1. Butterflies taste with their feet. A butterfly’s sense of taste is coordinated by chemoreceptors on their tarsi (lowest part of leg) and works only on contact. It is used to determine whether an egg-laying insect’s offspring will be able to feed on a leaf before eggs are laid on it.
2. The theory that Yellow Fever was transmitted by mosquitoes was confirmed in 1900 by American physician Jesse William Lazear , in a study conducted at US Army barracks in Cuba. Unfortunately, he rather recklessly conducted part of this study on himself, by allowing infected mosquitoes to bite him. He subsequently contracted the disease, and died.
3. Twins are always born at about the same time, right? Wrong. The world record for the longest gap between one twin being born and its sibling emerging is held by American Peggy Lynn, who gave birth to twins on November 11 1995, and February 2 1996 – an incredible 84 days apart.
4. During his life, Austrian Hans Steininger was renowned for having the world longest beard. Unfortunately, the four and a half feet of facial hair proved to be his downfall. Trying to run away from a fire in 1567, he forgot to roll his beard up, tripped over it, and broke his neck
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