Curiosity Aroused

A female mosquito gorged with blood (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Mosquitoes have a big needle nose - called a proboscis - that works perfectly to allow them to land on you and withdraw some blood before quickly taking off in search of their next target. You may not notice the bite at first because of special enzymes in the mosquito’s saliva that numbs your skin and also keeps your blood from clotting, but soon after the mosquito is done feeding you will have a red bump that itches like crazy!

Quick NotesQ: When did World War 1 Start? Austria – Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28th, 1914 Q: What started World War 1? How did World War 1 Start? The assassination of Austria-Hungary’s heir of the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand sparked a war between Austria – Hungary and Serbia, which caused a number of other countries to get involved due to the treaty alliance system. Q: Why did World War 1 start?

Digital trickery... (Photo credit: Chaim Zvi) It is no secret - men are infatuated with bosoms. The male eye has its way of looking to the chest after it first notices a woman. This is such a common occurrence that it has become a cliched joke over the years. Why do guys like breasts? What makes a man’s eye attract directly to the breasts? Experts in the study of social science are all fascinated by this topic and there have been numerous research studies done to find the real reasons behind this phenomenon.

Lie detector test (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Some lies are big, some lies are small, but the one thing we have in common as humans is that we all lie. There is a lot of mystery and discussion about the real reasons that we are tempted to lie. Research (and common sense) shows that a person’s initial instinct is to serve his or her own self-interest. If we feel that there is a justifiable reason for the lie, then we are more likely to actually follow through and lie to the person.

Some of us have already seen the wind farms that have been popping up across the United States. They are becoming more popular as wind power technology continues to advance. Wind power is the process when wind energy is converted into mechanical energy (energy that is useful) through the use of wind turbines, wind mills, and wind pumps. Shepherds Flat Wind Farm, Oregon, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The wind turbine is also known as a wind power plant, and it is the giant white tower you see with three blades spinning.

Coke Zero (Photo credit: Kevin Trotman) Diet drinks are carbonated beverages that are sweetened with artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, or saccharin. These low calorie and low carb drinks are available so soda lovers feel that they are making a healthy choice when they choose a diet soda over a regular soda. Recent research and studies show that diet drinks are not good for you, and should be avoided because of the artificial sweeteners that are used in the product’s creation.

The stars have throughout history been fascinating objects of study. From the ancient Greeks, to the modern day astronomers who continually search the stars for other planets and galaxies. One of the Hubble telescope's most famous images showing stars forming in the Eagle Nebula. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The universe is constantly expanding, and changing, thus every time an astronomer looks into his telescope he may see something there that wasn’t there the day before!

Did you know that one of the largest dog in history was a Great Dane by the name of Zeus? He stood at a whopping 112 centimeters (44 inches). Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, with some being as small enough to fit in a handbag, whereas some are large enough to smother a fully grown human. There are so many different breeds, but here is a list of the 10 of the largest dog breeds in the world.

While domesticated dogs are almost always extremely friendly and amicable, on rare occasions, dogs can be dangerous. There are many different breeds of dogs, but the most dangerous dog breeds are quite well known, however looking at the top 10 most dangerous dogs by bite fatalities came up with some interesting results. The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association conducted a twenty year study on the most dangerous dog breeds, and here are the top 10 most dangerous dog breeds based on the amount of fatalities they have caused:

A 2010 American penny (Photo credit: Wikipedia) What is a penny made of? While more accurately called the “one-cent piece”, the penny remains the most common term for the smallest denomination of coinage. The United States has started a discussion on the possibility of taking the penny out of circulation, following a move by the Canadian government to eliminate the penny, which officially took effect Feb 4, 2013. The main argument for the possible extinction of the penny from North America is that the coin reportedly costs more to produce than each cent is worth.