Category: How Stuff Works

Since before the Civil War, Black scientists have been conducting pioneering research that has changed the way we still live and work today. Despite experiencing racial bias from an early age, these remarkable people kept their eyes on the prize. They persevered when educational opportunities were barred because of prejudice, and found ways to do research when employment was denied for no reason other than the color of their skin.

From well-known Black scientists, such as George Washington Carver, to James West, who coinvented the microphone, to those whose impressive scientific records have nearly languished in obscurity, our list will have you rethinking what else might be left out of your history textbook.

10. George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver was a scientist and inventor best-known for discovering 100 uses for the peanut, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg in his remarkable life. He was born to enslaved parents on a Missouri farm at the close of the Civil War and kidnapped by raiders a week later, becoming an orphan in the process.

Carver’s former owners, Moses and Susan Carver, eventually located and returned Carver to the farm of his birth. In the years that followed, Susan Carver taught him to read and write because local schools did not allow Black students.

The experience sparked an interest in lifelong learning. Carver self-directed his way through high school and conducted biological experiments of his own design. Eventually, he enrolled in Iowa State Agricultural College’s botany program, where he earned a master’s degree — and a reputation as a brilliant scientist, teacher and advocate for farmers. He then became an instructor at the famed Tuskegee Institute, working alongside Booker T. Washington.

In addition to developing crop rotation methods for sharecroppers, many of whom were former slaves, Carver designed a horse-drawn classroom to illustrate his methods firsthand. He also pioneered a series of practical inventions that would make farming more profitable and less dependent on cotton, including more than 100 ways to monetize sweet potatoes, soy beans and peanuts with a conversion into dyes, plastics and fuel.

Carver became an adviser on agricultural matters to President Theodore Roosevelt, and in 1916, one of the few American members of the British Royal Society of Arts. Carver died in 1943, at age 78 [source: Biography].

9. James West

The next time you hear a telephone ring, think of James West. West is a Southern-born scientist best known for his 1962 coinvention of the electret microphone, a device that converts sound to electrical signals.

A stunning 90 percent of microphones currently designed or produced — ranging from telephones and hearing aids to portable recorders — are based on West’s work, the bulk of which occurred during his four decades at Bell Labs. During that time, West was granted more than 200 U.S. and foreign patents, and achieved dozens of professional honors, including inductions into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the National Academy of Engineering. Upon his retirement in 2001, West joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins University.

It’s been an impressive career arc for West, whose parents once cautioned against scientific pursuits. West’s father pointed out three Black men with doctorates in chemistry and physics working at the local post office and wondered whether his son’s physics degree would simply become a winding road to a blue-collar job. But West was hired by Bell Labs right after graduating from Temple University. He’d interned there during his college summers [source: Homewood].

8. Charles H. Turner

Behavioral scientist Charles H. Turner is best known for his discovery that insects can hear. He was born in 1867 to working-class parents in Cincinnati, Ohio, and became the first African American to earn a doctorate in zoology from the University of Chicago.

Turner’s research centered on animal behavior, and he developed a series of techniques to study and measure how insects learn. For example, Turner was the first to discover insects could hear and that they were capable of changing their behavior based on previous experiences. Notably, his research showed that honeybees could recognize colors and patterns. (A former student wrote about one experiment: “The bees appeared at the table at all three meals. Then Dr. Turner put jam only at breakfast daily. They still came to each meal but found no jam at noon and night. Soon they stopped coming. This shows they have some idea of time” [source: Abramson]).

Much of his work was done without the benefit of laboratory space or research assistants, since Turner taught at high schools. Yet his findings dramatically changed the way scientists understood invertebrate species. Turner died in 1923, but many of his methods are still in use today [source: Biography].

7. Mae Jemison

When Mae Jemison peered back at Earth from the space shuttle Endeavour, she felt a sense of unity — with her hometown of Chicago far below, with every star in the galaxy and, importantly, with her childhood dreams of becoming a scientist. She was the first Black female astronaut to travel into space.

Jemison, born in 1956, grew up loving both the sciences and the arts. In college, she studied Russian and Swahili, and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering before completing medical school. She also took modern dance classes at the Alvin Ailey School.

