of a male is called 'Parthenogenesis' This is the ... http://www.didyouknowthat.net/sharks-can-get-pregnant-without-fertilization-of-a-male/2008/10/12/ Arulanantham Suresh Joachim (Sri Lanka) balanced on one foot for 76 hours and 40 minutes at Vihara Maha Devi Park Open Air Stadium, Sri Lanka, from May 22-25, 1997.  Source:http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/amazing_feats/marathon_efforts/longest_duration_balancing_on_one_foot.aspx  http://www.didyouknowthat.net/the-longest-recorded-duration-for-balancing-on-one-foot-is-76-hr-40-min/2008/10/11/ Mauna Kea is a volcano in Hawaii. It rises 4,205 m above sea level, compared to the Mount Everest rising 8850 meters up in the air this seems like peanuts. But the secret of Mauna Kea's hight, is under water; Measured from its base at the bottom of the Great Ocean, ... http://www.didyouknowthat.net/mauna-kea-is-the-highest-mountain-on-earth/2008/05/18/ During pregnancy, learning and memory skills improve dramatically, say researchers, reversing the popular myth that it is a time of dumbing down. Key brain areas also alter in size; changes that can persist for decades. Far from transforming mothers into weakened emotional wrecks who lose car keys and drop in ... http://www.didyouknowthat.net/women-get-smarter-because-of-pregnancy/2008/05/18/ William James Sidis was a wonder child; at eighteen months he could read The New York Times, at two he taught himself Latin, at three he learned Greek. By the time he was eight he had taught himself eight languages (Latin, Greek, French, Russian, German, Hebrew, Turkish, and Armenian). He ... http://www.didyouknowthat.net/william-james-sidis-had-an-iq-between-250-and-300/2007/10/16/ Coca-Cola is invented by John Pemberton in the late 19th century. It was originally intended as a medicine against fatigue and headaches. The idea to call it Coca-Cola came from his business partner Frank Robinson in 1885. The name is made up from the two 'medical' ingredients; extract of coca ... http://www.didyouknowthat.net/there-used-to-be-cocaine-in-coca-cola/2007/10/14/ Lina Medina (born September 27, 1933 in Paurange in Peru) gave birth at the age of 5 years, 7 months and 21 days and is the youngest confirmed mother in medical history. Lina's parents brought her to the hospital because of her increasing abdominal size. They thought she had a tumor, ... http://www.didyouknowthat.net/the-youngest-mother-of-the-world-was-only-5-years-old-when-she-gave-birth/2007/10/12/ The name is; 'Krungthepmahanakornamornratanakosinmahintarayutthayamahadilokphop- nopparatrajathaniburiromudomrajaniwesmahasatharnamornphimarnavatarnsathitsak- kattiyavisanukamprasit'. Wales Very often the town with the name 'Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch' is mentioned as the longest of the world, but it only comes in third on the list of longest place names. The second place is hold by New Zealand who have a name for a hill that consists of 92 letters: Tetaumatawhakatangihangakoauaotamateaurehaeaturipukapihimaungahoronuku pokaiwhenuaakitanarahu. This ... http://www.didyouknowthat.net/the-longest-town-name-is-163-characters-long-and-its-a-town-in-thailand/2007/10/09/ This is called the Mpemba effect after the student who discovered this phenomanon. The high school student Mpemba from Tanzania, Africa discovered in 1969 that hot water freezes faster than cold water while making icecream. His teachers did not believe it was possible, and it took several years until university professors ... http://www.didyouknowthat.net/hot-water-freezes-faster-than-cold-water/2007/10/08/ People with red hair feel more pain than people with blond or dark hair. It is scientificaly proven that people with red hair need about 20% more anaesthetic during operations than other patients. The cells that produce skin and hair pigment have a dysfunctional melanocortin 1 receptor in people with red ... http://www.didyouknowthat.net/people-with-red-hair-feel-more-pain-than-blondes-or-brunettes/2007/10/07/