Alaska is surrounded by oceans to the north, west, and south, and its beautiful coastal environment draws many visitors each year. Taking an Alaskan cruise is a terrific way to see the abundant coastal species and scenic panoramas along some of the state's huge tidal shorelines.

So many popular perfumes contain musk, but the origins of this scent will shock you. Musk is a reddish-brown secretion from the "musk pod" of the male musk deer. It is such a popular ingredient that it is even mentioned in Kabir’s poems. However, since its popularity encouraged the hunting of this endangered deer, its scent is now replicated synthetically.

Lions are very adaptable and hence can live in dry areas such as the Kalahari desert. Here they meet their water requirements from their prey and some plants such as Tsamma melon.

People frequently allege that the Michelin star grading system favours Paris unjustly. However, most people are unaware that Tokyo is the city with the most three-star Michelin restaurants.

Most ulcers don't have any substantial consequences. Ulcers can bleed excessively in rare occasions, necessitating hospitalisation or a blood transfusion. Some ulcers bleed gradually over time, which can cause anaemia. Stool that is black, tarry, or that contains dark blood are signs of a bleeding ulcer. Vomit that is bloody or resembles coffee grounds may be present. You need to get help right once if you feel those symptoms.

Although we are accustomed to seeing spider silk in the form of webs, did you know that it is actually a liquid? When the silk is exposed to air, it hardens, allowing them to create and build their webs.

The terrifying noises made by the raptors in Jurassic Park were sourced from recordings of tortoises mating. The sound designer also experimented with horses breathing and geese hissing, but the tortoises proved the most evocative.

The silent movie "The Artist" is heavily favored to win the Best Picture Oscar at this year's Academy Awards, but the only other silent movie to ever win the award was "Wings" in 1929. Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Richard Arlen, Clara Bow, and a young Gary Cooper starred in the film about two aspiring World War I fighter pilots.

The light is the world's most effective light source. The chemical reaction's energy is nearly entirely released as light.

Charlotte and Emily left the parsonage in 1842 to go to the Pensionnat Héger in Brussels, Belgium. They studied literature, German, and French with the intention of becoming teachers or opening their own schools. While there, Charlotte developed feelings for Constantin Héger, the school's married head of school. She actually developed an unhealthy obsession with him.

In a country that’s famous for its windmills, it’s no surprise there are over 1,000 windmills spread across the Netherlands. 

The windmills traditionally harnessed the wind for a variety of purposes, such as grinding grain and draining wetlands, but there are only a few still in commercial operation. 

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kinderdijk is the best place to see Dutch windmills, with 19 traditional windmills.

Increasing your exercise regimen or moving heavy furniture over the weekend could result in a hernia. Think about arduous exercise or heavy lifting. Smoking, obesity, and poor diet can all weaken the abdominal wall and raise your risk of developing a hernia.

Although the plant is utilised for medical reasons as a whole, its roots, fruits, leaves, and seeds are used to make a medicine. The part of the plant used is determined by the medicine that has to be created. For example, in order to create ashwagandha tea, you must only utilise the root (grated, in the form of powder).

Collagen, a protein required for wound healing, is made possible by vitamin C.

Lower levels are almost biologically dead. One of the most intriguing aspects of the Black Sea is its absence of oxygen, which is required for life. Because oxygen can only be dissolved in the sea's top layers, anything below 230-330 feet in the centre and 330-500 feet at the edge is effectively a dead zone. Only particular bacteria can thrive in these areas, which account for more than 90% of the deeper water.

The Philological Society of London proposed the first comprehensive English language dictionary in 1857, including words from the 12th century to the present. The Philological Society joined forces with Oxford University Press in 1879, and work began. The first volume of the dictionary (A to Ant) was published by Oxford University Press in 1884, and the final volume was published in 1928. The dictionary, titled A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles, contained over 400,000 words and phrases. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is now one of the most respected and widely used dictionaries in the world.

Did you know that certain NASA scientists have shown that a flame would be spherical under microgravity (like on a space station)? The absence of gravity is what causes this phenomenon.

The term "Eskimo kiss" is well known, and it is not unusual to see non-Inuit couples express their love in this way. The Inuit do, nonetheless, employ a slightly different version of this gesture to greet their significant others, children, and parents. In fact, however, they do not rub their noses together in order to kiss. The Inuit are genuinely smelling each other's cheeks and hair, as opposed to what you have likely experienced while participating in a so-called Eskimo kiss. This behaviour is called kunik.

Cambodians think that counting the chirps of a gecko would reveal whether or not you will be lucky enough to marry. If a tokay gecko makes seven or more calls in the same room as you, it is considered lucky.

According to The Guinness Book of World Records, the largest soufflé was found in the Palestinian town of Nablus. It weighed 3,891 pounds, was 243 feet long, and was consumed in just ten minutes.

Chia seeds are simple to add to bread, muffins, pancakes, cookies, and other baked goods! For some of my chia seed recipes, continue reading. 
 

Because the International Space Station (ISS) has Russian-language modules and operations, all astronauts who travel to the ISS must be fluent in the language. According to some astronauts, learning this new language was the most difficult aspect of their training. English-speaking astronauts can expect to spend 1,100 class hours to reach a reasonable level of fluency in Russian, according to the US State Department Foreign Service Institute. That's twice as long as it takes to learn other languages such as French, Spanish, or Dutch.

In any case, it's not a conventional sphinx. Although greatly influenced by Egyptian and later Mesopotamian legend, the ancient Greek representation of the Sphinx consisted of a lion's body, a woman's head, and a bird's wings. Technically, Giza's male-identifying landmark is an androsphinx. The absence of wings further complicates its recognised classification.

In truth, Sweden is Europe's sixth biggest country. The overall land area of 450,295km2 is more than that of Norway and Denmark combined. Despite being one of the biggest countries in Europe, Sweden has one of the lowest population densities.

This may come as a surprise given that Eric McCormack (better known as Will from Will & Grace) made headlines when he revealed that he auditioned "two or three times" for Ross. However, because executive producer Kevin Bright had previously worked with Schwimmer, the writers were already developing Ross's character in Schwimmer's voice. Schwimmer was, in fact, the first person to be cast in the show