The polymath joined NASA’s astronaut training program in 1987 and the Endeavour space shuttle crew in 1992. She was part of an eight-day mission that completed 127 Earth orbits and used her time in space to do bone cell research [sources: NASA, National Women’s History Museum].

After leaving NASA in 1993, Jemison founded The Jemison Group to explore products that connect technology and science, and also BioSentient Corp., which focuses on medical technology projects. She also penned an autobiography, started an international sciences camp for children and appeared on science-related television shows, including “Star Trek: The Next Generation” [source: Changing the Face of Medicine].

The Google Doodle for March 8, 2019 (International Women’s Day), featured a quote from Jemison: “Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” [source: Bach].

6. Percy L. Julian

Percy Julian was the grandson of enslaved people but became one of history’s greatest synthetic chemists, allowing many drugs to reach patients at much lower costs and wider availability.

He was born in 1899 in Montgomery, Alabama, into a family that understood the transformative power of higher education. At 17, he enrolled in dual coursework as a high school senior and freshman at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, while also working to pay his way through school. Julian studied chemistry and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1920; he was the class valedictorian. After a brief stint as a teacher, he attended Harvard and earned a master’s degree, followed by a doctorate from the University of Vienna. By 36, he’d returned to DePauw to conduct research and was the first to synthesize physostigmine, an alkaloid that occurs naturally in the calabar bean and is used to treat glaucoma.

Although Julian faced barriers — he was once denied a research position because a town law forbade Black people to stay overnight — he was propelled by his work. His soybean compound research led to a number of patents and pioneering medications like synthetic versions of the female hormone progesterone and the steroid cortisone (used to treat rheumatoid arthritis). Julian also produced a fire-retardant foam widely used during World War II.

By 62, he’d formed and sold his private enterprise, Julian Laboratories, for more than $2 million and continued to work as a researcher and consultant until his death in 1975 [source: American Chemical Society].

5. Neil deGrasse Tyson

As the director of the Hayden Planetarium at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History, Neil deGrasse Tyson can be found encouraging children to explore the world around them. It’s a nice turnaround since a visit to a planetarium in the mid-1960s ignited a 9-year-old Tyson’s own passion for the stars.

Tyson is an astrophysicist by trade and science enthusiast by nature, and is considered one of the driving forces behind Pluto’s demotion from planet to dwarf planet. Throughout his career, the Harvard- and Columbia-educated scientist has repackaged complex theories and universal mysteries into essays, presentations and books aimed at laypeople. He’s hosted PBS’s “Nova ScienceNow” series and produces a StarTalk Radio podcast and radio program. Tyson also helped resurrect Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos” television series; he hosted the rebooted version, which debuted in 2014. A sequel series, “Cosmos: Possible Worlds,” which premiered March 9, 2020, was also hosted by Tyson.

Tyson has served as an adviser on the aerospace industry to President George W. Bush and on a later commission focused on space exploration policy. He was even voted People Magazine’s “Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive” in 2000 [sources: Biography, The Planetary Society].

4. David Harold Blackwell

David Harold Blackwell was one of the world’s most notable statisticians, but as a child he didn’t particularly like math. That was until he met the right teacher who opened a numerical world to him.

Blackwell, born in 1919, grew up in southern Illinois and by 16 was enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At 22, he graduated from his home state university with a doctoral degree in mathematics and then studied at Princeton. Although Blackwell aspired to a teaching position, racial bias closed doors; he was denied posts at Princeton and at the University of California at Berkeley. However, he was offered a position at Howard University. (Berkeley later offered Blackwell a teaching job, and he became the university’s first Black tenured professor in 1954).

While at Howard, Blackwell studied game theory and how it applied to decision-making in the government and private sectors during summers at RAND Corp. He became the United States’ leading expert on the subject, authoring a widely respected textbook on game theory, as well as research that resulted in several theorems named for him. One such theory, which explains how to turn rough guesses into on-target estimates, is known as the Rao-Blackwell theorem and remains an integral part of modern economics. In 1965, he became the first African American to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences. He died in 2010 [sources: Sanders, Sorkin].

