💰 Portland’s Buried Treasure

#1 – Under Pressure: Buoyancy Control and Adaptations to Life in the Deep

Let's dive in and see how buoyancy affects aquatic life!

On land, we can jump, duck, and cartwheel. However, underwater, it’s a different story. Organisms float up, hover, and sink to the sea floor. This is called "buoyancy," which is an important part of aquatic life.

A positively buoyant animal will float, while one that is negatively buoyant will sink. When we see a fish swimming midwater or a jelly drifting in the current, they have achieved a neutral buoyancy. To understand how buoyancy impacts aquatic life, we first have to understand the effects of pressure...

#2 – Debunking the Five-Second Rule

Limited floor time means limited exposure to bacteria, right? Wrong.

Have you ever dropped food on the floor? Then, rapidly lunged for it, trying to grab it before your five seconds were up? Maybe you even brushed it off for good measure before popping it in your mouth? Because limited floor time means limited exposure to bacteria, right? Wrong. You, my friend, have fallen prey to one of the oldest (and grossest) food handling rules in history.

How did the five-second rule get started? The first printed reference to eating morsels dropped on the ground within a proscribed length of time dates to 1995. That said, the foundation for this concept extends back into the annals of human history. In the book Did You Just Eat That? by food scientist Paul Dawson and food microbiologist Brian Sheldon, they blame the five-second rule on...

#3 – Treasure Buried Under Portland, Oregon? You Decide!

All roads lead to “Number 2039.”

A mysterious hand-drawn map. Telltale landmarks altered by the unceasing march of time. Whispered lore of buried wealth. The story of the treasure probably sacked somewhere underneath Portland, Oregon, has all of the markers of a Nicolas Cage-worthy flick. (Well, except for Mount Rushmore.)

But is there anything to this mythic tale of glittering riches? Here’s what you need to know about the map that sparked a treasure-hunting frenzy...

#4 – How Giant Sloths Helped Save the Avocado

Thank a sloth the next time you have avocado toast!

Imagine it’s the Ice Age. Massive beasts roam the land, including the giant ground sloth.

These gentle giants, like the Lestodon and Megatherium, played a key role in ensuring the survival of one of today’s most popular fruits: the avocado.

That’s right—if it weren’t for these slow-moving, prehistoric poop machines, your guacamole might not exist...

Dare to Discover

Prepare to get lost in a vortex of weird and wonderful stories with Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Dare to Discover! From jaw-dropping feats and silly animals to unusual art and strange places, our new annual book is full of strange-but-true facts, fascinating features, and phenomenal photography from around the world.

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Experience the Excitement of Ripley’s

Venturing through themed galleries, adults and children alike will become immersed in curiosities, incredible art, animal oddities, pop-culture memorabilia, interactive games, and stories of people and places that are incredibly hard to believe, but undeniably true!

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