KNOWLEDGE TO GAIN

Apple Watch  has been lauded by most to be the best smartwatch out there. This is not only because of how well it works but also because of the sheer health and wellness features it brings to the table. Now, Cardiogram - a heart health application for Apple Watch - is introducing a new feature that will give users more information on how their body is responding to a COVID-19/flu. The new feature called Sleeping BPM revolves around how our body reacts while we're fighting an infection like COVID-19."Cardiogram's new Sleeping BPM feature can help users become more aware of how their body is responding to symptoms of the flu or other illnesses including COVID-19," said Johnson Hsieh, Cardiogram's co-founder to  Apple Insider . He further went on to explain how this feature works. When we're sick, cells in our immune system release small proteins called histamines which cause inflammation and expansion of blood cells. This process sends signals to our brain to in

Did You Know? Tree hugging is forbidden in China. Tree hugging is forbidden in china. In China, you can get into trouble for hugging trees. After the mass tree hugging outside China's imperial garden, Zhongnanhai, a few years ago, the Chinese government concluded that the tree huggers were a dangerous cult and a threat to national unity.

Did You Know? Hawaii is moving toward Japan 4 inches every year. The floor of the Pacific Ocean is divided into several plates. The largest one, the Pacific Plate is moving north west relative to the plate that holds North America, and relative to hot spots coming up through the mantle from below the plates (they generate islands like Hawaii). On the surface of the earth, nothing can move along a straight line, instead the plates rotate around a point on the surface. The pacific plate rotates around a point south of Australia. Around Hawaii, the plate is moving at about 7 cm/year, or about as fast as finger mails grow. The evidence for this motion is pretty convincing:   Earthquakes: earthquakes occur on the boundaries of the plates as they rub past each other. The motion observed during these earthquakes agrees well with the expected motion. Absolute measurements: Thanks to the Global Positioning System navigation system, we can now measure the location of any point on the earth to wi

Did You Know? A warm basketball is bouncier than a cold one because the molecules in the warm ball hit its inside surface at a higher speed. As the temperature increases, gas molecules expand with an increasing energy and they bounce around faster inside the ball. That's why higher pressure leads to a higher bounce of the ball. Likewise, a lower temperature will lead to a lower pressure. As the temperature decreases, gas molecules contract and move around more slowly with less energy. Thus, lower pressure leads to a lower bounce of the ball. That's why a fully-inflated ball might appear deflated if the temperature drops dramatically. As you probably already know, that partially-deflated ball won't bounce nearly as high as it would if it were warmer. Professional athletes and sports teams take temperature into consideration when playing games. They understand that balls act differently in colder weather than they do in warmer weather. For example, football teams playing in e

Did You Know? It's extremely hard to sneeze with your eyes open. Although you can focus to keep your eyes open when sneezing, your body's blinking response is likely there to protect itself from germs. The changing weather brings about many things: holiday excitement, a different wardrobe and -- perhaps most annoyingly -- cold and flu season. Those around you have likely been sneezing more frequently, which may have prompted you to ponder, perhaps while applying mascara or driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic, if it is possible to sneeze with your eyes open.   David Huston, MD, associate dean of the Texas A&M College of Medicine Houston campus and an allergist at Houston Methodist Hospital, said it is "absolutely possible" to sneeze without closing the eyes, but most people tend to automatically close their eyes when sneezing. It is an autonomic reflex, which is an unconscious motor action in response to a stimulus: in this case, sneezing.   "The fact that it

Did You Know? Mapping is older than writing. The history of cartography traces the development of cartography, or mapmaking technology, in human history. Maps have been one of the most important human inventions for millennia. People have created and used maps to help them define, explain, and navigate their way through the world. Earliest archaeological maps include cave paintings to ancient maps of Babylon, Greece, China, and India. They began as two-dimensional drawings, and for some time at least in Europe, the Earth was thought to be flat. Nowadays maps can be visualized adopted as three-dimensional shapes on globes. Modern maps of the old and new worlds developed through the Age of Discovery. In the 21st century, with the advent of the computing age and information age, maps can now be digitized in numerical form, transmitted and updated easily via satellite GPS and apps like Google maps, and used universally more easily than ever before. The English term cartography is modern, b

Did You Know? During WW2, the Oscars' statuettes were made of painted plaster due to a metal shortage. The statuettes are solid bronze and plated in 24-karat gold. Due to a metal shortage during World War II, Oscars were made of painted plaster for three years. Following the war, the Academy invited recipients to redeem the plaster figures for gold-plated metal ones.