3. Marie Maynard Daly

Marie Maynard Daly was a pioneer in the study of the effects of cholesterol and sugar on the heartand the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry in the United States. She was born in 1921, at a time when minority women often were denied educational and employment opportunities, but she didn’t allow prejudice to stop her pursuit of the sciences. By 1942, she had earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with honors from Queens College in New York. She went on to complete a master’s degree, also in chemistry, just one year later.

It was while earning her doctoral degree from Columbia University that Daly’s research really began to gel. She discovered how internally produced compounds help digestion and spent much of her career as a professor researching cell nuclei. Importantly, she discovered the link between high cholesterol and clogged arteries, which helped advance the study of heart disease. She also studied the effects of sugar on arteries, and cigarette smoking on lung tissue. Daly established a scholarship fund for Black students at Queens College in 1988. She died in 2003 [sources: Wong, Chemical Heritage Foundation].

2. Patricia Bath

Patricia Bath improved the vision of generations thanks to her invention of a laser probe for cataract treatment.

Born in 1942, Bath’s educational achievements began early. She graduated from high school in only two years, then earned a bachelor’s degree from Hunter College and a medical degree from Howard University before accepting an ophthalmology fellowship at Columbia University. It was during this fellowship that Bath’s research uncovered some staggering statistics: When compared with her other patients, Black people were eight times more likely to develop glaucoma and twice as likely to go blind from it. She set her sights on developing a process to increase eye care for people unable to pay, now called community ophthalmology, which operates worldwide. Bath became the first African American to complete a residency in ophthalmology in 1973, and the first woman to join the ophthalmology department at UCLA in 1975.

By 1981, Bath was hard at work on her most notable invention, a laser probe that precisely removed cataracts in a less-invasive way. Using the laserphaco probe she devised, she was able to restore sight to patients who had been blind for as long as 30 years. In 1988, she became the first Black female doctor to receive a patent for a medical purpose. After her retirement in 1993, Bath continued to advocate for the medically underserved and focused on the use of technology to offer medical services in remote regions. She died in May 2019 after a short illness [source: Biography].

1. Ernest Everett Just

In 1916, Ernest Everett Just became the first Black man to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in experimental embryology, but perhaps his greatest legacy is the sheer number of scientific papers he authored during his career.

Just was born in 1883 and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, where he knew from an early age he was headed for college. He studied zoology and cell development at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and worked as a biochemist studying cells at Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts. He became a biology instructor at Howard University before finishing his Ph.D., and would spend 20 summers also working at Woods Hole. From 1920 to 1931 he was awarded a biology fellowship by the National Research Council. Just pioneered research into cell fertilization, division, hydration and the effects of carcinogenic radiation on cells.

Frustrated that no major American university would hire him because of racism, Just relocated to Europe in 1930. Once there, he wrote the bulk of his 70 professional papers, as well as two books. He died of pancreatic cancer in 1941 [sources: Biography, Genetics].

Originally Published: Feb 11, 2014

A student staggers back to his dorm after a late night tavern visit with friends, hoping to sneak in unnoticed. If caught, he’ll be arrested on the spot — again.

But as he aims for campus, a massive ravine as deep as a five-story building materializes out of seemingly nowhere and he tumbles out of sight. His friends yell blindly into the darkness, urging him to answer if he’s not dead. As luck — and booze — would have it, he doesn’t really feel a thing.

It wasn’t the first time Jefferson Davis — West Point class of 1828 graduate and future president of the Confederacy — had slipped away from his post at the military academy to get drunk, but it was the first time the plan nearly ended him.

Brandy and wine remained a European luxury, so Americans replaced it with the much more available, cheaper rum.

Cyrus Roepers, Histporical Food Blogger

Not long after Davis’ unplanned spelunking trip, talk turned to throwing an epic, eggnog-fueled Christmas Eve party, and naturally, he was all in.

Let the Eggnog Riot Begin

On Christmas Eve 1826, at least 70 cadets got rip-roarin’ drunk on eggnog, assaulted two officers and nearly destroyed the North Barracks. They broke windows, threw furniture, shattered plates and even tore banisters from stairways. Their noisy antics drew the attention of officers assigned to guard against such shenanigans. A subsequent surprise inspection of student quarters revealed a “Where’s Waldo” of drunk cadets. There were sloshed cadets poorly hidden under blankets and behind hats.

