Elysia chlorotica - photosynthetic sea slug

Elysia chlorotica, a sea slug appearing here as a giant swimming leaf, was recently found to be the first known animal to make proteins essential for photosynthesis, which it stole the genes for from algae it eats. It appears green because of stolen chlorophyll, which makes plants green.

https://www.independent.com/news/2010/jan/30/first-known-photosynthetic-animal/

The mangrove tree is able to grow in saltwater by removing the salt, pushing it to the leaves and dropping the leaves. Really amazing.

When I was working on 'How trees gain weight' and 'Balance I' I found out that, already in the 17th century, Flemish alchemist, physiologist and doctor Jan Baptista worked on an experiment to demonstrate the fact that transposition of soil is not the only cause for plants to grow.

Jan Baptista had a pot with soil and a small tree, weighing 2 kilograms. He dried the soil and weighed the tree and the soil separately. Then he planted the tree in the soil again. Five years later, he dried the soil and weighed the tree and the soil again. By then, the tree weighed 77 kilograms . The soil, however, still weighed about the same.

He concluded that the tree had grown by trans-positioning water. All the time he had added nothing but water. His conclusion turned out to be a big step towards the discovery of photosynthesis.

http://www.sjefmeijman.nl/en/bomen.html

In 1938, Boeing was the first to offer a pressurized cabin for a scheduled commercial flight. This allowed the plane to cruise at altitudes of 20,000 feet to fly above bad weather instead of through it.

Speaking of bad weather, airplanes are designed to endure lighting strikes with no serious side effects. Similar to a car, the lightning travels through the outer body of the plane and then exits back out into the air around it.

Flying used to be a very personal experience with free full meals provided to passengers in economy. However, as flying became one of the most popular modes of transportation, this service was phased out which help cut costs for the airline.

Pilots and copilots often eat different meals to avoid any potential food related illnesses during their flights.

Pilots and air traffic controllers are required to speak English in order to be considered for the job.

Commercial jets fly at roughly 580 miles per hour.


https://blog.vitalchek.com/vital-records/10-fun-facts-planes-commercial-air-travel-history/

“People told me … there’s nothing worse than when I’m at the gym working out and somebody says, ‘Dude, if you want to sell more tickets and get your name on the (next box of) Frosted Flakes, you’ve got to talk more trash.’ That’s not who I am. I’m not a confrontational person. I do mixed martial arts because it’s something I love, and it helps me express my feelings. I’m an artist when I get to compete. Artists don’t run their mouth and attack people or cause a big scene. They focus and put their energy on what they love to do, which is being a martial artist."

 https://www.bjpenn.com/mma-news/ufc/demetrious-johnson-says-its-unfortunate-that-the-ufc-might-close-the-flyweight-division/