Happy Wednesday!
Did you know a car is stolen every 48 seconds in the U.S.? California has the most thefts. Check where your state ranks and which cars are stolen the most!
Here’s what we’ve got this week:
TRIVIA
Most popular 🦅
Which mammal is the state mammal of the most U.S. states?
Explanation at the end!
ANIMAL FOCUS
Rhinos 🦏
Did you know that a group of rhinos is called a crash? Here are some more fun rhino facts:
Rhinos run faster than a person on a bike! They can sprint up to 34 mph, and they can even gallop with all four feet off the ground! 🚴
They leave messages in their poop! Rhinos make about 45 pounds of poop every day! They use the smell to learn which other rhinos are nearby. 💩
They have bird bodyguards! Oxpecker birds sit on rhinos’ backs, eat bugs off their skin, and warn them when danger is near! 🦜
Their “armor” isn’t real armor! What looks like armor is just thick, folded skin. Even though it can be 2 inches thick, it can still feel tiny bug bites. 🛡️
Rhinos are huge plant-eaters! Some grow up to 6 feet tall and weigh more than 5,000 pounds! They can eat 150 pounds of plants a day, and Indian rhinos eat more than 180 kinds of plants! 🥗
EVER WONDER?
Should you drink water left in the car? 🚗
Ever find a plastic water bottle in your car and wonder if it’s still safe to drink?
The temperature inside a parked car can rise by about 40°F in the first hour (even if it’s only 70°F outside!). Here’s what can happen:
Microplastics can get into the water 🥤
Most single-use water bottles are made from a plastic called PET. Even under normal conditions, tiny microplastics can get into the water.
Scientists found that heat alone didn’t increase the amount of microplastics in the water. However, sunlight did.
When a PET bottle sits in direct sunlight, the plastic starts to break down and releases more microplastics into the water. This effect is even stronger with drinks like soda.
Heat can cause a chemical called antimony to increase in the water by up to 100 times. However, this only happens in extreme heat (hotter than 150°F).
Bacteria growth 🦠
A bigger question is whether the bottle has already been opened.
When you take a sip, bacteria from your mouth can enter the water. A warm car helps those bacteria grow quickly.
Scientists found hundreds of types of bacteria, yeast, and mold in unfinished drinks. Whether they can make you sick depends on the germs and how warm the bottle gets.
So, is it safe? 🦺
If the bottle is unopened and sat in the car for only a few hours, it’s probably safe. But it’s still better to keep it in the shaded trunk.
If the bottle has already been opened and someone drank from it, it’s safer to throw it away.
Source: ZME Science
PICKS OF THE WEEK
✈️ Pilots are exposed to more radiation than workers in any other job
💎 The rarest mineral on Earth (truly one of one!)
✏️ Back-to-school: how pencils are made:
BRAIN TRIVIA
Word Search: How many animals can you find? (Hint: there are 25!)
Axel Bocker | 2021 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography
Thanks for reading! Stay curious!
- Steve
P.S. The white-tailed deer is the state mammal for 12 states (Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin), more than the black bear (4 states), bison (2 states), beaver (2 states) or gray squirrel (2 states)!
P.P.S. Have an animal or science question you’d like us to feature? Just hit ‘Reply’ and tell us!