And in the hours that followed, the booze made them brave, so much so that they grabbed weapons and threatened to kill their superiors. One officer was threatened with a sword and hit with a piece of wood; another was shot at.

Alcohol was strictly forbidden at West Point in the early 1820s. The military academy, stationed on the west bank of the Hudson River was, after all, run by Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, an austere and stern superintendent bent on instilling discipline. If a student were caught with alcohol, or simply under the influence of alcohol, expulsion and arrest weren’t far behind. Plus, West Point, just 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) north of New York City, had its reputation to consider.

Maintaining Military Order

When West Point accepted its first class in 1802, a mere 10 students assembled in a handful of haphazard buildings. New students interested in joining the ranks were admitted — at any time throughout the year — with few questions. Then came the War of 1812, and Congress, hungry for military success, installed Thayer to whip the academy into shape.

By 1826, Thayer had done just as he was commanded.

Until Christmas Eve, that is. That’s when students broke out their secret stash of liquor: about four gallons of the cheapest whiskey they could find. They’d lugged it across the Hudson River and bribed a guard to bring it onto campus, where they hid it among their personal effects. Imagine: whiskey in boots, coat pockets, under mattresses and blankets, until the moment it was hastily mixed with eggs, milk and a few spices to become eggnog — the Colonial equivalent of a Jaeger Bomb. (Watch the video below for an idea of what might’ve been in the mix.)

“There are a lot of different theories as to how eggnog came about, but there’s a solid consensus that Medieval Europe played a large role in its creation,” says Cyrus Roepers of Arousing Appetites, a food blog focused on recreating traditional recipes from cuisines all over the world. “Many believe that eggnog is an offshoot of an old drink called posset, which is hot milk curdled with wine or brandy, and some added spices.”

Originally, says Roepers, posset was the preferred drink of the Old World’s 1 percenters. But it didn’t take long before this beverage of wealthy nobility became popular with the average person and hopped continents. As non-nobles in the New World began owning land and livestock, they started using readily available ingredients, like milk, eggs and liquor, to whip up their own grog.

“Brandy and wine remained a European luxury, however, so Americans replaced it with the much more available, cheaper rum, thanks to their Caribbean neighbors,” says Roepers.

And, as West Point cadets discovered, whiskey was an acceptable substitute, too.

AKA the Grog Mutiny

As the Christmas Eve 1826 eggnog riot stretched into Christmas morning, the revelry escalated. Students who weren’t busy dismantling the barracks or fist-fighting, armed themselves with guns and swords in preparation for a battle with West Point’s artillery men, who were expected to be summoned in an attempt to subdue them.

But then the eggnog’s effects began to wear off. Morning roll call revealed a corps staggering to line up, with many of the 260 cadets somewhere along the eggnog continuum of well-oiled to full-on hungover.

Thayer elected to censure only the most destructive revelers, and neither Jefferson Davis nor his compatriot, the future general Robert E. Lee, were among them. In the end, 19 cadets were expelled.

No word on whether they ever drank eggnog again. 

Now That’s Interesting

George Washington’s alleged personal eggnog recipe incorporated generous measures of three different types of booze — rye whiskey, rum and sherry.

Originally Published: Dec 7, 2015

The world’s population has reached another milestone. There are now an estimated 8 billion people inhabiting this Big Blue Marble and that’s with our global population growing at its slowest rate since 1950. The majority of the world’s population — 56.2 percent — live in an urban area, and by 2030 that number is expected to increase to 70 percent of the world’s population.

Among these ever more populous urban environments are “megacities,” the most populated cities in the world. According to the United Nations, a megacity has a population of 10 million or more. Currently, there are fewer than 37 megacities in the world, with that number expected to rise to 41 by the year 2030.

