From Wool to Gold: Facts That Will Surprise You

Books Existed Before Paper
Before paper or printing presses, people still found ways to write down ideas. They wrote on leaves, tree bark, clay tablets, wood, fabric, papyrus, and even animal skin called parchment. Books were rare and handmade, but they still existed!

Moose Antlers Fall Off Every Year
The moose, the largest animal in North America, grows big, beautiful antlers, about a meter long! But each fall, the antlers drop off and grow back in spring like a natural cycle.

Some Machines Have a “Brain”
Advanced machines that do more than one task often have a computer inside, which works like a brain. Robots are even smarter because they can sense their surroundings, think, and choose what to do based on what they learn.

Origami Started in China
Even though origami (the art of paper folding) is known as a Japanese tradition, it actually started in China. The Japanese later perfected and shared it with the world.

Giraffes Have Unique Spot Patterns
Just like humans have fingerprints, giraffes have their own unique spot patterns. No two are alike! The same goes for zebra stripes, which are also different for every zebra.

Wool Comes From More Than Just Sheep
We often think of sheep when we hear “wool,” but other animals also give wool-like fibers. Cashmere goats, alpacas, llamas, and angora rabbits all provide soft hair used to make clothes and blankets.

Mercury Can Be Turned Into Gold (Sort Of)
It’s true, mercury has 80 protons, and gold has 79. If you remove one proton from mercury, you technically get gold! But this only works in a nuclear reactor, and it’s so expensive that it’s not worth doing.