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Friday, 26 November 2010
10. Handedness
This is our most familiar term, so it will be our starting point. Handedness refers to the hand that one prefers to use, regardless of performance, or the hand that performs faster or more precisely on manual tests. About 88.2% of people are right handed, with the left-handers holding a margin of 8-15%. The rest are either ambilevous (neither hand showing dominance) or ambidextrous. Hand orientation is also shown to be developed in fetuses, most commonly determined by observing which hand is predominantly held close to the mouth. There are also reports of left-handers drawing figures facing to the right.
In 2007, researchers discovered that specific alleles of at least one of three single-nucleotide polymorphisms upstream of the already known LRRTM1 gene were linked to left-handedness.
9. Footedness
Footedness, as it is known in board sports, is a preference to put one’s left or right foot forward on the board. It’s also considered the most likely foot with which you will take a first step. This can indicate a dominant foot, with the majority of people having a dominant right foot. If you have ever played football (soccer for some), you probably understand the difficulty in using a seemingly unskilled foot/leg, and how important it is to become adept with both feet.
Surveys from Brazil have reported a decreasing prevalence of left footedness as one gets older, possibly attributed to the right hemisphere of the brain aging earlier than the left hemisphere. (Note: there are claims that the survey the hypothesis is based on is flawed).
8. Ocular Dominance
People typically have a dominant eye, from which they prefer visual input. This preference is known as ocular dominance. It is somewhat corresponding to the laterality of the right or left hand; however the side of the dominant eye and the dominant hand do not always match. This is because both brain hemispheres control both eyes, but each one takes charge of a different half of the field of vision, and therefore a different half of both retinas. About two thirds of the population is right eye dominant, and one third left dominant, however, in some portions of the population neither eye is dominant. In normal binocular vision there is an effect of parallax, and therefore the dominant eye is the one that is primarily relied on for precise positional information, but this can change depending upon the direction of where the person’s gaze is. Use a test such as this one to determine your dominant eye.
7. Facial Asymmetry
Look at your face in the mirror. Pay close attention to your lips curving into smiles and smirks and see if you can tell which side is more expressive than the other. Facedness, or Facial Asymmetry, refers to the intensity with which emotion or information is conveyed by the right or left side of the face, known as hemifaces. Like the eyes, each hemisphere controls a certain portion of the hemiface. Studies suggest that the left side of the face is more (likely to be) expressive of emotion, is more uninhibited and displays culture-specific cues, such as winking or wriggling your eyebrow. These are indicators of Facial Asymmetry. The right hemiface is noted to have a bias for displaying verbal information in contrast to emotions.
6. Aural Symmetry
Although this will not predict with which ear you hold the phone, it more rather shows which hemisphere responds more to certain stimuli. It has been suggested that when more voice-like sounds are made, the right ear responds more strongly, contrary to the left ear, which showed more response to musical-like tones. To be clear, speech-like clicks and sustained tones were used in the study. Ear preference also is strongly influenced by environmental asymmetries, i.e. where the sound is originating, making “earedness” a seemingly weak laterality.
5. Ambidexterity
Ambidexterity is the state of being equally adept in the use of both left and right appendages, such as hands. It is one of the most famous varieties of cross-dominance. Being naturally ambidextrous is rare; moreover the degree of versatility with each hand is generally the qualitative factor in determining a person’s ambidexterity. Among left-handers, it is increasingly common to find people with ambidextrous abilities who learned to use their non-dominant hand for asymmetrical tools designed for the right-handed.
4. Dextrocardia
Dextrocardia is a congenital defect in which the heart is situated on the right side of the body, instead of the left. There are two types: dextrocardia of embryonic arrest (DoEA) and dextrocardia situs inversus (DSI). In DoEA the heart is simply placed farther right in the thorax than normal. This is usually associated with severe defects of the heart. DSI is when the heart is mirrored on the right side of the body. Though statistically people with DSI do not have any further medical complications from the disorder, they are prone to bowel, esophagus, bronchial and cardiac problems.
3. Brain Lateralization
The left hemisphere is responsible for analytical thought. Structure, rules, time, logic, mathematics, planning, words, speech, physical activity, while the right side of the body are what the left hemisphere processes. The right hemisphere is more aesthetic, dealing with feelings, intuition, color, physical senses, relationships, awareness, rhythm, humor, the left side of the body, and motor skills. The left hemisphere has also been shown to mature faster than the right hemisphere. Note: For left-handers this information is reversed.
2. Viscera
The viscera are the collective of the human internal organs, but it is still subjected to laterality. The lungs, kidneys and adrenal glands mirror each other, while some are found in specific places: such as the liver, which is located on the right, below the diaphragm. Normal anatomy of the internal organs is known as Situs Solitus. Situs Ambiguus (also known as heterotaxy) is a rare congenital defect in which all the major visceral organs are abnormally distributed within the chest and abdomen. Situs Inversus, already with a mention on Listverse on Another 10 Bizarre Medical Tales, is also a congenital condition in which all the major organs are either mirrored or reversed from their normal positions.
