Mind your manners

10 laws around the world that are just odd

Image: Tingey Injury Law Firm

What people consider reasonable in terms of the law often changes from nation to nation, and sometimes even from region to region within the same country. However, there are some rules so odd that one cannot help but wonder if they were instituted as a joke and then forgotten. Some make more sense once you learn about the context, but others seem exaggerated. Be mindful of your actions, because you might end up fined—or even imprisoned—somewhere in the world.

Image: Charles Wright

Looking for a way to prevent chewing gum litter, Singapore decided to tackle the root cause and directly banned the import and sale of gum, with an exception made for therapeutic reasons. Blowing bubbles in public might get you fined, and smugglers may face imprisonment.

Image: Andrew Tanglao

This rule may sound odd, but it makes sense once you get the full picture. Greece is home to numerous ancient sites, such as the Acropolis and the Parthenon. To help preserve these monuments, high heels with narrow or sharp points are banned, as they could "damage the structures." Violating this rule can result in a fine of up to €900.

Image: Dan Dennis

Let’s be honest—this one is a bit odd (unless you’ve worked in retail). According to Canadian law, there is a limit to the number of coins you can use in a single transaction. The allowable amount depends on the coin denomination and the total to be paid, but fear not: In true Canadian fashion, the law includes a detailed list of instructions.

Image: James Wainscoat

Camouflage patterns were originally developed as a military tool but have since become a popular fashion trend. Well, not in Barbados. Any civilian wearing clothes or accessories with a camouflage pattern can be fined, imprisoned, or both. Several neighboring Caribbean countries have similar laws, prompting cruise companies to specifically warn their passengers.

Image: David Beale

This one sounds weirder than it actually is. It’s not technically illegal to drive a dirty car in Russia—but it is illegal to drive with an unreadable license plate. So, if your car is so filthy that the dirt obscures your plate, you could be fined.

Image: YoNeKeN

This law stems from a combination of factors. Baht, the Thai currency, depicts the King, making them subject to strict laws requiring respect for the monarchy. Additionally, feet are considered the lowest and dirtiest part of the body in Thai culture, which adds another layer of disrespect. Even carrying money in your back pocket—effectively sitting on the King—can get you into trouble.

Image: Cristina Zaragoza

This law isn’t really about selfies—it’s about turning your back on Buddha statues, which is considered extremely disrespectful. Authorities take this very seriously, and tourists have occasionally gotten into trouble for posing with their backs to the statues. Such actions have even led to fines or imprisonment.

Image: Alexas_Fotos

Domesticated animals weighing under 11 pounds are allowed on French trains—but they must have a ticket. Why snails, specifically? The rule applies to all small pets, but it famously led to a dispute between the rail company and a passenger who was caught carrying live snails. Since the snails didn’t have tickets, the owner was fined—though the penalty was later waived.

Image: Nik

This peculiar rule doesn’t apply to all of Poland, but to one specific town where officials rejected Winnie-the-Pooh as a playground mascot—because he doesn’t wear pants. The decision sparked plenty of laughter abroad, though locals defended it as a matter of propriety. As far as we know, Donald Duck and Bugs Bunny haven’t been considered for the job either.

Image: Will Pagel

Tibet, a region in China, is one of the main centers of Buddhism and home to many spiritual leaders regarded as living Buddhas—believed to be reincarnations of previous teachers. According to Chinese law, for these reincarnations to be officially recognized, they must submit an application and receive government approval. The regulation was introduced to limit foreign influence—particularly from the Dalai Lama—over the selection process.

In your genes

You inherited what? 12 strange physical traits that run in families

Image: Cade Proulx

You may have never met your great-great-grandparents, but their biological legacy lives on in you in ways you might not expect. From tiny quirks in your body to odd preferences and physical features, ancestral survival and lifestyle choices have shaped what you carry today. Here are 12 surprising traits that science has linked to deep genetic inheritance.

Image: Katya Ross

A thumb that bends backward at the top joint is known as a hitchhiker’s thumb. It results from a single gene variant.

