Cool and Surprising Facts from Nature and Science

1. Did you know the largest insect is found in New Zealand?
It’s the giant weta. It can grow to about 17 cm long and weighs as much as three small mice! This special insect lives on one of New Zealand’s islands.

2. Did you know buttons were once made from snails?
In Israel’s early years, before plastic was common, people used snail shells to make buttons. The shells came from a type called the "toothed snail" and were turned into buttons at the “Dar” factory in Bnei Brak.

3. Did you know there’s a flower that sweetens food?
The artichoke we eat is actually a flower bud. If you let it bloom, it opens into pretty purple-blue petals. It also has something called cynarine, which makes whatever you eat afterward taste sweeter!

4. Did you know you can touch a power line without getting electrocuted?
Birds sit safely on power lines because they only touch one wire. Electricity only flows when there’s a complete path, so they stay safe. But if they touch another wire or a pole at the same time, they could get shocked.

5. Did you know spots are used for personality tests?
In 1921, a Swiss doctor named Hermann Rorschach created inkblot tests. People look at spots and say what they see, which can give clues about their personality. Today, some still use the test, while others question how accurate it is.

6. Did you know the cheetah is the fastest land mammal?
Cheetahs are amazing runners. They can reach up to 75 mph and leap about 26 feet in one jump!

7. Did you know how hot the sun is?
The sun’s surface is about 5800 Kelvin and that’s way hotter than the hottest day on Earth! And its center is even hotter, about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit.