Eat Carrots, See Better?

Carrots contain high amounts of vitamin A and are good for general eye health. However, carrots will not improve night vision. That myth goes back to British propaganda during World War II. In 1940, the German Luftwaffe, or air force, began bombing Britain at night. In response, the British government ordered people to turn off their lights; the government wanted to make it difficult for German pilots to hit their targets. A new technology, radar, allowed the British air force to track and shoot down the German planes without light. To keep the technology secret, the government told the media that their pilots could see the German planes because they consumed so many carrots. Consequently, people began to believe that eating carrots would help them see better in the dark.

April Fools' Days Around the World

​

April Fools' Day is celebrated around the world, although it varies somewhat from country to country. In the United States, for example, it's a day to play practical jokes. In France, where the holiday is known as Poisson d'Avril, or April Fish, people secretly tape paper fish on their friends' backs. A common April Fools' prank in Portugal is to throw flour on someone; in Scotland, the most popular trick involves sending someone on a useless errand. Denmark celebrates April Fools' Day on April 1, but some people there celebrate again in May. Maj-kat, on May 1, is yet another day for jokes and pranks in the spring.

Naming Pluto

When "Planet X" was discovered in 1930, astronomers began debating what to call it. An eleven-year-old girl named Venetia Burney suggested the name "Pluto" to her grandfather, who passed the idea along to a friend who was a professor of astronomy. The professor, in turn, immediately forwarded the suggestion to scientists at the Lowell Observatory, where the planet had been discovered. The astronomers appreciated the fact that Pluto was the ancient Romans' name for the god of the underworld, making it a fitting moniker for such a cold and distant celestial body. In addition, its first two letters matched the initials of Percival Lowell, the astronomer who first proposed the existence of Planet X. The matter was eventually put to a vote, with Pluto the hands-down winner.

African Wild Dogs: Ultimate Predators?

​

Many books, papers, and television shows have created an image of the African wild dog as the ultimate predator. According to these sources, the dogs' coordinated teamwork and their unusual endurance help them catch about eighty percent of their prey. A 2012 study tested that notion. Researchers fit a pack of wild dogs with special collars that recorded the dogs' positions and speeds. The data that the collars recorded allowed the researchers to learn what the dogs did when they weren't being observed. The results provided a surprising contrast with the dogs' fierce reputation. The dogs never used teamwork in their hunts; they chased their prey over short distances as opposed to long runs; and instead of eighty percent, they brought down only about sixteen percent of their prey.