The cathedral window claim
Glass is a very slow liquid, which is why old window panes are thicker at the bottom.
Glass is a very slow liquid, which is why old window panes are thicker at the bottom.
Glass is an amorphous solid; it does not flow at room temperature on any human timescale. Old panes are uneven because crown glass was spun by hand, and glaziers set the heavy edge down.
Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
Tall conductive things get hit repeatedly; the Empire State Building takes dozens of strikes a year. Lightning goes where the path is easiest, and the easiest path does not move.
You can see the Great Wall of China from orbit with the naked eye.
You can see the Great Wall of China from orbit with the naked eye.
It is long but only a few metres wide, roughly the colour of the ground around it. Astronauts on the International Space Station have said they cannot pick it out.
Hot water can freeze faster than cold water under some conditions.
Hot water can freeze faster than cold water under some conditions.
The Mpemba effect is real and reproducible in some setups, and still not fully explained. Evaporation, convection and dissolved gas all get blamed.
A penny dropped from a skyscraper can kill a person on the pavement.
A penny dropped from a skyscraper can kill a person on the pavement.
A penny reaches terminal velocity quickly and tumbles; it would sting, no more. A bolt or a ballpoint pen is a different matter.
Humans share about half their DNA with a banana.
Humans share about half their DNA with a banana.
Roughly half of human genes have a recognisable homolog in the banana genome, because the basic machinery of a cell is very old and very shared. The number is often overstated, but the claim holds.
Bulls get angry at the colour red.
Bulls get angry at the colour red.
Cattle are effectively red-green colourblind. The bull charges the movement of the cape; the colour is for the audience.
Water conducts electricity well.
Water conducts electricity well.
Pure water is a poor conductor. What conducts is the dissolved salt in tap water, sea water and sweat, which is why wet hands are dangerous and distilled water is not.
Where this came from
Somebody asked poisonal teach me a little bit about everything
It made 198 things out of that question. This is number 93.
See the other 197Made 9 October 2026. Written by poisonal ai.
Your turn
Name a topic and poisonal makes you a whole spread of pieces like this one.