1. Limb Dominance
Laterality is also known as limb dominance, especially when it comes to animals. There are many claims of limb dominance in animals, such as parrots tending to favor one foot when grasping an object, and frogs and rabbits showing limb dominance in their forelimbs and hind limbs through bone weight and stress. Even the fossil remains of mastodons have differing tusk lengths, indicating laterality.
1Flags have been used since before we began recording history, to symbolize movements, peoples and even individuals. Every country in the world has a flag – some weird, some beautiful and some incredibly boring (Libya’s flag for instance – plain green and nothing else). This list looks at ten flags, or types of flags, that are unique in one or another aspect from other flags.
1. Dannebrog
Flags originated in China and India and spread around the world. Because they are so ancient it is not possible to pinpoint the very first, so we are doing the next best thing by including the Dannebrog – the world’s oldest state flag still in use. Dating back to the 13th century – allegedly June 15, 1219, the Dannebrog is the state flag of Denmark and is the inspiration behind the design of many other scandinavian country’s flags. Prior to its adoption the flag most commonly in use in the region was the Viking raven banner which was triangular in shape and carried the image of a Raven. Austria also lays claim to having the oldest flag though their flag most likely appeared around 1230.
9. Semaphores
Language doesn’t just come in the form of speech and movement. Semaphore Flags are a system for conveying information at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags, rods, disks, paddles, or occasionally bare or gloved hands. Information is encoded by the position of the flags; it is read when the flag is in a fixed position. Semaphores were adopted and widely used (with hand-held flags replacing the mechanical arms of shutter semaphores) in the maritime world in the early 1800s. Semaphore signals were used, for example, at the Battle of Trafalgar. This was the period in which the modern naval semaphore system was invented. This system uses hand-held flags. It is still used during underway replenishment at sea and is acceptable for emergency communication in daylight or, using lighted wands instead of flags, at night.
8. Nepal
The flag of Nepal is the only national flag in the world that is not rectangular. The flag is a simplified combination of two single pennants. Its crimson red is the color of the rhododendron, the country’s national flower. Red is also the sign of victory in war. The blue border is the color of peace. Until 1962, the flag’s emblems, the sun and the crescent moon, had human faces. They were removed to modernize the flag. The faces remained on the sun and the moon on the Royal Standard until the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. The flag was adopted, with the formation of a new constitutional government, on December 16, 1962. The individual pennants had been used for the preceding two centuries and the double pennant since the 19th century.
7. White Flag
The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and request for negotiation. It is also used to symbolize surrender, since it is often the weaker military party which requests negotiation. A white flag signifies to all that an approaching negotiator is unarmed, with an intent to surrender or a desire to communicate. Persons carrying or waving a white flag are not to be fired upon, nor are they allowed to open fire. The use of the flag to surrender is included in the Geneva Conventions.
6. Black Flag
The black flag, and the color black in general, have been associated with anarchy since the 1880s. Many anarchist collectives contain the word “black” in their names. There have been a number of anarchist periodicals titled Black Flag. The uniform blackness of this flag is representative of the negation of all oppressive structures, in deliberate contrast to the colorful flags typical of most nation-states. Additionally, as a white flag is the universal symbol for surrender to superior force, the black flag is a symbol of defiance, an opposition to surrender.
5. Transgender Flag
We are all familiar with the rainbow flag of the gay pride movement, but less well known is the transgender flag. It was created in 2000, and first flown at a pride Parade in Phoenix, Arizona, that year. The flag designer most aptly sums up its meaning, so I will let her speak: “The light blue is the traditional color for baby boys, pink is for girls, and the white in the middle is for those who are transitioning, those who feel they have a neutral gender or no gender, and those who are intersexed. The pattern is such that no matter which way you fly it, it will always be correct. This symbolizes us trying to find correctness in our own lives.”
4. Jolly Roger
The Jolly Roger is the name given to any of various flags flown to identify a ship’s crew as pirates. The flag most usually identified as the Jolly Roger today is the skull and crossbones, a flag consisting of a human skull above two long bones, set in an x-mark arrangement on a black field. This design was used by several pirates, including Captains Edward England and John Taylor. Some Jolly Roger flags also include an hourglass, another common symbol representing mortality and death in 17th and 18th Century Europe. Despite its prominence in popular culture, plain black flags were often employed by most pirates in the 17th-18th century.