So, here are the largest cities in the world by population, according to WorldAtlas, from Tokyo, the largest, to another Japanese city, Osaka, the 10th-largest:

1. Tokyo, Japan

Topping the list of world city populations is Tokyo. With a population of 37,274,000, it has become the most densely populated city in the world. Although home to an astounding number of citizens, Tokyo’s population growth has slowed during recent years with recorded declines ranging from a 0.09 percent drop from 2018 to 2019 to a 0.18 percent drop from 2021 to 2022. Experts point to an aging population paired with low birth rates as two of the reasons behind the slowed growth; another reason may be that the Japanese government implemented tax incentives for Japanese companies to move from Tokyo to less-populated prefectures and offered subsidies for citizen-employees to relocate along with them.

2. Delhi, India

Delhi, India, has a population of 32,065,760. This second-place ranking among the globe’s biggest cities, however, may be short-lived. Some population growth estimates forecast that Delhi’s population will reach a potential 56.4 million people by the year 2028. Delhi is home to several attractions that have each been designated as a World Heritage Site, including Red Fort Complex, named for its red-tinted limestone walls.

3. Shanghai, China

Shanghai, China, has a population of 28,516,904 and is forecast to enter a period of significant population growth over the next few years. Since 2018, Shanghai has recorded year-over-year population growth ranging from 2.59 percent to 2.87 percent. This means Shanghai is on track not only to secure its future ranking among the world’s top three most-populated cities, but to eventually vie for one of the top two spots. Located in east central China, Shanghai is a commercial powerhouse that is home to one of the world’s largest seaports.

4. Dhaka, Bangladesh

With 22,478,116 people living in Dhaka, Bangladesh, it is skyrocketing through the rankings of the world’s most populous cities. It’s also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. As recently as 2018, Dhaka was at No. 7, but after several years of rapid population growth (more than 3 percent), Dhaka has reached the No. 4 spot on this list. Dhaka is located at the center of Bangladesh, which borders the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean. The city serves as the country’s administrative and economic powerhouse. Bangladesh has been the site of intense growth since it became an independent country in 1971, and the population is expected to continue to soar.

5. São Paulo, Brazil

São Paulo, Brazil, has a population of 22,429,800 people. São Paulo comes in at No. 5 on this list of the world’s most populous cities, and takes the top spot among Brazil’s 110 urban areas. The city is located in southeastern Brazil where it is surrounded by valleys and foothills. It is known for being the largest city in the Southern Hemisphere and has gained a global reputation as a commercial and industrial center. In 2007, São Paulo officials banned outdoor billboards and banners in a move intended to preserve the city’s scenic views. Although the ban was initially met with resistance, just a few years later the ban was praised for its effects — chief among them the highlighting of previously overlooked architecture, including such buildings as the Municipal Theater of São Paulo.

6. Mexico City, Mexico

The population of Mexico City has grown more than 540 percent since 1950, and is now an estimated 22,085,140 people. Mexico City may be the sixth most populous city in the world, but it has another claim to fame that is far less welcome: Mexico City is sinking. During the 1900s, the capital city sank an estimated 29 to 36 feet (9 to 11 meters) because it sits atop an underground aquifer that is being continually depleted. Even after a 1958 ban on drilling new wells into the aquifer, the clay soil under Mexico City compressed at steady rates. Today, some sections of the city are sinking up to 19 inches (50 centimeters) a year.

7. Cairo, Egypt

Cairo, Egypt, has reached a new peak population with 21,750,020 people. While Cairo may be the world’s seventh ranked city for population, the city — and all of Egypt — is forecast to achieve rapid economic growth through 2030, according to Harvard University researchers. Cairo is home to the Pyramids of Giza and is part of a region rife with historical archeological finds, including the recent discovery of mummies with gold-plated tongues. The mummies with golden tongues are estimated to be from 300 B.C.E. to 640 C.E. and were discovered at the Quweisna necropolis in the Nile delta about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Cairo.

8. Beijing, China

Since 1975, the population in Beijing, China, has been rising — and is expected to continue to grow through at least 2035, according to a United Nations report. There are 21,333,332 people now living in Beijing, which is home to one of the largest and most well-preserved architectural complexes of antiquity, known as The Forbidden City. The former imperial palace was first occupied in 1420 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site that serves as a cultural museum. The Forbidden City is a 178-acre (72-hectare) complex that, among other significant characteristics, exhibits the traditional Chinese practice of feng shui.

