Ask Rachel

Interesting fact: New data from NASA suggests there may be 300 million habitable planets. The article was behind a paywall, so that’s all I know. 

Interesting fact: Now, amidst our current zeitgeist, I feel I understand @nihilist_arbys on a truly cellular level. This is my salute. Not that it matters.

Interesting fact: A startling number of websites purport to list “ghost facts,” yet not a single one passed the Ask Rachel Interesting Fact smell test.

Interesting fact: Each kernel of candy corn has its own unique shape. No two are alike. It’s like hell’s version of a snowflake.

Interesting fact: Jupiter and Saturn are going to conjunct in December. That happens every 20 years though, so I’m afraid we can’t blame this year on astrology.

Interesting fact: Seems like folks might need to hear this right now: there are people out there to listen to you. Like the Colorado Crisis Services. 1-844-493-8255. (Stick that in your wallet right now.)

Interesting fact: When you stub your toe, you’re slamming that little piggy with a force equivalent to two to three times your body weight. 

Interesting fact: Nothing starts with N and ends with G.

Interesting fact: Fast foods, high in sugar and fats, stimulate the brain’s natural opioids. You literally can’t Just Say No.

Interesting fact: One zucchini is actually a zucchina. Stare at that word for a while, and tell me it doesn’t trip you out.

Interesting fact: Contronyms are single words with two conflicting definitions. Like, “to dust” means both “cover in fine particles” and “remove fine particles.” How do we even communicate?

Interesting fact: The fake baseball audience sounds (which come from a video game) are actually played over stadium speakers. Which only intensifies the cardboard cutout horror vibe.

Interesting fact: The “odo-” in “odometer” comes from the Greek “hodos,” meaning “way,” via the French odometer. That word is the only enduring contribution France ever made to the modern automotive industry. 

Interesting fact: Body farm research at the Forensic Investigation Research Station at Colorado Mesa University inadvertently discovered that, yes, given the chance, cats really will eat your dead body.