Did You Know? The Summer Olympics and FIFA World Cup are the most-watched games on TV. Sporting events around the world garner a huge viewership from all over the globe. Viewership is especially easier in this age because technology has become more widespread and accessible to more people. These sporting events range from soccer tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup all the way to the Olympics. Despite being among the most popular sports in the world, soccer events are not at the top of this list. The most watched sporting events in the world are the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. Data shows that the London 2012 Olympic Games have the highest ever number of viewers among sporting events in the world. With an incredible number of 3.6 billion viewers in the world, the 2012 London Olympics are followed closely by the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing which had 3.5 billion viewers. Three events are in the third position with a global audience of 3.2 billion viewers each. These three events

Did You Know? The first car accident occurred in 1771, in France. 1771 France – Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot's second steam-powered vehicle is said to have crashed into a wall during a test run, in what would have been the first automobile accident. However, it is disputed that this ever happened. According to Georges Ageon the earliest mention of this occurrence dates from 1801 and it does not feature in contemporary accounts. August 31, 1869 Ireland– While riding as a passenger with relatives in an experimental steam car, Mary Ward was thrown from the car and fell under the wheels as it rounded a bend. This is believed to be the first recorded automobile death. It took place in the town of Birr, which was known at that time as Parsonstown. The car was built by her cousins, the sons of William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse. 1890 London had 5,728 street accidents, resulting in 144 deaths. It may be that not all of these involved motorized carriages. 1891 US. John William Lambert, was involve

Did You Know? Because men's hearts are 20 - 25% larger than women's, especially the left ventricle, men can run longer and more easily than women. Men's hearts are 20-25% larger than women's, particularly in the left ventricle. This increases the ability to pump oxygenated blood around the body to be used in the muscles, making it easier for males to run faster for longer. The primary male hormone is testosterone, which stimulates muscle mass development. The female primary hormone is estrogen, which stimulates fat accumulation. Testosterone also increases the concentration of red blood cells, and hemoglobin, both critical for transporting oxygen around the body. This means that on average male blood can carry around 11% more oxygen than female blood to increase efficiency to run faster.

Did You Know? During WW2, Japan received Jewish refugees and rejected the resulting Nazi German protests. The Japanese government ensured Jewish safety in China, Japan and Manchuria. Japanese Army General Hideki Tojo received Jewish refugees in accordance with Japanese national policy and rejected German protest. Chiune Sugihara, Kiichiro Higuchi, and Fumimaro Konoe helped thousands of Jews escape the Holocaust from occupied Europe.

Did You Know? A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue. It is commonly known that giraffe is the tallest animal in the world, sometimes reaching a height in excess of 18 feet. Along with it's length neck, the giraffe has a very long tongue — more than a foot and a half long. A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21 inch tongue! That is ample enough length to clean its ears out.

Did You Know? Loud music can make a person drink more in less time. Commercial venues are very aware of the effects that the environment -- in this case, music -- can have on in-store traffic flow, sales volumes, product choices, and consumer time spent in the immediate vicinity. A study of the effects of music levels on drinking in a bar setting has found that loud music leads to more drinking in less time. "Previous research had shown that fast music can cause fast drinking, and that music versus no music can cause a person to spend more time in a bar," said Nicolas Guéguen, a professor of behavioral sciences at the Université de Bretagne-Sud in France, and corresponding author for the study. "This is the first time that an experimental approach in a real context found the effects of loud music on alcohol consumption." Researchers discretely visited two bars for three Saturday evenings in a medium-size city located in the west of France. The study subjects, 40 mal

Did You Know? FIDO, Abraham Lincoln's dog, was also assassinated. Fido jumped up him with his dirty paws. In an intoxicated rage, the man knifed the dog. That's how Lincoln's dog Fido met his end. Assassinated like his master, said Johnny Roll, a member of Fido's adoptive family.

Did You Know? A father's diet before conception plays a crucial role in a child's health. Mothers get all the attention. But a study led by McGill researcher Sarah Kimmins suggests that the father's diet before conception may play an equally important role in the health of their offspring. It also raises concerns about the long-term effects of current Western diets and of food insecurity. The research focused on vitamin B9, also called folate, which is found in a range of green leafy vegetables, cereals, fruit and meats. It is well known that in order to prevent miscarriages and birth defects mothers need to get adequate amounts of folate in their diet. But the way that a father's diet can influence the health and development of their offspring has received almost no attention. Now research from the Kimmins group shows for the first time that the father's folate levels may be just as important to the development and health of their offspring as are those of the moth

