100 Things They Didn't Know

BBC has published their annual list of things that surprised them last year -- things that they reported on, that the editors found "most interesting and unexpected." From the list, here are a few that I found most interesting and unexpected -- but was not necessarily surprising or unknown to me:

• Dishcloths are purged of 99% of their bacteria during two minutes in a microwave.
• Antony and Cleopatra were ugly.
• Chimpanzees make their own spears for hunting.
• To be found attractive, women should sway their hips and men their shoulders (although researchers call this a "shoulder swagger").
• The average duvet is home to 20,000 live dust mites.
• Serving anything more than tea and biscuits at a political meeting is an offence called "treating" and punishable by a year in prison or an unlimited fine, under the the Representation of the People Act 1893.
• Kryptonite exists.
• Spiralling obesity rates are forcing councils to upgrade their crematoria, to take wider coffins.
• The secret to happiness is accepting misery.
• Peanuts can be made into diamonds.
• Left-handed people are called sinistral.
• Renowned atheist Professor Richard Dawkins likes singing Christmas carols.
• The word Blighty comes from "bilayti", the Urdu for homeland.
• The brain can turn down its ability to see in order to listen to complex sounds like music.
• CO2 emissions from shipping are twice the level of aviation.
• In Iceland, 96% of women go to university.

You'll have to check the BBC list of the related articles.