3. West African Flag
This unusual flag is commonly (and wrongly) attributed to the Benin Empire. It is one of four currently held at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich near London. There is some uncertainty about the exact origin of the flag, and whether it came from Benin itself or was used by the forces of its Itsekiri allies. The name ‘Kennedy’ on the paper label attached to the flag seems to indicate it was brought back by Admiral F.W. Kennedy from the 1897 expedition against Benin, and so is of Benin origin. The flag, however, is extremely similar to three other West African flags the Museum holds, which originated not in Benin itself but with the neighboring Itsekiri people.
2. Martian Flag
The flag of Mars is a tricolor used to represent the planet of Mars. While not official in any legal sense, it has been approved by, and is used by, the Mars Society and The Planetary Society. The flag is designed to portray the “future history” of Mars. The red bar, which lies closest to the mast, symbolizes Mars as it is today. The green and blue symbolize stages in the possible terraforming of Mars, should humanity ever have the will and the ability to undertake such a task, the ethics of terraforming remaining a matter of debate.
1. Nazi Flag
The Nazi flag is probably the most controversial flag in man’s history. It is even banned in a number of countries today. The flag was designed by Hitler himself, who thought it was necessary to use the same colors as Imperial Germany, because, in his opinion, they were “revered colors expressive of our homage to the glorious past and which once brought so much honor to the German nation.” The most important requirement was that “the new flag… should prove effective as a large poster” because “in hundreds of thousands of cases a really striking emblem may be the first cause of awakening interest in a movement.”
Virtually every day we are required to remember a name, a face, a number, or some other piece of information. For many people it is a struggle. It no longer needs to be so – here is a list of ten great tips to improving your memory.
1. Patterns
An excellent way to remember a large number or phrase, is to look for patterns. Here is a simple example:
3810151722242931363843
The number appears to be random until you realize that it is following a pattern: add 5, then add 2, repeat. Once you know the pattern, you only need to remember the first number in the sequence. This can be a useful way to create a numeric password that changes regularly. Another way to use this system is to remember the numbers in the form of a numerical keyboard. You can use your spatial awareness to remember the number rather than just blind memorizing.
2. Associations
This is an excellent method for memorizing numbers. In this system, you associate portions of the number with a word that has some relation to it. For example:
74736052007365
Split the number up and make an association for each sequence. Doing so can give us a list like this: Jumbo Jet (747), XBox (360), Deck of Cards (52), James Bond (007), Days in the year (365). This method can again be used for passwords that are easy to remember. To help you remember your images, try to imagine a scene that incorporates all of the items. For example, you may see a calendar with a photograph of James Bond playing poker on his XBox on a private 747. Sounds weird, but it works.
3. Alphabetize
We are all very familiar with the system of alphabetization – we see it every day in phonebook, online directories, and a variety of other places. If you have a list of words to remember, put them into alphabetical order. If you wanted to learn a very long list – such as the States of the USA, start with one state per letter. Once you have that memorized, go back and add another state for each letter. Repeat until the whole list is stored in your mind. You would be surprised how much more effective this is than just trying to remember the whole list in one go.
4. Categorize
In a way, alphabetizing is categorizing, but with this method you can go a lot further. If you have a big list of things to remember, you can find similarities and group them. For example a shopping list:
Apples, Shampoo, Cheese, Milk, Sugar, Bananas, Soap, Coconut, Flour
Now, reorder them into categories and we have this:
Fruit: Apples, Bananas
Dried Goods: Coconut, Sugar, Flour
Dairy: Milk, Cheese
Bathroom: Shampoo, Soap
Another great way to remember your categories (especially in the case of a shopping list) is to remember your categories in the order that they are found in the supermarket. For example, if your first aisle is Fruit, remember the fruit first and think of the fruit aisle while you are doing so.
5. Chunking
Chunking is such a useful method of remembering things that we all use it every day. The best example is telephone numbers. When we are told a phone number we have to remember we chunk it up – usually into area code – 3 digits – four digits. This is not out of conformity – it is because it is the most effective way to remember such random numbers. This is also an excellent way to remember long sequences like pi to n digits. Taking just four extra digits a day you can easily remember pi to many decimal places. Great for a party trick.
6. Images
This is the most effective way to remember a person’s name. If you meet John Key, imagine his face with a big key right in the center of his face. If you meet someone called Patty Grant, you can try to remember a meat patty wrapped in wads of cash. I will leave it up to your own imagination if you meet Bob Johnson. Another way to do this is to find an association between this person and someone else you know – imagine them shaking hands or standing next to each other.
7. Visualize
This is a very ancient technique of memorization called Loci. In this method you imagine a location (something easy like your home) and you place the objects you need to remember in to a different part of the room. The famous Cicero had this to say:
“One must employ a large number of places which must be well-lighted, clearly set out in order, at moderate intervals apart, and images which are active, which are sharply defined, unusual, and which have the power of speedily encountering and penetrating the mind.”