9. Mumbai, India

At last count, Mumbai, India, was home to 20,961,472 people — a number forecast to grow well into the future. Mumbai is sometimes known by its old name, Bombay, or by its relatively new nickname, the City of Dreams. Mumbai earned the City of Dreams moniker for becoming the center of Bollywood, the name given to the Indian film industry. Bollywood produces more than 1,000 films per year. Mumbai also is the economic hub for India’s jewelry production.

10. Osaka, Japan

With a population of 19,059,856 people, Osaka, Japan, comes in at No. 10 on our list of the world’s most populated cities. Osaka’s population growth, however, is expected to decrease year-over-year through 2035. The decline is largely to be attributed to residents moving from the city to outlying suburban areas. Osaka is known as a foodie paradise, in large part because of its high concentration of Michelin star-rated restaurants. Osaka is also an important urban agglomeration for Japanese culture and is home to Osaka Castle, one of the oldest landmarks in the country.

Now That’s Interesting

What is the largest city in the world by square miles or square kilometers? New York City spans a whopping 5,395 square miles, or 8,683 square kilometers, and is still densely populated. An estimated 2,050 people inhabit every square mile (1.6 kilometers).

After months of searching, you found the perfect apartment and it’s finally time to move. But just as you’re about to pat yourself on the back, something terrible happens: You trip over a crack in the sidewalk and the large, antique mirror you’re carrying slips from your grasp. Before you can even fully understand what’s happening, the mirror hits the concrete and cracks into hundreds of pieces. Your first thought? Well, we probably shouldn’t repeat it here. Your second? Seven years of bad luck.

But why the bad luck? Will breaking a mirror really heap misfortune upon your head? According to superstition, the answer is yes. Although the exact origins of the belief are inexact, potentially centuries-old lore holds fast to the idea that a mirror is a projection of one’s appearance — and one’s soul. Breaking a mirror would mean breaking the soul into pieces. The soul, now severely damaged, isn’t able to fully protect its owner from bad luck.

Or in an alternate explanation, the damaged soul seeks revenge against the one responsible for its injuries. The means of revenge varies, but often includes the loss of a close friend or the death of someone in the household [source: Radford]. The “seven years” part is likely due to ancient Romans believing the body renews itself every seven years [source: Drazin].

The idea that broken mirrors can bring bad luck most likely stems from the ancient Greeks, who believed spirits lived in reflective pools of water. In fact, the fate that awaited Greek mythological figure Narcissus may have grown out of this belief. Narcissus fell in love and it was his undoing; so besotted was he with his own reflection in still waters that he pined for himself (or, by some accounts, the visage of his late twin sister) until he died [source: Encyclopedia Britannica].

Regardless of the way it started, the notion that breaking a mirror brings bad luck is prevalent in cultures around the world, ranging from Greek and Chinese to Indian and American. Whether you subscribe to the superstition or not, breaking a mirror is bad news — if only because of the mess it creates.

Originally Published: Jun 17, 2015

Kittens, puppies. The occasional squirrel. Most of these animals make good partners for selfie pics. Sure, they don’t have the charisma of a cougar or the magnetism of a bear, but they’re much better choices — for obvious safety reasons.

So the next time your brows are so perfect that you can’t help but photobomb a wildlife scene, keep one thing in mind: “That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works.”

No more sweet snaps with bears, ‘mkay?

1. Bears

So many people have been taking selfies with wild bears that officials closed a Colorado park. Park managers at Waterton Canyon recreation area near Denver temporarily stopped people from entering the park until the bears go into hibernation. Similar Insta-worthy situations have been spotted in Yosemite and other state parks.

2. Bison

A snap with a Bison? It’s too close for comfort, say Yellowstone National Park authorities. Several people have been hurt after taking pictures with a bison in the background — some as near as 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) away. Countless more have just been lucky to get away with a shareable moment and not serious injuries.

3. Any Snake, Ever

Everything turned out OK after the extreme close-up with a snake pictured below, but one California man wasn’t so lucky. He may lose his hand after taking a selfie with a rattlesnake — and then receiving a $150,000 hospital bill for anti-venom. Which hurts more?

