Fun Facts – 21 August 2013

did you know wider
did you know wider

Fun Fact #1

Yawning is not caused by boredom or tiredness. Scientists do not know for sure why humans yawn, but the most likely explanation is that we yawn in order to take in more air.

Normal breathing patterns only use our lungs' lower air sacs, called alveoli – they do not even come close to using our lung capacity! That being said, if these alveoli do not receive air regularly they will collapse a bit and stiffen. Therefore, experts believe that our brains trigger a yawn as a way to keep these sacs flexible.

Fun Fact #2

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that uses two words that contradict each other, such as "a serious joke" or "the deafening silence."

However the word oxymoron is itself an oxymoron! The Greek word oxy means "sharp" and moron means "dull".