Let’s explore some fun facts about Mount Everest!

⛰️ At 29,032 feet (about 5.5 miles) above sea level, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. But did you know that Hawaii’s Mauna Kea is actually taller when measured from its base? From its base underwater, Mauna Kea is 30,610 feet tall - that makes it 1,578 feet (almost 0.3 miles) taller than Mount Everest!

⛰️ Mount Everest was first successfully climbed in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Since then, it’s been climbed more than 11,000 times by 6,000 different people! And that number keeps growing, with nearly 800 people attempting to climb it each year. The current record holder is Kami Rita Sherpa, who’s climbed Everest 30 times!

⛰️ Crinoid and other marine fossils have been found on Mount Everest! The first fossils were actually brought down by Hillary and Norgay after their first climb back in 1953. This suggests that parts of the mountain were once underwater, which could be explained by plate tectonics. Speaking of plate tectonics…

⛰️ Mount Everest is growing every year! As the Indian tectonic plate gradually pushes towards the Eurasian plate, it's causing the Himalayas, including Mount Everest, to rise about 0.16 inches each year. This means that the world’s tallest mountain keeps getting taller!

⛰️ Above 26,000 feet, the oxygen levels are so low that the human body slowly starts to die, even if you’re resting. Climbers can only survive for a short time in this danger zone. However, these extreme conditions (including temperatures that drop down to -60F in the winter!) have provided NASA a great opportunity to test new equipment because the cold, low oxygen levels, and UV exposure can mimic outer space!

In fact, did you know that at such high altitudes, the UV radiation is so intense that dark-colored gloves and plastics can heat up, burn, and melt if left in direct sunlight for too long? As a result, climbers have to use reflective or light-colored gear to avoid this.

Did you know that identical twins aren’t completely identical?

Identical twins are formed when a single fertilized egg splits into two embryos. This happens randomly, and identical twins make up around 0.3% of all births.

However, despite coming from the same egg, identical twins aren’t completely identical! This is due to a couple reasons:

1 - Identical twins have different fingerprints! Fingerprints are created by random movements and pressures in the womb, like if the baby touches the amniotic sac or sucks on their thumb. So even though they share the same DNA, their fingerprints are completely unique. 👍

2 - Although their DNA may be the same, identical twins can have different epigenetics. Epigenetics refers to changes in the way DNA gets expressed that doesn’t involve changes in the DNA itself. For instance, some molecules or proteins may bind sections of the DNA to turn certain genes on or off. These epigenetic changes can be triggered by diet, stress, social interactions, and more! So, over time, differences in lifestyles and environments can lead to very different epigenetic and gene expression patterns. 🧬

3 - Did you know that trained police dogs can distinguish between identical twins by scent, even when the twins lived together and ate the same food? This just shows that there’s more than meets the eye! 🐕

Does lightning really never strike the same place twice?

One common myth is that lightning doesn't strike the same place twice, but that isn't true! Lightning can definitely strike the same place twice, especially tall structures. Did you know that the Empire State building is hit 23 times a year? In fact, park ranger Roy Sullivan survived being struck by lightning 7 times - that’s a Guinness World Record no one wants to break!

This is why we have lightning rods (originally invented by Benjamin Franklin!). Lightning rods are made out of a conductive material (like aluminum) and mounted on top of a building. This is so the lightning will strike the rod instead of the building itself. When lightning strikes the rod, the electrical current is conducted through a wire from the rod all the way to a ground buried in the earth. From there, the charge dissipates into the ground, protecting the building and everyone around from being struck!

“Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.”

Niels Bohr

Niels Bohr (1885-1862) was a Danish physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922 for his substantial contributions to our understanding of atomic structure and quantum theory. He even has an element (bohrium) named after him!

During the 1930’s, he helped refugees escape Nazism in Denmark. When the Germans took over Denmark, Bohr fled to Britain, where he helped contribute to the Allied Manhattan Project. After the war, he helped promote international scientific collaboration and helped establish CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research).

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