4. Crocodiles

The freshwater crocodiles that sun themselves near pedestrians in a nature park in Australia’s Top End may not be as powerful as their saltwater cousins. They are, however, still deadly. Authorities have been warning tourists not to talk selfies with crocs within arm’s reach. You can imagine why, even though many others apparently couldn’t.

5. Camels

You know that moment, right before it all goes wrong? Yeah, we’re thinking this selfie ended with a painful nip, too. Although not as bad as this one. And, things really went wrong for this guy taking a snap with a kick-happy camel. This gentleman is about to have his hat reshaped.

6. This Cat

While filming a plea for someone — anyone — to re-home her “lovely cat,” a now-infamous felinerepeatedly bites and scratches this woman. Turns out, the feelings are probably mutual.

7. Tigers

So many single guys were sneaking up on tigers to take Tinder profile snaps that the New York State Assembly actually passed legislation to prevent the pics. People caught photobombing a big cat will now be fined. No word on whether #guyswithtigers are more popular on dating sites. #doubtit 

Now That’s Interesting

Japanese photographer and Minolta employee Hiroshi Ueda developed a version of the selfie stick in the early 1980s, though Canadian inventor Wayne Fromm claims credit for popularizing the gadget in the smartphone era

You’ve spotted a 2-inch (5-centimeter) creature zipping from flower to flower, its wings moving so fast they are nearly an invisible blur. A hummingbird, you declare, feeling fortunate to catch a glimpse of this beneficial pollinator, long believed to be a harbinger of spring.

As you look closer, though, something doesn’t add up. Although it has the tongue-like proboscisof a hummingbird, this hovering creature is much smaller than any hummingbird you’ve ever seen and has antennae. Its tail is actually a bit of fluff that resembles feathers.

It’s not a hummingbird after all. It’s a hummingbird moth, a bug that looks like a bird.

There are 23 species of hummingbird moths but only five located in North America: hummingbird clearwing (Hemaris thysbe), snowberry clearwing (Hemaris diffinis), slender clearwing (Hemaris gracilis), Rocky Mountain clearwing (Hemaris thetis) and the white-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata).

While the territory of these five North American species of hummingbird moths ranges from Canada to Mexico, only two — the snowberry clearwing and the hummingbird clearwing — are commonly seen. Snowberry clearwings sport distinctive yellow and black body colors with a horizontal black line running down each side of its body from its eyes to its tail, while hummingbird clearwings have a distinctive reddish-brown abdomen and olive green back.

Hummingbird moths, like the hummingbirds they mimic, are adept at hovering and moving side-to-side or backward with helicopter-like precision. Although the body of a hummingbird moth takes on the cylindrical, barrel-chested proportions of a hummingbird, it is typically not as long. Hummingbird moths reach 1 to 2.5 inches (2.5 to 6 centimeters) at maturity, while hummingbirds are usually 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 centimeters) in length. You’re also likely to spot a hummingbird moth’s six legs dangling as they hover, while a hummingbird will tuck its pair of slender legs into its downy belly feathers as it sups.

If you’d like to increase your odds of spotting a hummingbird moth, plant a variety of flowers. Hummingbird moths, like hummingbirds, feast on the nectar of a variety of long-necked flowers, such as trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans) or cardinal flowers (Lobelia cardinalis). Sometimes you may see a hummingbird and a hummingbird moth dining on the nectar of the same flowers; the two species often amicably share the same territory.

When it comes to leaving a legacy, however, hummingbird moths prefer specific plants like honeysuckle, dogbane and hawthorn, and trees like cherry and plum on which to lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch into larvae and transform into caterpillars, the next generation of hummingbird moths are then able to dine on their ideal plants. Although you may first see hummingbird moths in the spring, they are likely to make a reappearance in mid to late summer as their preferred flowers pump out more nectar.

Now That’s Cool

The hummingbird moth made history in 1991 when it starred in “The Silence of the Lambs.” Central to the story was the death’s-head hawk moth, several of which were featured throughout filming. The death’s-head hawk moth — a member of the hummingbird moth family — has a distinctive skull-like mark on its thorax.