Did You Know? The most abundant metal in the Earth's crust is aluminum. About eight percent of the Earth's crust is aluminum, making it the most abundant metal on this planet. However, it is always found combined with various other elements, never by itself in a pure state. Two of the most frequently encountered aluminum compounds are alum and aluminum oxide. Aluminum is soft and durable, a lightweight metal that can be easily shaped. Its color can be silvery or dull gray. It is not magnetic and is resistant to corrosion. It can dissolve in water under the right conditions, although this does not normally occur. Most of the world's aluminum comes from the processing of a rock called bauxite. This rock contains aluminum in one of its forms found in nature, combined with oxygen. Water is removed from the bauxite, leaving aluminum oxide, from which aluminum is refined. While most of the world's aluminum is produced in the United States, the ore is brought there from other

Did You Know? There is no Left Brain/Right Brain divide. It's a myth. They work together. The left-brain right-brain myth will probably never die, because it has become a powerful metaphor for different ways of thinking—logical, focused, and analytic versus broad-minded and creative. Take the example of Britain's Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks talking on BBC Radio 4 earlier this year. "What made Europe happen and made it so creative" he explained. As well as having metaphorical appeal, the seductive idea of the right brain and its untapped creative potential also has a long history of being targeted by self-help gurus peddling pseudo-psychology. Today the same idea is also picked up by the makers of self-improvement video games and apps. The latest version of the Faces iMake-Right Brain Creativity app for the Ipad, for example, boasts that it is "an extraordinary tool for developing right brain creative capabilities." There is more than a grain of truth to the l

Did You Know? In half of Asia and Africa and two-thirds of Europe, households pay a "TV license" every year. A television licence or broadcast receiving licence is a payment required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts, or the possession of a television set where some broadcasts are funded in full or in part by the licence fee paid. The fee is sometimes also required to own a radio or receive radio broadcasts. A TV licence is therefore effectively a hypothecated tax for the purpose of funding public broadcasting, thus allowing public broadcasters to transmit television programmes without, or with only supplemental, funding from radio and television advertisements. However, in some cases the balance between public funding and advertisements is the opposite – the Polish TVP broadcaster receives more funds from advertisements than from its TV tax.

Did You Know? All hurricanes form over the sea and can last up to 10 days. Hurricanes are the most violent storms on Earth. People call these storms by other names, such as typhoons or cyclones, depending on where they occur. The scientific term for all these storms is tropical cyclone. Only tropical cyclones that form over the Atlantic Ocean or eastern Pacific Ocean are called "hurricanes." Whatever they are called, tropical cyclones all form the same way. Tropical cyclones are like giant engines that use warm, moist air as fuel. That is why they form only over warm ocean waters near the equator. The warm, moist air over the ocean rises upward from near the surface. Because this air moves up and away from the surface, there is less air left near the surface. Another way to say the same thing is that the warm air rises, causing an area of lower air pressure below.

Did You Know? The deadliest animal in Africa is the hippopotamus. Ungainly as it is, the hippopotamus is the world's deadliest large land mammal, killing an estimated 500 people per year in Africa. Hippos are aggressive creatures, and they have very sharp teeth.

Did You Know? The song Jingle Bells was originally written for Thanksgiving. "Jingle Bells" is a classic song sung at Christmas time, but it didn't start out that way. First published in 1857, it was written by James Lord Pierpont, to be sung on Thanksgiving — not Christmas. There is some question as to where it was written — Massachusetts and Georgia both are plausible. Medford, Mass., where sleigh races were popular in the 1800s, claims itself as the birthplace of the song. There is a plaque at 19 High Street, the site of the former Simpson Tavern, where Pierpont was said to have penned the ditty in 1850. The original title of the song was "One Horse Open Sleigh" but that was changed to "Jingle Bells, or the One Horse Open Sleigh" when it was reprinted in 1859. Astronauts Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford, orbiting Earth on Gemini 6 on OnDec. 16, 1965,made "Jingle Bells" the first song heard from space.

Did You Know? The hottest planet in the solar system is Venus, with an estimated surface temperature of 864 F (462 C). The second planet from the sun and Earth's closest neighbor, Venus is famously known for being the brightest object in our night sky aside from the moon. Venus is very similar to Earth both in size and in gravity levels. It is a terrestrial planet and is visible to the naked human eye. One of the most fascinating facts about Venus is the planet's day and year length. One rotation on Venus lasts for the equivalent to 243 Earth days, which is the longest length of any planet in the Solar System! Interestingly, Venus takes 224.65 Earth days to complete a revolution around the Sun. This means that a day on Venus is technically longer than a year. The composition of Venus is similar to that of planet Earth. It has a rocky surface and an iron core at its center. The atmosphere of Venus is mostly made out of carbon dioxide. The planet has a very strong greenhouse effe

