Creme Puff, a white and tan tabby cat with green eyes, holds the record for world's oldest cat, living just over 38 years.
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Creme Puff holds the record as the world’s oldest cat, living an astonishing 38 years and three days - from 3 August 1967 to 6 August 2005.
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Rabbits are crepuscular, meaning they’re most active at dawn and dusk. Their large eyes are designed for low-light vision, giving them a sneaky edge when predators are lurking!
A giant brightly painted easter egg towers over buildings in Pomerode Brazil
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The largest decorated Easter egg ever made was constructed in Pomerode, Brazil. It weighed 2,047 stone, and was just under 55 feet tall.
The egg itself is made out of welded steel (not chocolate!)
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The average human head has about 100,000 hairs, but your hair color actually changes the count!
👱♀️ Blondes: ~146,000 (Fine but dense)
👩💼 Brunettes: ~110,000
👩🦰 Redheads: ~86,000 (Thickest strands, fewest total)
You naturally shed about 50-100 hairs every single day.
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Trees can “talk” to each other using underground fungal networks.
These are called Mycorrhizal Networks but are sometimes referred to as the “wood wide web”.
They trade nutrients for sugars, send chemical SOS alerts during pest attacks, and even pump food to shaded seedlings.
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The smell after rain has a name: petrichor. It’s caused by oils released from plants and a compound made by soil bacteria.
The name comes from a combination of the Greek words petra (stone) and ichor (the golden fluid that flows in the veins of the gods).
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Sharks are older than trees. Sharks have been around for roughly 450 million years, whilst the first trees (Archaeopteris) appeared about 350 million years ago.
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🌍 Around one million Earths could fit inside the Sun, even though it is considered a medium-sized star.
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The International Space Station orbits Earth roughly every 90 minutes, meaning astronauts see around 16 sunrises and sunsets each day.
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🛰️ Glasgow builds more small satellites than any other city in Europe, with local companies manufacturing CubeSats and PocketQubes for orbit.
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🚀 Astronauts reach space in under nine minutes! They quickly ascend to the Kármán line, 100 km above Earth.
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🌲 Reforestation in Scotland has reached up to 30 million trees planted in a year, renewing woodland habitats that support wildlife including red squirrels.
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🎋 Perennial plants like bamboo renew themselves each year without replanting and can grow up to 91 centimetres in a single day.
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💧 Hydroelectric dams generate renewable electricity by harnessing the water cycle.
Rainfall naturally refills reservoirs, helping supply around 14.3% of the world’s power.
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🌴 Some seeds can wait for centuries before sprouting. A Judean date palm seed, roughly 2,000 years old, was successfully grown in 2005.
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The only letter not represented on the perodic table is the letter J
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Reindeer fur traps air within its hairs, providing insulation against extreme cold.
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The first Christmas spent in space was during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.
On December 24, the crew (Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders) entered lunar orbit. They were the first humans to ever orbit the Moon.
A Redpoll looks quizically at the camera. Text reads: "Did you know? Scientists have un-discovered two species of Redpoll'.
Did you know? Scientists have un-discovered two species of Redpoll
Following investigations into their genetics and variation in plumage, the Lesser Redpoll, Common Redpoll and Arctic Redpoll are now lumped together as a single species; the Redpoll.
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Tinsel was first made from real silver in the 1600s.
It reflected candlelight and acted as a status symbol for families who could afford it.
A Bittern stares intently into the water, text reads: Did you know? Bitterns eyes are made to look down.
Did you know? Bitterns’ eyes are made to look down
Bittern eyes are placed lower down on their head than many other birds so they can easily look for prey beneath them in the water
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Your Christmas lights will tangle thanks to entropy.
Physicists have shown that any cord, once long enough, is almost guaranteed to knot because there is only one untangled state but countless tangled ones.
A Redshank stands on a stone wall, its orange-red legs clearly visible. Text reads: Did you know? These aren't knees....
Did you know? Birds keep their knees hidden
The back bend in bird legs is actually the ankle not the knee. Birds’ knees are hidden higher up, closer to the body
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Why do storms get human names?
This makes it clearer and safer for people, the media, and emergency services to track and communicate about them.
Particularly destructive storms have their names retired to avoid confusion and respect their impact.
A Black-tailed Godwit walks along, probing its long beak into the mud for food. Text reads: Did you know? Some birds can bend their long beaks.
Did you know? Some birds can bend their long beaks
Rhynchokinesis allows birds like Snipe and Black-tailed Godwits to flex the end of their upper beak, allowing them to be efficient in picking out prey from deep mud or sand.
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How can you tell the different between millipedes and centipedes?
🐛 Millipedes have two pairs of legs per segment, centipedes only have one.
You'd also notice that it takes the millipede much longer to put its shoes on.
A Barn Owl hangs in the dark sky, gazing down at its prey. Text reads 'Not all owls are silent fliers like this one'.
Did you know? Some owls aren't silent fliers
Unlike many other owl species, fish owls make noise when they fly because their wings have fewer sound blocking combs. This is because they don't need to sneak up on prey with sensitive hearing.
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In 1784 Launoy and Bienvenue invented a toy which featured a rotary wing system.
This demonstrated the principle of powered, vertical rotary-wing flight and is a crucial, early step in helicopter history.
A Storm Petrel sits on the ground between rocks
Did you know? Storm Petrels weigh the same as one AA battery, making them the smallest Atlantic seabirds
Weight is regularly recorded by our scientists when tagging birds because it is a key indicator of health and age
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Fireworks were first recorded in Britain at the wedding of King Henry VII in 1486
