10 Interesting Facts About Cats

1. Every year, nearly four million cats are eaten in Asia.

2. Cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10.

3. Approximately 40,000 people are bitten by cats in the U.S. annually.

4. Approximately 1/3 of cat owners think their pets are able to read their minds.

5. In the 1750s, Europeans introduced cats into the Americas to control pests.

6. The normal body temperature of a cat is between 100.5 ° and 102.5 °F.

7. A cat’s heart beats nearly twice as fast as a human heart.

8. Cats don’t have sweat glands over their bodies like humans do.

9. A cat almost never meows at another cat, mostly just humans.

10. Smuggling a cat out of ancient Egypt was punishable by death.

Salt is Addictive Like Cigarettes

Salt is addictive in the same way as cigarettes or hard drugs, a study has found. The findings could help explain why many find it so hard to cut back on salt, despite warnings about dangers to blood pressure and heart health.

Experts studied the brains of mice that had been starved of salt for three days and then given salty water to drink freely. When the rodents were in need of salt, brain cells made proteins more usually linked to addiction to substances such as heroin, cocaine and nicotine.

The study revealed that after salt was taken, the brain believes it has received its fix. The researchers said that the importance of salt to overall health means that cravings for it form "an ancient instinct" deeply embedded in the brain.

Star Wars Characters on Currency (Coins)

Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Yoda and a cast of other heroes and villains from Star Wars, will join the Queen on coins issued by the South Pacific island state of Niue.

A set of 40 coins is being produced by the New Zealand Mint. The coins will have a face value of NZ$2 (New Zealand dollar), but the silver content in each is worth more than that. Sets of four, each containing 1oz of silver, will sell for NZ$469.

The coins are primarily aimed at collectors and investors around the world in a bid to boost Niue's flagging government coffers.

New Photos From Mars

These photos are completely fascinating.

After a nearly three-year journey, the Mars rover Opportunity on Tuesday reached the rim of the Endeavour crater, according to a statement from NASA. "Opportunity's findings and data from the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory will play a key role in making possible future human missions to Mars and other places where humans have not yet been," Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator, said in the statement.

Inventor Makes Water Out of Thin Air

Terry LeBleu of Granite Shoals, Texas, creates a machine called the Drought Master, that makes water out of thin air.

The Drought Master’s generator sucks in moisture-laden air, condenses it, then exhausts the purified air and captures the water, which is filtered and ready for drinking. ”These make pure water,” LeBleu says. “The water never touches the ground. It is strictly straight out of the air. We have oceans of water in the air, in the sky. All you have to do is pull it out and condense it down.” The clever invention is now on the market, and locals are already using it to beat the severe drought.

Drought Master comes in 27 different styles and costs between $499 amd $519.

Scientists Create a Glow-in-the-Dark Dog

Scientists from South Korea have used cloning techniques to create a dog that will let off an impressive green glow when a doxycycline antibiotic is slipped into its food. Without the drug, the dog’s superhero powers will fade. This technique could help find cures for human diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.