10 Strangest Science Facts You Didn’t Know Were True

Science may have its own laws within its own set of rules and regulations, but there are many exceptions. In fact, laws in science can have just as many loopholes as the laws of man. To prove it, we have gathered the ten strangest science facts you didn’t know were true.

1. Spontaneous combustion – It isn’t just the stuff of science fiction. There are many occurrences when something can spontaneously explode. One of the most common things to explode is piles of compost. The material itself is known to contain explosive properties combined with bacterial fermentation can literally see a pile of pooh blow up all by itself.
2. Animals can do it, too – But it isn’t only materials that are inanimate that can do this. In 2004, a decomposing whale burst in Taiwan on its own. The explosion was a result of gas buildup that had been going on inside the whale and was estimated to weigh 50 tons.
3. Mass dance is possible – Just about every musical sees random people coming together to perform allegedly spontaneous dance and song numbers, but this can actually happen. The first recorded instance was in 1374 Germany. The dance mania would then spread to other parts of Europe and had people literally dancing in the streets. The suspected cause was ergot poisoning.
4. Males can get pregnant – Human males can relax. This only applies to certain species such as the sea horse or sea dragon. The males actually carry the developing embryos in an organ called the brood pouch, where the female deposits her eggs.
5. Animals can abort – Roe v. Wade comes to the animal world in this strange science fact. In the male pipefish, a relative of the above, if the male doesn’t have a relationship with the mother of the embryos he’s carrying, he will choose not to continue the process.
6. How many light bulbs to power a satellite? – Ever hear how the newest space exploration doo-dad is going to cost millions and millions of dollars? It can’t be for the power used. A scientific satellite only uses 250 watts of power, which is about the same as two 120 watt light bulbs.
7. Columbus was right. And wrong – It is widely believed that Columbus was the first to ever truly assert that the Earth was round. However, there was a Greek mathematician who believed the same but was never able to get a ship to prove his hypothesis. He was the famous Pythagoras and he proposed the theory around 600 B.C. Four hundred years later, another Greek, Erastosthenes, guessed fairly accurately that the distance around the Earth was about 25,000 miles.
8. Not necessarily a sign of the apocalypse – We’ve all heard the expression “raining cats and dogs,” but this strange science fact can actually happen. Strong winds are capable of lifting smaller animals to great heights, even freezing them, before gravity gets a hold of them and drops them back down. Toads, frogs, and fish are the most likely animals to “rain.”
9. Post death erection – Did you know that males can still get erections after death? Because they are caused by an overflow of blood, if a male dies face down at the right angle, blood will pool bringing new meaning to the word “stiff.”
10. Sex means death – For most species, the opposite is true. Sex is used to reproduce, propagate the species, and has been known as the ultimate expression of life. Not so for the bee. The male has been known to literally snap off his own genitals into the queen, preventing any others from mating with her but also resulting in his death.

Shelby Crockett has been a Paralegal for 9 years and owns the site Paralegal School. Her site helps students find the right paralegal school.