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Death

A Plant That Can Eat Rats

February 10, 2010

Scientists have discovered a flesh-eating plant so large that it can swallow and devour rats whole. They are lured into its slipper-like mouth to drown or die of exhaustion before being slowly dissolved by digestive enzymes.

Natural history explorer Stewart McPherson, who runs Redfern Natural History Productions, discovered the plant during an expedition to Mount Victoria in the Philippines, with fellow botanists Alastair Robinson and Volker Heinrich.

The plant, a member of the ‘pitcher’ family, grows more than 4ft long. The team said in a statement: ‘That one of the largest carnivorous plants has remained undiscovered until the 21st century is remarkable.

Read more: dailymail.co.uk

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Can You Die From Drinking Too Much Water?

December 9, 2008

In January 2007, hours after competing in a radio station contest to win a Nintendo Wii, 28-year-old Jennifer Strange was found dead in her California home. The station’s “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” challenge awarded the game system to the contestant who could drink the most water without having to take a trip to the bathroom.

According to preliminary autopsy reports, Ms. Strange apparently died from drinking too much water too quickly, resulting in a condition called water intoxication.

[HowStuffWorks]

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BBQs and Parties on Grave Sites!

Did you know that some Pre-Columbian cultures had elaborate festivities at their graveyards?
Some pre-Hispanic cultures in South America had elaborate celebrations at their cemeteries, complete with feasting and drinking grounds much like modern barbecue pits, according to a new archaeological study.
Excavations of 12th- and-13th-century burial mounds in the highlands of Brazil and Argentina revealed numerous [...]

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The Healthiest and Unhealthiest States

Louisiana has displaced Mississippi as the unhealthiest U.S. state and other Southern states were close rivals due to high obesity and smoking rates in new rankings that deemed Vermont the healthiest.
[From Fox News]

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Average Animal Life Spans

The vast majority of animals have shorter life expectancies than humans do, and typically the lifespan of the animal increases with size. Some examples include:
Cats and cetaceans (whales and dolphins) have lifespans in the 20-30 year range.
Large herbivores (cattle, horses, camels, deer) in the 30-50 year range.
Birds usually live 10-30 years, with parrots – particularly [...]

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Who’s The Oldest Living Person?

From wikipedia.org
“The longest documented lifespan is the 122 years 164 days of Jeanne Calment (1875 – 1997). Jeanne Calment recalled meeting Vincent Van Gogh at age 14 in her father’’s shop and of attending the 1885 funeral of Victor Hugo. Calment’s life was documented in the records of her native city of Arles, France, beyond [...]

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Black Widow Spider Bites

“Although the venom of a Black Widow spider is extremely dangerous,
there are relatively few cases of fatal effects from a Black Widow
bite.
There where only sixty-three deaths reported in the United States
between 1950 and 1959. Prior to the development of antivenin, 5% of
reported bites resulted in fatalities.”
wikipedia

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Effects of Radiation on the Human Body

“Effects of Radiation on the Human Body Brain cells do not reproduce, so they’re not damaged directly unless exposure is at 5,000 rems or greater. As with the heart, radiation kills nerve cells and small blood vessels, and can result in seizures and immediate death. ”
[http://www.atomicarchive.com/Effects/radeffects.shtml#Heart]

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