Did You Know? A rare Stradivarius viola valued at US$45 million (S$56 million) could become the most expensive musical instrument ever sold in 2014. A rare Stradivarius viola valued at US $45 million (S $56 million) could become the most expensive musical instrument ever sold when it is auctioned later this year. Auction house Sotheby's has invited sealed bids to be received by June 26 for the nearly 300-year-old instrument made by Italian master craftsman Antonio Stradivari in 1719. Musical instrument expert Tim Ingles described the sale of the instrument, one of only 10 Stradivarius violas still in existence, as a "once in a lifetime" event. Known as the Macdonald viola in a reference to a previous owner - Baron Macdonald who purchased it circa 1820 - it is said to be in perfect condition and has never been restored. The current record for the most expensive instrument sale is held by the 1721 Lady Blunt Stradivarius violin which was sold for US $15.9 million in June

Did You Know? Goldfish can see both infrared and ultraviolet light. A goldfish is the only aquatic animal (or fish) on earth that can see infrared and ultraviolet light. Most goldfish retina ganglion cells and wavelength photopic spectral sensitivity functions reflects both wavelength additive mechanisms and wavelength opponent mechanisms. Scientists discovered that they could track submarines, intercept trace reflections of communication lasers that took bad bounces of atmospheric interference, and even decode the ultra-faint emanation that are shed of trans-oceanic communication cables, and so much more.

Did You Know? Mars is red because its surface contains a lot of rust. The simple explanation for the Red Planet's color is that its regolith, or surface material, contains lots of iron oxide — the same compound that gives blood and rust their hue. But why does Mars have so much iron, why is that iron "oxidized," and why does iron oxide look red? It all started 4.5 billion years ago. When the solar system formed, many of the planets landed a dose of iron. Forged in the heart of long-dead stars, the heavy element swirled around in the cloud of gas and dust that gravitationally collapsed to form the sun and planets. Whereas the bulk of Earth's iron sank to its core when the planet was young and molten, NASA scientists think Mars' smaller size (and weaker gravity) allowed it to remain less differentiated. It does have an iron core, but abundant iron exists in its upper layers, also. Plain-old iron looks shiny black. The element only takes on a reddish tinge when it ha

Did You Know? Antarctica is about 1.3 times as large as Europe. A trip to Antarctica is a journey to one of the most fascinating and beautiful places on the planet. It really changes your perspective on the world thanks to the unique wildlife and the stunning icy wilderness that you will experience. It's also quite a fascinating continent, too as our fun facts about Antarctica show: 1. Antarctica is always covered in ice. Unlike its northern counterpart, the North Pole, the ice on Antarctica never melts. 2. Antarctica is a landmass that is covered in ice. The North Pole and the Arctic is not land, but a frozen mass on top of the ocean. 3. Antarctica is the windiest, highest and driest place on earth. 4. The average thickness of the ice covering Antarctica is one mile. It can be as thick as three miles in places. 5. Antarctica is 1.3 times as large as Europe, almost 1.5 times the size of the United States of America. It is almost double the size of Australia, also.

Did You Know? Volkswagen Group owns Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Audi, Ducati, Porsche, and others. The car industry is a massive, complicated place. If you've been a car fanatic for long enough, you probably already know that the Bentley's, Bugatti's, and Lamborghini's you had on your wall as posters as a kid were, in fact, VW's. If you didn't, newsflash: Volkswagen Group owns Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and among others, Porsche. However, a lesser known fact about the German automotive multinational - that rests easily in the top 10 of the Fortune Global 500 list - is that it's indirectly majority owned by the Austrian Porsche-Piech family. Porsche, as in the Porsche also owned by Volkswagen AG. So there you have it. Porsche is both owned by and an owner of Volkswagen Group and vice versa. Here's a look into how this strange hierarchy happened and what is now housed beneath the massive Volkswagen umbrella.

Did You Know? Almost all of the ordinary matter (99.9999999% of it) is empty space. If you took out all of the space in our atoms, the entire human race (all 7.7 billion of us) would fit into the volume of a sugar cube. Some days, you might feel like a pretty substantial person. Maybe you have a lot of friends, or an important job, or a really big car. But it might humble you to know that all of those things – your friends, your office, your really big car, you yourself, and even everything in this incredible, vast Universe – are almost entirely, 99.9999999 percent empty space. If the nucleus were the size of a peanut, the atom would be about the size of a baseball stadium. If we lost all the dead space inside our atoms, we would each be able to fit into a particle of dust, and the entire human species would fit into the volume of a sugar cube.

