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10 science facts you probably didn’t know

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Science has given us a deeper insight into the world around us but there’s still so much we’re yet to learn. From the pool of knowledge we have already gathered, here are 10 science facts that you likely didn’t already know… (Picture: Getty)

1. You inhale 50 potentially harmful bacteria every time you breathe

The human body is capable of some incredible things and looking after itself is one of its most vital functions. When we breathe in the air and dust around us, we are potentially inhaling 50 potentially harmful bacteria every time we breathe. But thanks to our immune system working overtime, the majority of these bacteria are destroyed without you feeling a thing (Picture: Getty)

2. The Moon is lemon shaped

Although the Moon looks round like a big pizza pie, it’s actually shaped more like a lemon. It has flattened poles and bulges on both the near and far side around its equator. It’s thought to have taken this shape during its interaction with the Earth soon after it was formed (Picture: Getty)

3. The Milky Way smells like raspberries and rum 

In 2009, researchers exploring a giant cloud of gas and dust at the centre of the Milky Way discovered that it was packed full of a chemical known as ethyl formate. This chemical is responsible for giving raspberries their flavour, and has the smell of rum (Picture: Getty)

4. A horse normally has far more than one horsepower 

A study in 1993 revealed that the maximum power a horse can produce is 18,000W, which is around 24 horsepower. Engineer James Watt defines one horsepower at 33,000 foot-pounds per minute. This is roughly equal to 746 Watts (Picture: Getty)

5. The universe’s average colour is ‘Cosmic Latte’ 

A 2002 study revealed that the light from galaxies averaged into a beige colour which is close to white. This is because there are slightly more space regions that produce red, yellow and green light than those that produce blue. Averaged over the entire sky, however, this beige colour is diluted and appears almost, but not entirely, black (Picture: Getty)

6. Animals can be allergic to humans 

Our dead skin cells can make animals itch and give them breathing difficulties. Animals can even be allergic to each other, as dander from other animals can irritate their skin (Picture: Getty)

7. Humans can smell ants 

Some people can detect strong-smelling chemicals that ants release when they are angry, threatened or being squished. Rap-jaw ants release a chocolatey smell when annoyed, while citronella ants earn their name from the lemony odour they give off (Picture: Getty)

8. Planets aren’t always attached to stars and can float around freely

We’re often taught that planets form around stars but that is not always the case. Astronomers think there are more than 200 billion free-floating planets. Some of these planets were ‘kicked’ out of their solar system, whereas others formed independently  (Picture: Getty)

9. Plants came before seeds 

Like the question ‘what came first the chicken or the egg?’, plants came before seeds. Early plants resembled something like moss and reproduced with single-celled spores. Multicellular seeds didn’t evolve for another 150 million years (Picture: Getty)

10. Oxygen is produced by the ocean

The Earth’s oceans produce about half of the Earth’s oxygen, primarily through the photosynthesis of marine plankton and algae, and these are more significant oxygen producers than land plants and forests. However, although this process generates the majority of oxygen for the planet, most of it is consumed by marine life (Picture: Getty)



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