Anecdotes of the Great

Charles Darwin, determined to gather the biggest and best collection of rare beetles in the country, would go out “beetling” almost every day. One day he discovered two very rare beetles. He grabbed one in each hand, but before he could put them in his collecting jar, he saw an even rarer one. Determined not to let it get away, he popped one of the first two in his mouth, so that he could have his hand free. The bug turned out to be a dangerous bombardier beetle, which sprayed a burning poisonous fluid onto his tongue. He spat out the beetle, lost it and lost the other two as well!
[Charles Darwin (1809-1182) was an English naturalist who demonstrated that all species of life evolved over time from common ancestors through a process called natural selection. His theory now forms the basis of modern evolutionary theory]

That explains it!

Why do onions make us cry?

The onion contains oil, which contains sulfur, an irritant to both our noses and our eyes. Cutting an onion arouses a gas called propanethiol S-oxide, which couples with the enzymes in the onion to emit a passive sulfur compound. The result: the gas moves upwards and, combined with the water in your eyes, creates sulphuric acid.

Your eyes react in the only way they know how when irritated by a foreign substance, produce tears which irrigate the eye, and flush out the sulfuric acid.

Another reflex to rid the eyes of a foreign substance, that of rubbing our eyes often exacerbates the situation, because our hands are coated with the sulfuric acid-producing oil from cutting the onion, which we then rub directly into our eyes.

Did you know?

The word ‘sandwich’ was born in London in 1762 when English nobleman John Montague, the 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792), was too busy gambling to stop for a meal. He ordered roast-beef between two slices of bread to be brought to him and was able to continue gambling while eating his snack. He apparently had the meat put between bread slices so he wouldn't get his fingers greasy while playing cards.

How odd!

Swimming cat

A cat in China has become a member of its local swimming club. Its talent for swimming was discovered when a member accidentally knocked the cat into the river while diving into the water from a boat. “We knew the cat was terrified of water and thought it might drown. But it swam furiously to get close to the boat and was rescued.” From then on, club members took the cat swimming with them, and after only ten days it could swim by itself. It now swims at least 50 metres each day in the cold river. After its daily dip, the cat licks itself dry then falls asleep on a sofa on the boat.

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