10 Epic Facts about Science: How to Make Science Fun.

  More often than not common people believe that science is boring and suitable only for nerds and lab rats. However, that could not be farther from the truth. Science can in fact be fun for both kids and adults and it is only perceived as boring due to how it is taught in school and communicated in the news or specialty magazines. But science need not be boring – there are countless epic facts about science that you probably never heard about but that can make you reevaluate your idea of the subject. Here are ten of them. Fact no. 1 – What is the largest living structure on Earth? If you guessed the Great Barrier Reef then you guessed right. As coral reefs house huge numbers of animals and corals as well as invertebrates linked by tissue, the Great Barrier Reef with its 3000 reefs and nearly 900 coral islands is the largest living structure on the planet and it is fully visible only from space. Fact no. 2 – They say we all should walk 10,000 steps a day yet very few people do so. Are you among the latter category and feel guilty about it? You can tell yourself that if you walk the average of 7,500 steps, then in your lifetime you will walk the equivalent of the Earth’s diameter times five. Don’t you feel better already? Fact no. 3 – Everyone loves dolphins, right? Their love for humans, antics, and perennial smile makes them a favorite of many people and now we might have discovered why. According to recent studies, in fact, dolphins and humans appear to have shared an ancestor between 60 and 65 million years ago. Fact no. 4 – Still talking of the animal world, studies show that butterflies need to land on leaves and flowers. In fact, their sense of taste is located in their hind feet and it works by touching the plant, letting them know whether this is edible or not. Fact no. 5 – Insects again but not as pretty this time. We have all seen the bugs that crash on the windshield of our cars but did you know the same happens to our faces? The average person, in fact, accidentally ingests about 430 bugs a year. Pretty gross, right? Fact no. 6 – Have you ever noticed that the skin of your fingers wrinkle when you spend a long time in water? That happens because those wrinkles would allow you to have a better grip on things while underwater. Fact no. 7 – We are often told we need to save energy but did you know that, when you are awake, your brain produces enough electricity to power a 40W light bulb for over 24 hours? Fact no. 8 - "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" or so the saying goes. But did you know that eating an apple in the morning is more effective at keeping you awake than a cup of coffee? Hold that java! Fact no. 9 – We all know that we should sleep between seven and eight hours per night. But do you know what happens when you sleep less than that? Studies show that too little sleep triggers your craving for junk food. Oversleeping is instead addictive and will make you want to sleep even longer. Fact no. 10 – Do you love potatoes? Then you will be happy to know that you could exist on a diet on butter and potatoes as these two foods provide the human body with all the nutrients it needs. These are 10 epic facts about science but there are many more. Science is not so boring after all, is it? [Photo: stevespanglerscience.com ]