One of my favourite things do is to collect somewhat useless, random, but interesting facts. Here are just a few.

The heads on Easter Island have bodies

The iconic stone heads protruding from the ground on Easter Island are familiar to most, but many don't realize what lies beneath the surface. In the '10's, archaeoligists studying the hundreds of stone statues on the Pacific Island excavated two figures, revealing full torsos, which measure as high as 33 feet.

The moon has moonquakes

Just as earth has earthquakes, the moon has moonquakes. Less common and less intense than the shakes that happen here, moonquakes are believed by US Geological Survey (USGS) scientists to occur due to tidal stresses connected to the disance between earth and the moon.

Pineapple works as a natural meat tenderizer

The fruit is packed with the same enzyme bromelain, which breaks down protein chains, making it an ideal marinade for meats when you don't have a lot of time. But for the same reason, pineapple does not work for jams or jellies, since the enzyme breaks down gelatin as well.  The bromelain is so strong that pineapple processors have to wear protective gloves, otherwise over time the enzyme eats away at the skin on their face and hands, leaving dry skin and small sores.

You lose up to 30% of your taste buds in flight

This might explain whay airplane food gets such a bad reputation.  The elevation in an airplane can have a detrimental effect of our ability to taste things. According to a 2010 study conducted by Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, the dryness experienced at a high elevation as well as low pressure reduces the sensitivity of a person's taste buds to sweet and salty food by about 30%. Add that to dry cabin air which affects our ability to smell, and our ability to taste even further.

Your notrils work one at a time

When we breath in and out of our nose during the day, one nostril does most of the work at a time, with the duties switching every few hours. This 'nasal-cycle' is dictacted by the same autonomic nervous system that regulates heart rate, digestion, and other unconscious bodily functions and is the reason why when our nose gets stuffed up, it does so one nostril at a time.