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@StephenCurry30 let’s go, warriors.

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Imagine a world with ancient seas full of sharks, but no forests like the ones we see today.

Some survivors of Earth's distant past are older than we think!

What other prehistoric fact would blow your mind?

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Sharks existed before trees.

Let that sink in.

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Sharks have been around for roughly 400 million years.

The earliest trees appeared about 385 million years ago.

That means sharks were swimming in Earth's oceans before forests even existed as we know them.

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Ancient Egypt wasn't one short chapter of history. It lasted an astonishingly long time.

History is way bigger than our brains imagine.

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Cleopatra lived closer to the Moon landing than to the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Sounds impossible, right?

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The Great Pyramid was completed around 2560 BC.

Cleopatra died in 30 BC.

Humans landed on the Moon in 1969.

That means Cleopatra lived roughly 2,500 years after the pyramid was built, but only about 2,000 years before the Moon landing.

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This effect is called thermal expansion, and it happens to bridges, railway tracks, and other metal structures too.

Imagine being taller every summer without even trying.

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Today’s Explain It Simply:

The Eiffel Tower can grow taller in summer.

No construction crew needed!

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When iron heats up, it expands. As the Eiffel Tower warms in the summer sun, its metal structure expands slightly, making the tower taller.

When temperatures drop, the metal contracts again.

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Strawberries don’t. Their tiny seeds on the outside are actually individual fruits, while the red flesh comes from another part of the flower.

So the next time someone calls a banana a berry, they’re technically right.

Nature clearly didn’t follow the grocery store rules.

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Strawberries aren’t technically berries. But bananas are.

Wait, what?!

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Botanically, a berry develops from a single flower’s ovary and typically has seeds embedded in its fleshy interior.

Bananas fit that definition.

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https://t.co/TDdCXPmMdQ

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Your nose can detect geosmin at incredibly low concentrations.

So that beautiful post-rain smell? It’s chemistry, not magic.

What’s a smell that instantly takes you back to a memory?

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That fresh smell after rain has a name: petrichor.

Ever wondered why the world smells so good after a rainstorm?

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When rain hits dry ground, it releases tiny airborne particles carrying compounds from plants and soil bacteria.

One key compound, called geosmin, is produced by soil bacteria and gives that distinctive earthy smell.

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A tiny hole, doing a surprisingly important job.

What other everyday design feature have you always wondered about?

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Ever noticed the tiny hole in an airplane window? It’s there for your safety.

No, it’s not a manufacturing defect!

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Most airplane windows have three panes. That tiny hole in the middle pane helps regulate pressure between the panes and reduces fogging.

The outer pane is designed to withstand the pressure difference between the cabin and the outside air.