Nobody knows if you’ll escape trouble by knocking on wood, but it is true that a cricket can act as a thermometer and a goldfish can not only decorate your apartment, but also perform the functions of a minibar. Sounds weird? Maybe. But, these things really are possible.
We collected 8 tips that, in theory, can be useful if you don’t have a more comfortable solution to your problem. The more absurd the information sounds, the easier it is to memorize. Read the article to the end and you’ll notice that you feel sleepy after looking at the soap bubbles.
1. A cricket instead of a thermometer
How do you figure out what the temperature is outside if you don’t have a thermometer, a smartphone, or a TV-set around? Just listen for a cricket. Physicist Amos Dolbear was the first one who started listening to crickets. In order to figure out the temperature, just count the number of sounds that the insect makes within a certain period of time. However, take into consideration the kind of a cricket, it’s better to find a wood cricket for more precise results. Once you find it, if you’re trying to figure out the temperature in Fahrenheit, add 40 to the number of sounds you count within 15 seconds. If you’re trying to figure out the temperature in Celcius, add 5 to the number of sounds you count within 8 seconds.
2. A dolphin instead of a pregnancy test
It’s well known that sea mammals communicate using sound waves. The sound waves in dolphins’ heads work like radar and their main function is to inform other dolphins about threats. It’s also possible for them to detect pregnancy using this method.
According to experts, thanks to echolocation, dolphins can detect a developing fetus and will display an interest in pregnant women. They swim over to the pregnant woman and make buzzing sounds around her belly or they press their noses against it and start “vibrating.”
3. Saving a tooth in coconut milk
Sometimes bad things happen and if you’ve lost a tooth you should try to find a coconut. Researchers found that coconut water is more effective for preserving the cells of conjunctive tissue than milk or a salt solution. The lost tooth should be dipped into coconut water no more than 30 minutes after the incident and then put back into the cavity and pressed tight. Next it’s highly recommended to see a dentist immediately.
4. An elephant instead of a meteorologist
Researchers watched elephants migrate for 7 years and found out that these animals can feel an upcoming storm at a distance of more than 65 mi. If a herd elephants has suddenly decided to leave a place, then rain can be expected the following day. Next time you see an elephant, ask him if you’ll need an umbrella tomorrow.
5. Rotten fish instead of night vision goggles
Many animals have perfect night vision. However, people aren’t so lucky and have resorted to inventing things like night vision goggles. What do you do if you don’t have a pair just lying around your house? You can find an alternative in nature. For example, miners in Newcastle, Great Britain, used rotting fish. The bacteria that feed on rotting fish gives out enough bioluminescent light to help the miners see their way in the dark. American miners found a more pleasant source of light and filled glass jars with lightening bugs. Also, you could try to find bioluminescent mushrooms like the Indians in the seventeenth century did. Or like the Japanese, during World War II, who used shining clams in order to be able to read maps at night.
6. Goldfish instead of a beer
Humans have looked for ways to make alcohol almost everywhere, and now they’ve found it in goldfish. It appears that alcohol helps fish to survive in extreme conditions. For example, when a lake freezes and all living organisms become deprived of oxygen — the goldfish learned to produce lactic acid to stay alive. But lactic acid can be fatal and when there is too much in the muscle tissue it becomes poisonous. Goldfish found a way around this. In order to adapt, they learned to turn lactic acid into alcohol and expel it as waste into water. Have you figured out how to make an alcoholic beverage with their help yet?
Researchers found out that in order to get a pint of fish alcohol, you’d have to put a goldfish into a closed beer bottle filled with water for 200 days. If you want to get drunk, you only have to “can” 1,000 goldfish and add some ice.
7. Blowing bubbles works for insomnia
If you’ve gotten used to counting sheep before going to bed but the flock keeps getting bigger and bigger and your sleep keeps getting worse, you can solve this problem using bubbles. Before going to bed, try blowing some bubbles. Thanks to the deep breathing, your body will get more oxygen. And while exhaling you’ll reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in your body, the blood vessels of the brain will narrow, and you’ll feel sleepy.
8. Keeping your bed unkempt in order to get rid of allergies
Did your mom teach you to make your bed nice and neat after you wake up? Well, it’s time to forget about that and there’s a good reason for it.
When you are sleeping under a blanket, your body becomes hot and sweaty. This creates the perfect breeding ground for dust mites which are microscopic bugs that can exacerbate asthma and allergies.
Research from Kingston University has proven that the best way to get rid of dust mites is to leave your bed unmade and let it dry out. When mites are exposed to sun and air they get dehydrated and die.
