Let there be light

Shocking Truths: 10 surprising facts about electricity you didn't know

Image: Johannes Plenio

Thanks to electricity, we can light up cities, keep our food fresh, stay connected no matter the distance, keep our homes clean, and stay cool or warm with air conditioning, among many, many other things. But even though it's part of our daily lives, there are actually many facts about electricity that you probably didn't know. If you want to discover electrifying fun facts, join us!

Image: Naja Bertolt Jensen

There's one creature that really qualifies as "electric," and surprisingly, it lives in the water! The famous electric eel has 3 specialized organs filled with cells that can generate huge electric charges.

But how electric are they? Well, electric eels can produce up to 800 volts of electricity. That's more than 6 times the voltage of a typical wall socket! Can you imagine the shock and surprise of the first humans who discovered this?

Image: Dawid Tkocz

While it may seem that electricity is something modern, observations related to it are actually much older than you think.

Did you know that the ancient Greeks first recorded observations of electricity as early as 600 BCE? That's right! Thales of Miletus discovered that amber, when rubbed with fur, attracted small objects: That's what we now know as static electricity! However, at that time, they didn't understand electricity as we do today, nor how it worked or its potential.

Image: Ricardo Gomez Angel

You know when you touch someone and suddenly feel a small electric shock? That's static electricity at work, much like what Thales of Miletus observed with amber and fur.

It turns out that the human body generates electricity through the movement of charged particles, called ions, across the membranes of nerve cells (neurons). Of course, that happens on a much smaller scale and operates very differently from the huge power produced by a power plant.

Image: Milad Fakurian

As we mentioned, the ions naturally found in your body move across nerve cell membranes, creating electrical charges.

But did you know that your brain produces about 20 watts of power when it's awake? That's enough power to light up a small light bulb! Those 20 watts are cleverly used by your brain for neural communication and to keep your body's functions running.

Image: Robina Weermeijer

Both your brain and your heart use electrical energy to communicate and keep the body working. That's right! The electrical power your body produces is essential for heart functioning, too. The Sinoatrial node in your heart is made up of cells called "pacemaker cells" and is responsible for generating electrical impulses that regulate your heart's rhythm and pace.

Image: Museums Victoria

Although many believe electric cars are the future, they've actually been around for quite a long time. In fact, the first electric cars appeared in the 19th century!

Believe it or not, an early electric motor was patented in the United States in the 1830s. However, it took several decades before the first practical electric car was produced. Thanks to US inventor William Morrison, the world saw a working electric car as early as the 1890s!

Image: Robert Wiedemann

As the Guinness World Records website states, there's a giant light bulb standing 13 feet tall. And it's right here in America, in the town of Edison, New Jersey!

The Thomas Edison Memorial Tower, built in 1937, celebrates the place of Edison's iconic laboratory, where he carried out many of his experiments and discoveries. The tower rises over 100 feet and is crowned with a huge 13-foot-8-inch light bulb replica made of fiberglass. While it's often referred to as "the world's largest light bulb," there are actually bigger ones around the world today.

Image: Jean Gerber

One thing is for sure: electrical signals move incredibly fast. But just how fast, exactly?

The speed at which electricity travels depends on several factors, including the medium it's moving through. But in general, the electrical signal moves at nearly the speed of light! That's about 186,000 miles per second. Wow!

Image: Johannes Plenio

Lightning is as fascinating as it is terrifying, isn't it? We've all seen it, whether in person or on video, but do you know what causes it? Well, electricity has a lot to do with it.

Lightning is produced when a buildup of electrical charges occurs in the atmosphere during a thunderstorm, and this energy is then discharged into the Earth in the form of a lightning strike!

Image: Evelyn Paris

You might be surprised to learn that Iceland is one of the countries with the highest electricity consumption per person in the entire world.

But how is this possible? Well, it turns out that this Nordic country is also the world's largest producer of green energy per capita. Icelanders have access to abundant renewable energy sources, such as geothermal and hydropower, which have a lower environmental impact and make electricity consumption much more affordable!

Emotions decoded

Science behind emotions: 10 incredible facts

Image: Domingo Alvarez E

For most people, recognizing and managing their emotions isn’t easy. And even if we think we know ourselves well, human emotions are a whole world waiting to be explored. From how long they typically last to how they show up in our interactions with others, science has given us fascinating insights. Join us to discover 10 surprising facts about your emotions that you probably didn’t know.

Image: Laura Fuhrman

Memory is closely tied to our emotions. That’s why a perfume can make you feel something even before your conscious mind knows why. Studies show that people usually remember how they felt more than the exact words they heard or the movie they watched: The emotion lingers longer than the content itself.

Image: Agê Barros

Although emotions can feel like they last days, months, or even years, they actually only last about a minute and a half. That’s right! Anger, laughter, or distress typically fade after 90 seconds, unless your brain revisits the situation or memory that triggered them.

Image: Bharathi Kannan

Social media gets a lot of criticism, but there’s one reassuring fact: positive emotions actually spread the fastest online. While it may sometimes feel like "hate" dominates the internet, it’s often videos showing heartwarming human connections or adorable pets that get the most likes and shares.

Image: Vitaly Gariev

We often remember hurtful comments more vividly than kind words. This is often attributed to our ancestors’ need to stay alert to danger, which gave humans a natural negative emotional bias. In other words, when it comes to our own experiences, the brain tends to focus more on the negative than the positive.

Image: Caleb Woods

Emotions are literally tied to physical sensations. Each emotion triggers an instant bodily response (which some people hide better than others). From warmth in your cheeks with embarrassment to a racing heartbeat when nervous or afraid, your body is constantly trying to tell you about how you feel.

Image: Vitaly Gariev

Of course, all humans experience the same basic emotions, no matter where we live. But the facial expressions we use to show them can vary more than we realize. Anthropological studies reveal that while expressions for core emotions like joy, sadness, anger, or fear are easily recognized by everyone, subtler emotions such as surprise or disgust can look quite different across distant cultures.

Image: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦

Witnessing distressing events or even stressful scenes on TV can make you feel the same way. This isn’t mystical; it’s psychological. Why? The answer is that our brains tend to absorb and mimic the emotions of those around us.

Image: Surface

Some say laughter is the best medicine, and we have to admit, they’re not wrong. Laughter really is one of the best remedies for tension. Whether in a movie, a series, a book, or real life, a good laugh helps relax the mind and melt away negative emotions.

Image: Олег Мороз

We don’t always experience just one emotion at a time. In fact, it’s usually the opposite. This mix of emotions can make them tricky to recognize, but analyzing and understanding them can help us respond in the best way.

Image: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦

Recognizing emotions means understanding that they are signals from your brain about how you perceive a situation, not instructions on how to act. It’s always wiser to pause, reflect, and choose the best course of action, rather than reacting solely to the emotions that hit you in the moment.