The ruby-throated hummingbird’s heart beats 615 times per minute. In contrast, a killer whale’s heart beats 30 times a minute below the water, and 60 times above.

The Pope’s e-mail address (for inquiries in English) is benedictxvi@vatican.va.

According to Stephen Hawking, physics has problems that prevent it from being used to develop an ultimate theory to explain the universe.

In April 2005, thousands of toads in Hamburg, Germany, suddenly, after nightfall, started to balloon to more than three times their normal size and could barely crawl before popping.

The radioactive isotope potassium-40 occurs in every human body.

This article appears in September 23 • 2005.

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