When did the last survivor of the Crimean war die?
2004.
The last veteran of the Crimean War, which ended in 1856, was Timothy, a Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise. He was thought to be approximately
160 years old at the time of his death, and the UK’s oldest known resident.
What were First World War German uniforms made from?
Nettles.
During the First World War, both Germany and Austria ran short on supplies of cotton.
In search of a suitable replacement, scientists chanced upon an ingenious solution: mixing very small quantities of cotton with nettles – specifically, the
hardy fibres of the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica).
What drives human sperm wild?
The smell of lily of the valley.
It appears sperm have ‘noses’ which they use to navigate towards a woman’s egg. Researchers experimented with a range of floral fragrances and lily
of the valley came top, getting the random sperm wiggling in the same direction at twice the normal speed.
The research was carried out at Ruhr University in Germany in 2003. They discovered a new sperm protein, hOR17-4, which acted as a receptor for
sperm in exactly the same way as protein sensors in the nose detect smells. They then tested their new sperm ‘nose’ on hundreds of synthetic
compounds, many of them used to mimic floral scents in commercial perfumes.
One of these, bourgeonal, is used to create the lily of the valley fragrance. It had two dramatic effects on the behaviour of sperm: doubling its speed and
changing undirected swimming behaviour to direct movement. The ‘foot-to-the-floor’ effect seems to derive from hOR17-4 making the sperm wag their
‘tails’ harder.
2004.
The last veteran of the Crimean War, which ended in 1856, was Timothy, a Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise. He was thought to be approximately
160 years old at the time of his death, and the UK’s oldest known resident.
What were First World War German uniforms made from?
Nettles.
During the First World War, both Germany and Austria ran short on supplies of cotton.
In search of a suitable replacement, scientists chanced upon an ingenious solution: mixing very small quantities of cotton with nettles – specifically, the
hardy fibres of the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica).
What drives human sperm wild?
The smell of lily of the valley.
It appears sperm have ‘noses’ which they use to navigate towards a woman’s egg. Researchers experimented with a range of floral fragrances and lily
of the valley came top, getting the random sperm wiggling in the same direction at twice the normal speed.
The research was carried out at Ruhr University in Germany in 2003. They discovered a new sperm protein, hOR17-4, which acted as a receptor for
sperm in exactly the same way as protein sensors in the nose detect smells. They then tested their new sperm ‘nose’ on hundreds of synthetic
compounds, many of them used to mimic floral scents in commercial perfumes.
One of these, bourgeonal, is used to create the lily of the valley fragrance. It had two dramatic effects on the behaviour of sperm: doubling its speed and
changing undirected swimming behaviour to direct movement. The ‘foot-to-the-floor’ effect seems to derive from hOR17-4 making the sperm wag their
‘tails’ harder.
