background preloader

Curiosidades

Facebook Twitter

Miracle fruit. The berry itself has a low sugar content[7] and a mildly sweet tang. It contains a glycoprotein molecule, with some trailing carbohydrate chains, called miraculin.[8][9] When the fleshy part of the fruit is eaten, this molecule binds to the tongue's taste buds, causing sour foods to taste sweet. At neutral pH, miraculin binds and blocks the receptors, but at low pH (resulting from ingestion of sour foods) miraculin binds protons and becomes able to activate the sweet receptors, resulting in the perception of sweet taste.[10] This effect lasts until the protein is washed away by saliva (up to about 60 minutes).[11] The names miracle fruit and miracle berry are shared by Gymnema sylvestre and Thaumatococcus daniellii,[2] which are two other species of plant used to alter the perceived sweetness of foods.

History[edit] For a time in the 1970s, US dieters could purchase a pill form of miraculin.[15] The idea of the "miraculin party"[15] was conceived then. Characteristics[edit] Uses[edit] Videos of the latest tech, gadgets and research direct from Tokyo. The 36 Absolute Best Things in the World. Email.

The 36 Absolute Best Things in the World

Presents: How Much Is Inside? Redneck College Exam -four questions, one minute - how do you do on tests? Think you can pass this one? Redneck College Exam Now, scroll down for the answers You hang in there Sunshine...

Redneck College Exam -four questions, one minute - how do you do on tests? Think you can pass this one?

I didn't pass either! Please visit stories, etc. for more pictures, stories, etc. Jump. I found this fantastic book in our local Oxfam shop on Friday.

jump

It's a simple thing. Pictures of famous people jumping. This, for instance, is Capt Edward Steichen. Don't you just love him, even if you've no idea who he is, seeing him jumping like this. And here are our old friends The Duke And Duchess Of Windsor, jumping nicely. Even with everything you know about Nixon, doesn't this graceful little hop make you slightly inclined to vote for him (although that's unlikely to be possible)? And somehow you feel like this picture tells you something about Robert Oppenheimer's character, and might reveal something of the mind behind the Manhatten Project. Easy 2-Step Lucid Dream Method. Interesting Facts. Weird Facts & More 5. Create a State of Chaos. 25 Everyday Things You Never Knew Had Names.

Tela Communications. Learn something new every day. The 30 Harshest Author-on-Author Insults In History. [Editor's note: While your Flavorwire editors take a much-needed holiday break, we're revisiting some of our most popular features of the year.

The 30 Harshest Author-on-Author Insults In History

This post was originally published June 19, 2011.] Sigh. Authors just don’t insult each other like they used to. Sure, Martin Amis raised some eyebrows when he claimed he would need brain damage to write children’s books, and recent Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan made waves when she disparaged the work that someone had plagiarized, but those kinds of accidental, lukewarm zingers are nothing when compared to the sick burns of yore. It stands to reason, of course, that writers would be able to come up with some of the best insults around, given their natural affinity for a certain turn of phrase and all. 30. Hunkin's Experiments (over 200 home experiments) Curiosities of Literature. 10 Amazing Animal Facts You Probably Didn't Know. VERY INTERESTING UNKNOWN FACTS.

15 Fun Facts you probably didn’t know. Gullibility Test Answers. List of inventors killed by their own inventions. Franz Reichelt (d. 1912) attempted to use this contraption as a parachute.

List of inventors killed by their own inventions

Reichelt died after he jumped off the Eiffel Tower wearing his invention, which failed to operate properly as a parachute. This is a list of inventors whose deaths were in some manner caused by or related to a product, process, procedure, or other innovation that they invented or designed. Direct casualties Automotive Fred Duesenberg, killed in high speed road accident in Duesenberg automobile.William Nelson (ca. 1879−1903), a General Electric employee, invented a new way to motorize bicycles.

Aviation Industrial Maritime Hunley Submarine Medical Thomas Midgley, Jr. (1889–1944) was an American engineer and chemist who contracted polio at age 51, leaving him severely disabled. Physics Publicity and entertainment Karel Soucek (19 April 1947 – 20 January 1985) was a Canadian professional stuntman who developed a shock-absorbent barrel. Punishment Railways Rocketry Popular myths and related stories. 10 Interesting Things About The Human Body. Human World.

Human World The women of the Tiwi tribe in the South Pacific are married at birth.

Human World

When Albert Einstein died, his final words died with him. The nurse at his side didn't understand German. St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was not Irish. The lance ceased to be an official battle weapon in the British Army in 1927. St. Many sailors used to wear gold earrings so that they could afford a proper burial when they died. Some very Orthodox Jew refuse to speak Hebrew, believing it to be a language reserved only for the Prophets.

A South African monkey was once awarded a medal and promoted to the rank of corporal during World War I.