It’s good to get a little freaked out every now and then. Stepping out of your comfort zone, in any way, can expose you to new ideas and help you see the world in new, potentially better ways. And there’s no better way to freak yourself out than by upending your grasp on knowledge.
For instance, what if you discovered that an animal known for its coloring turned out to not actually be that color?
With that in mind, we’ve cobbled together 10 startling facts like this, little bits of trivia that are sure to freak you out—or, at the very least, make you raise an eyebrow.
1. Flamingos Turn Pink From Eating Shrimp
You might think these bright birds are born that color, but it turns out flamingos are a living adage: they are what they eat—and they eat pink shrimp. “Flamingos are born with gray plumage. They get their rosy hue pink by ingesting a type of organic pigment called a carotenoid,” explains Smithsonian.
2. Carrots Were Originally Purple
Though the root vegetable is as closely identified with the color orange as anything else (including oranges), carrots were originally purple. This variety originated in the region of what is now Afghanistan and spread throughout the Persian Empire, until the 16th century when, according to the Carrot Museum.
3. We're the third rock from the sun
Our home, Earth, is the third planet from the sun and the only world known to support an atmosphere with free oxygen, oceans of liquid water on the surface and — the big one — life. Earth is one of the four terrestrial planet: Like Mercury, Venus and Mars, it is rocky at the surface.
Keep reading to find out why Earth is not a sphere, even though it is often said to be.
4. Earth is old
Researchers calculate the age of the Earth by dating both the oldest rocks on the planet and meteorites that have been discovered on Earth (meteorites and Earth formed at the same time, when the solar system was forming). Their findings? Earth is about 4.54 billion years old.
(Photo shown here, what may be the oldest known rocks on Earth, called the Nuvvuagittuq Belt on the coast of the Hudson Bay in Northern Quebec, and dating back to 4.28 billion years ago, scientists estimate.)
5. The coldest place is in Antarctica
It may come as no surprise that the coldest place on Earth can be found in Antarctica, but the chill factor is somewhat unbelievable. Winter temperatures there can drop below minus 100 degrees F (minus 73 degrees C).
The lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth came from Russia's Vostok Station, where records show the air plunged to a bone-chilling minus 128.6 degrees F (minus 89.2 degrees C) on July 21,1983, according to the USGS.
6. The Size of Your Social Circle Is Related to Your Brain’s Size
A scientist at Oxford discovered that the size of a person’s “orbitomedial prefrontal cortex” (the part of a brain that that identifies other people’s moods and personalities) can predict the size of that person’s social circle. The average prefrontal cortex averages out to around 147.8 friends in a social network.
7. Fake Smiles Can Kill You
It turns out that faking happiness can hurt your health. Researchers looked at the behavior of bus drivers—a profession where people are required to have many at least kind of friendly interactions throughout the day—and discovered that these people withdraw from their work while putting on a smile for show, and that that could have long-term deleterious health effects.
8. A Jellyfish’ Mouth Is Also Its Anus
You can keep on imagining this fact.
9. Craving Ice Is a Symptom of Iron Deficiency
If you like crunching ice after you finish your soda, you might be suffering from anemia. Also known as “pagophagia,” the compulsive eating of ice may not just be a nervous tick, but a way of cooling inflammation in the mouth caused by a lack of iron. So if you like chomping down on those cubes, get thee to a doctor, stat.
10. An Octopus Has Three Hearts
Two of their hearts work just to circulate blood past the octopus’ gills, with a third to keep the blood moving through its organs. (The third heart stops beating while the animal is swimming, which can be exhausting—and a good reason why they tend to crawl rather than swim).
These facts must get you surprised. Some of them are creepiest and some of them are unimaginable.