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15 English Words And Their Mind-Blowing Origins

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There are literally millions of words in existence, and English words alone can sum up to a quarter million and still growing. But are you aware that some of the words you are using now have deeper meanings in the past? Like how disaster is a reference to the stars, and how hysteria used to only refer to women? Find out more! 1. Sinister From the Latin word Sinistra meaning Left . Why is the word “left” so attached to such a sinister meaning? Well, centuries ago, being left-handed is frowned upon by many people. They attribute the rare case of left-handedness to the works of evil. This is true across several religions and traditions. Currently, it is estimated that 10% of the world’s population is left-handed. So many evil people! 2. Privilege From the Latin word Privilegium which means “Private Law”. A privilege is a right that is gained from birth. Perhaps this idea of private law is the reason why the world has certain classes. You know, slaves, monarch...
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Why does a severed lizard’s tail still move?

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A severed lizard’s tail that keeps on twitching might be a mind-boggling experience for you as a child or even as an adult, it’s like creepy just got on another level. So, why does it still move? First, we need to understand why lizard tails are very easy to detach. No, it’s not actually your door’s fault. It’s a defense mechanism, they fully control the things that happen in their tail, like detaching it (and regrowing it later) to act as a decoy when a predator threatens their lives. You can say that it still moves after being cut off from the body so that it attracts predators (meaning you and your kids) from smashing the poor fellow. While the predator is busy looking at the acrobatic tail, the lizard is merrily running away from harm. Now, why does it still move?   The tail’s spine keeps on firing signals on what to do, only it can’t have more function because it’s been severed from the main body, so it just flails around. If, by chance, you see a lizard pl...
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Awesome Pictures of Airplanes that Crashed in Water

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Old plane crashes are often spooky. But when they’re located underwater, they’re even more haunting. Here are some photos of airplanes that made their last landing under the waves. Unknown Plane and Location P-38 Crashed on a beach in Wales and uncovered when sand washed away. Link . F4U-1 Corsair Crashed in Lake Michigan after mod-air collision in 1943. Grumman F6F Hellcat Found off a beach in Miami laying upside down in 240 feet of water. A crew about a research submarine discovered the wreck while studying artificial reefs in the area. The researchers used three-dimensional radar to identify the plane at first thought to be a small shipwreck. Link . Grumman TBF Avenger This torpedo bomber is located near Anacapa within a mile of the shore. It’s positioned upright at a depth of around 120 feet. Diving this wreck is considered advanced because of limited visibility and strong currents in the area. The wreck is still considered property of the US Navy...
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A Little Known Secret About Handwashing

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If you’re like me, you grew up with your parents telling you to make the water as hot as you can stand it before washing your hands. Well, it turns out all that talk about hot water is hot air . Researchers have published studies that indicate the germ killing effects of soap have just as much of an impact with cold water as they do with hot water. And what’s more, using hot water each time you wash your hands wastes a lot of energy. Washing with hot water actually has a lot of negatives. For instance, using hot water each time hands are washed can irritate skin and cause your hands to dry out. When the skin becomes dry, it can become less useful as a protective barrier against bacteria. According to one researcher featured in this National Geographic article, people use hot water about 60% of the time when washing their hands. Because Americans wash their hands over 800 billion times a year, more than 6 million metric tons of CO2 are released into the atmosphere eac...
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