Page 136 - Science Facts

TNT was originally used as a colored dye!

Trinitrotoluene is one of the most commonly used explosive materials by military forces. One of the big reasons for this is that it's very resistent to shocks and friction, which makes it difficult to detonate.

Because of this, TNT was originally ignored as an explosive material and actually used as a yellow dye! Eventually the Germans began using it in their artillery shells. Here, the delayed detonation actually served to its advantage. The German shells would explose inside British ships. The British ones, on the other hand, exploded on contact, wasting most of the explosive energy on the outside of the ship.

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There is a metal called gallium that can melt in your hand!

Gallium melts at 85 degrees Fahrenheit and does not occur in nature. At low temperatures, gallium is a brittle solid. It was discovered in 1875 and since its discovery has primarily been used in high temperature thermometers and in preparing of metal alloys. It is used in microwave circuitry and infrared applications. Check out the video and how quickly it melts in your hand! Gaby also talked about this in one of our OMG Facts videos 

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Not having friends has the same life expectancy effect as smoking 15 cigarettes a day!

A report by the Brigham Young University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hil has found that the mortality difference of people with strong and poor social connections is roughly the equivalent of smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

What's worse, the effect is greater than obesity and physical inactivity. Another study done by Carnegie Mellon found that people with more social connections and a diverse social network were LESS likely to develop a cold than people with less connections. If you want some tips on strenthening your current relationships, check the source.

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The smallest vertebrate ever found is a 7.7mm frog

Look how tiny it is compared to a dime! The frog was discovered in Papua New Guinea. It's scientific is Paedophryne amauensis. It holds the record for being the smallest vertebrate in the world. 

It dethroned the previous record holder, a Sumatran fish, only a month after it was officially described! Scientists now believe that tiny frogs are not that uncommon. They've found that 27 of the 29th smallest frogs 'jump' straight from tadpoles to adults, and their moist environment benefit and help them be so small.

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Carrots were originally purple and red!

Carrots are a power food that gives us a wealthy of healthy benefits. Three of their major components are vitamin A, alpha carotene, and phytochemicals. Those 3 elements aid us by boosting our immunity, reducing the risk of high blood pressure and heart attack, fighting infections and even reducing acne and easing the alcohol withdrawal symptoms!

They are packed full of good things for our bodies. They weren’t originally orange, though! Carrots originally were purple or red, but they changed over time due to temperature changes, the time of year they are grown, and the amount of water and sunlight the carrot is exposed to.

You still can find purple and red carrots, however, in health food stores and they are packed with even more nutrients than the orange ones. They do taste the same as the orange ones, though.

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