Did You Know? Nepal is the birthplace of Buddhism. In South Asia, between China and India, lies Nepal. Here, you'll find lowlands, as well as the highest mountain peaks in the world. Nepal has endured years of war and many people live in poverty. The country is home to exotic animals, such as tigers, snow leopards, rhinos and fresh water dolphins. These animals are all endangered, though. As the population grows, people cut down forests for homes and farmlands, displacing the animals. When the trees are cut down, the soil blows away so crops don't grow as well. Nepal is the birthplace of Buddhism, although many people in Nepal are Hindu. Like India, the people of Nepal have used a caste system – or social ranking system – for many years. Although illegal, the caste system endures, especially in poor, rural areas. The social rankings include the Hindu caste, the Bhotes, the hill tribes, including Sherpas, and the Newar.

Did You Know? A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear, compared to a human's 6 muscles each. A cat can rotate its ears independently 180 degrees, and turn in the direction of sound 10 times faster than those of the best watchdog. 32 individual muscles in each ear allow for a manner of directional hearing; a cat can move each ear independently of the other. Because of this mobility, a cat can move its body in one direction and point its ears in another direction. Most cats have straight ears pointing upward.

Did You Know? Cats recognize owners' voices but seem too cool to care, according to a study. Any cat owner will tell you that although they are sometimes kept as pets, felines are beholden to no one. A new study from the University of Tokyo has confirmed this, showing that although pet cats are more than capable of recognising their owner's voice they choose to ignore them. Carried out by Atsuko Saito and Kazutaka Shinozuka, the study tested twenty housecats in their own homes; waiting until the owner was out of sight and then playing them recordings of three strangers calling their names, followed by their owner, followed by another stranger. 

Did You Know? Small intestine length in infants and children is 60 cm. Small-intestine length from ligament of Treitz to ileocecal valve was measured in 183 infants and children ranging up to 15 years of age. Elongation of the intestine was rapid until crown-heel length was 60 cm and remained constant from 100 to 140 cm of body length. When patients were placed into three general diagnostic categories (congenital heart disease, abdominal lesions, and miscellaneous) no significant differences were found. However, several striking instances of abnormally long or short small intestines were encountered.

Did You Know? Some parts of Antarctica have had no rain or snow for the last 2 million years. The driest place on Earth is in Antarctica in an area called the Dry Valleys, which have seen no rain for nearly 2 million years. There is absolutely no precipitation in this region and it makes up a 4800 square kilometer region of almost no water, ice or snow. Water features include Lake Vida, Lake Vanda, Lake Bonney and the Onyx River. There is no net gain of water. The reason why this region receives no rain is due to Katabatic winds, winds from the mountains that are so heavy with moisture that gravity pulls them down and away from the Valleys. One feature of note is Lake Bonney, a saline lake situated in the Dry Valleys. It is permanently covered with 3 to 5 meters of ice. Scientists have found mummified bodies of seals around the lake. Lake Vanda, also in the region, is 3 times saltier than the ocean. Temperatures at the bottom of this lake are as warm as 25 degrees Celsius. The next dri

Did You Know? Brazil is named after a tree. Brazil is the only country named after a tree. Brazil is so-called after the indigenous brazilwood tree. After Portuguese settlement on the land in 1500, brazilwood trees were harvested for a red-coloured dye which was shipped for use in Europe.

Did You Know? Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia is the scientific term for brain freeze. You've probably experienced that unpleasant feeling commonly referred to as brain freeze, ice cream brain, or an ice cream headache. This sensation, which can cause a short-term headache lasting from a few seconds to a few minutes, may happen when you eat or drink something cold, like ice cream or ice water. The medical term for brain freeze is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. You may also hear this sensation referred to as cold-induced headache. Brain freeze is caused by the sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia nerves (SPG), which is a group of nerves near the trigeminal nerve in the brain. These nerves are located behind the nose and the nerves that also cause headache pain. They are designed to be highly sensitive to pain, presumably to protect the brain.

Did You Know? %75 of cars that Rolls-Royce has ever produced are still on the road today according to the company. One of Rolls-Royce's stories is that three-quarters of the cars the company has ever produced are still on the road. The key to success in the luxury market, explains Mr Muller-Otvos, is that customers want to be able to tell their friends, family and business associates some good stories about what they have bought. For a brand as steeped in history as Rolls-Royce, that is no problem. One of its stories is that three-quarters of the cars the company has ever produced are still on the road: "It is a smart investment," he says. McLaren, a successful British maker of sports cars, is drawing on its heritage as a Formula 1 racing team. Tesla's Model S glories in being an advanced car made by a Silicon Valley start-up created by a tech billionaire.