15 Contradictory Facts about This World That Will Make You Read Them Twice

By Andrew Alpin, 8 April 2018

It’s natural for us to think in this post-modern age, we have access to all possible questions and dilemmas of human life. Thanks to science and technology and its easy access now everyone seems to know everything, which frankly speaking makes our world a little dull, as there is no new exciting thing to know about. But more than you know, there are innumerous things you will be surprised to learn which in no way you could have ever wondered or known before. IN contrast to the concept of things here are 15 paradoxical facts which would baffle you and make you look at the world and you understand in a new way.

1 They used urine in ancient Rome as a mouthwash

Disgusting but absolutely true, ancient Romans were not all culture and high living all the time and had some really weird practices such as washing their clothes and hold on….their teeth with urine! It was considered a healthy version of toothpaste, which would make their teeth pearly white, plaque-free and smooth with a natural shine and gloss to it. Thank God we are not from that generation and at least I have new respect for my toothpaste and brush in the bathroom. 

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2Almost 90% of U.S. banknotes contain traces of cocaine

If you want to get high just snort on your average American bill and who knows you might be stoned for an evening! Unbelievable but true, because majority of US banknotes pass through the hands of drug lords and cocaine users who use it as a tube for snorting in cocaine. Studies were conducted on different banknotes with the highest residue percentage found in the American and Canadian notes, and the lowest in China and Japan.

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3You can eat candy after a meal rather than brushing your teeth

Now this study is something for all our parents and grandparents to read, as for decades they drilled us how we must brush our teeth after meals. In reality there is no need for that. Our saliva has enzymes which break up residual food particles along with the acidic environment of the mouth making it easier for saliva to get rid of the food particles. This is because our teeth enamel are already soft after eating. In fact brushing almost immediately can damage enamel. Instead pop in some candies or chew some gum to produce saliva which would get rid the waste food particles. However this doesn’t mean you don’t need to brush your teeth which should be done in the morning and before bed. 

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4Lightning strikes can leave permanent “tattoos”

Lightning strikes are a traumatic experience especially if you are the miserable victim of it. It can be shocking, painful and sometimes fatal! Anyway those who do survive the attack have a mark which has a peculiar term called Lichtenberg figures, which are basically the burn marks running through the body. These become a permanent tattoo as the capillaries located in the effected zones expand, therefore the scars may fade with age but never disappear. 

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5Bulls are not irritated by the color red

Well news for all the lovers of bullfights who have grown up with this asinine idea that bulls and oxen hate the color red and would kill if you are in red T-shirt in front of them. Well do not run or be frantic as they might attack you for your sudden movements and not because of the color of your clothes .Why? Because they are color blind! So in the rink it’s the moving rag which infuriates the bull not the color of it.

 

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68 hours of sleep is not standard

This one is an international health myth drummed into our system for ages thanks to our families, teachers and sometimes even health practitioners that we all need at least 8-hour sleep or we are sleep deprived and pushed into the unhealthy realms of insomnia. But recent scientific studies have proven sleep requirements differ individually depending on factors like an individual’s age, health status, genetics and external circumstances. In fact it would be a shocker for all the old school believers that people who sleep from 6.5-7.5 hrs of good daily sleep experience higher level of happiness and productivity and have a higher life expectancy! 

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7There is no relation between the number of nerve endings and size of the female breast

Well contrary to popular belief large female breasts do not necessarily have high nerve endings as compared to small breasts. In fact truth be told, smaller breasts have a high concentration of nerve endings making it more sensitive. Whereas women with big breasts have low sensitivity due to thick layer of fat which is called subcutaneous fat. 

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8Male marsupials can kill themselves when mating

This is a sad fact but true, marsupial mice reach puberty by the age of 11 months, after which their sole aim is to mate as much as possible to transfer their genes. Sometimes the mating process lasts for 12-14 hrs (phew). That’s the reason probably they die before they can see their own offsprings, truly tragic! 

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9There is a huge amount of gold at the bottom of the ocean

Fairy tales with tons of treasures hidden in the deep ocean beds might not be completely a fib. Actually there are tones of gold and precious metals buried deep down in the ocean bed, thanks to the old mariners and ships, which carried these jewels and may have tragically capsized like the titanic sans the publicity and therefore, little is known about them. 

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10Smoking was a remedy against bad breath

As counterintuitive it may sound in the modern world, but in the 16th century, European doctors actually prescribed smoking in order to banish bad breath. That’s not all, smoking was considered as a healing agent against migraine, toothaches, colic, and joint pains etc. of course later medical studies refuted vehemently the “good effects” of smoking when direct links were proven between smoking and high mortality rates and early deaths. 

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11The flounder gene in genetically modified tomatoes

In order to make tomatoes red, juicy and shiny, fish flounder gene was genetically modified and introduced in to normal tomatoes to look the way do today. 

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12Most of the earth’s oxygen is produced by the ocean, not trees

All these years’ forests have been unfairly getting the credit of being called the “lungs” of the planet which is a gross representation. In fact most of the world’s oxygen is produced by the small phytoplanktons living in the oceans. In reality, most of the oxygen produced by the trees is used for the process of decomposition and decay. We agree it’s a kind of anti- climax for all us believers all these years. 

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13Astronauts wake up from a suffocation attack caused by breathing

Sleeping in a space shuttle comes with its own issues and they are not remotely cool. Astronauts need additional air blasting while sleeping, lack of which can cause oxygen deprivation. They can wake up in a cloud of CO2 that they have been inhaling and suffocating. 

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14This is the estimated cost of Earth

Scientists have actually managed to calculate the cost of the planet Earth which is approximately $5 quadrillion! It’s actually derived by a complex formula which takes in to account the date of the discovery, mass, age, and temperature of the planet, as well its proximity to the rotating star (the Sun). Cost of Mars is just $14,000 because it climate is uncomfortable. 

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15You can judge a man’s libido by the size of his feet and hands

Yet another stupid myth generated from God knows where that a man’s libido can be judged by its feet or hands size which is just lame. Some researchers have gone far enough to connect the level of testosterone in blood, but in reality it’s the hormonal effects which decide physical development of the male body and the level of his libido. 

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