This trait is controlled by a variation in the gene responsible for joint flexibility. Some people have it in both thumbs, while others only in one. It's a harmless variation that may have been more common in populations requiring greater dexterity.

Image: Max Leveridge

Some babies are born with blue or gray eyes that change color over time. The way this shift unfolds is written in your DNA.

After birth, melanin production in the iris increases over time. Genetic variants in the OCA2 and HERC2 genes regulate melanin levels. These subtle changes can take months or even years to settle into a final eye color.

Image: Alex Guillaume

The ability to roll your tongue into a tube shape is often thought to be purely genetic, and that’s partially true. While you can learn to do it with a lot of practice, studies show it’s also influenced by genes.

Some populations have a higher percentage of tongue rollers, and the trait may have originally been a byproduct of muscle control needed for speech or food manipulation in early humans.

Image: Tim Trad

Acrophobia, or intense fear of heights, has a genetic link tied to survival instincts from your prehistoric ancestors.

People with heightened depth perception or balance issues may inherit a stronger fight-or-flight response to elevation. This reaction likely helped early humans avoid dangerous cliffs or falling from trees.

Image: KaLisa Veer

Strange as it sounds, redheads often experience pain differently. Some studies suggest they have a higher threshold for certain types of pain, while others indicate increased sensitivity to specific stimuli like cold or heat.

This is linked to ancient adaptations in the MC1R gene, which influences melanin production and also affects pain modulation through opioid receptors in the brain. Variants of this gene were more common in populations from colder regions, such as prehistoric Europe.

Image: Chermiti Mohamed

Freckles are genetic, but they bloom with sun exposure due to the way ancestral DNA interacts with UV light.

In fact, the same MC1R gene involved in red hair also influences how melanin clusters into freckles. This is because freckling was advantageous for fair-skinned populations needing some UV protection without full pigmentation.

Image: Anita Jankovic

The ability to digest milk into adulthood is a relatively recent mutation in human history. Populations with pastoralist ancestors—such as Northern Europeans and some East Africans—evolved lactase persistence, the continued production of the enzyme lactase that enables them to digest milk throughout adulthood.

Most of the world remains lactose intolerant, but those with this mutation can thank their ancestors for a genetic advantage linked to dairy-based survival.

Image: Thomas Park

Weirdly enough, some people sneeze when exposed to sunlight or even just bright lights. This phenomenon, known as the "photic sneeze reflex," affects 18–35% of people and is linked to genetics.

While this inherited quirk is harmless, it likely results from crossed nerve signals between the optic and trigeminal nerves, the latter of which controls facial sensations and reflexes like sneezing.

Image: Claudia Love

Also called Morton’s toe, this feature was once thought to improve balance or running efficiency. The trait is hereditary and common in certain populations.

Greek statues often depict this toe shape, suggesting it was either idealized or prevalent in ancient Mediterranean groups. Biomechanical studies show mixed results, but some suggest that a longer second toe can affect posture and gait.

Image: Mika Ruusunen

People with ancestry from colder regions often have inherited a better tolerance to cold. Adaptations such as higher basal metabolic rates, subcutaneous fat distribution, and heat-conserving blood vessel responses are linked to genetic clusters in populations like the Inuit or Sámi.

Genes like UCP1, which influence fat burning and thermogenesis, are more active in these populations.

Image: Marco Bianchetti

Some people have a vestigial muscle in the forearm that others lack entirely. Called the palmaris longus, it once helped tree-climbing primates enhance their arm strength.

Today, about 14% of people are born without it in one or both arms. It has little to no effect on grip strength, making it a living fossil of human evolution. Interestingly, when present, it’s often harvested for surgical grafts because its absence doesn’t impair function.

Image: Bethany Beck

Clockwise or counterclockwise hair whorls are influenced by genetics, and some studies link their direction to the same genes that affect handedness. However, identical twins can sometimes have opposite whorl patterns, suggesting a mix of genetics and early fetal environment.

This trait has no known survival function but may serve as a visible marker of underlying developmental processes during early embryonic growth.