For example, if you need to remember a list of vegetables, put each vegetable in a different place in the room. When you need to recall the list, move in your mind through each location in the room and see what you put there. If you find this one especially helpful, you can expand on it by adding additional floors to your location.
8. Story Method
This one can be very fun. Make up a story and include all of the things you need to remember in it. The story can be totally ridiculous. Let’s say you need to remember to buy a bucket, a dozen apples, a hairbrush, and some kitty litter, you might make a story like this:
After Jane emptied the kitty litter from Felix’s dirtbox in to the red bucket, she gave him a good brushing with his new hairbrush while she ate an apple for lunch.
It is not the most thrilling or original story, but it can be very effective in helping you to remember your list.
9. Mnemonics
A mnemonic is a word or short phrase that you can use to remember something because it is like a key to the rest of the information. For example, if you learned music as a child, you probably remember the phrase: “every good boy deserves fruit” – each word stands for a note on the musical staff – EGBDF. No doubt you were also taught a mnemonic to remember the colors of the rainbow as well.
Another slight variation is to use a phrase: desert and dessert: the sweet one has two sugars. We also use this to remember daylight savings time: Spring forward, fall back.
10. Senses
If you have to remember a word, try remembering it with your other senses. For example, if you have to remember to buy soap, try to conjure up an image of soap and whilst doing so, imagine what it smells like. You can also use your other senses in the same way: to remember to buy an alarm clock, remember the sound it makes when it goes off in the morning.
All of the items on this list can be used on their own, or in conjunction with the others to help you improve your memory. The more you practice these tips, the better you will become.
10 George Washington Taphephobia (fear of being buried alive)
George Washington: first president of the United States of America. He commanded forces in numerous battles, defended our country against the British, and risked his life to save others. He seems fearless, right? Wrong! He had a very serious fear of premature burial. This was clearly expressed on his deathbed, in 1799, where he made his attendants promise that his body would be left out for two days, in case he was still alive. This may seem pretty odd for a man like George Washington, but taphephobia was a common fear for noble people, as well as commoners, living in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Although the fear is not as well known today as it was back then, primitive medicine meant that premature burial has indeed happened throughout the ages.
9 Woody Allen Panophobia (fear of pretty much everything)
As I stated early, we all have fears. Woody Allen, however, has taken fear to an extreme. The 74-year-old actor and screenwriter is afraid of practically everything. Although he has normal phobias that cause him to fear heights, enclosed spaces and insects, he also has more abnormal fears. Among his weirder terrors are fears of bright colors, animals, elevators and peanut butter sticking to the roof of his mouth! In addition to his countless phobias, he also admits to having very neurotic needs, such as requiring his shower drain to be in a corner rather than the center and cutting his banana into exactly seven pieces before putting them into his cereal every morning. His bounty of fears made him a necessity on this list!
8 Richard Nixon
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10 Sexbox Live
Xbox Live recently banned Josh Moore for violating its gamers’ code of conduct. His offense? Filling out his Xbox Live profile. You see, Mr. Moore lives in West Virginia. More specifically, in FORT GAY, West Virginia. As Microsoft says, the word “gay” is always offensive. Never mind that several US townships incorporate the word into their name, many people have “Gay” as a first or last name, and some homosexuals do identify themselves as “gay.” No, Microsoft obviously had a wise guy in their midst, and he had to go. So, despite a total lack of customer complaints, Microsoft froze Moore’s account and warned him that he could lose his prepaid subscription if he badgered Customer Service further. Fort Gay Mayor, David Thompson, tried to intervene, but was told that the city’s name didn’t matter; the word “gay” was inappropriate in any context. As a result, Moore missed a Search and Destroy competition and his team lost. Microsoft has since carefully reviewed the matter and reinstated Moore with full Xbox Live privileges (translation: the story hit the web).
9 Ho Ho Ho?
In 2007, Santa Clauses in Sydney, Australia, were forced to revolt for the right to say “Ho Ho Ho”, the traditional laugh of jolly old St. Nick. It turns out that their employer, the recruitment firm Westaff (that supplies hundreds of Santas across Australia), told all trainees that “ho ho ho” could frighten children and be derogatory to women. Why? Because it was too close to the American (not Australian, mind you) slang for prostitute. Instead, the Santas were instructed to lower their voices and say “Ha ha ha”. Westaff relented only after the story broke nationally, deciding to leave the belly laughs “up to the discretion of Santa himself “.
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1. Your - You’re
As mentioned above, your message might lose impact if you’re not paying attention to this number one word maltreatment. If you find it particularly difficult to separate them from each other, stop using ‘you’re’ altogether and notice how you are starting to improve your spelling.
2. Then - Than
The next step is then to tell yourself that it’s better late than never to get that vowel placement in order. Then your readers might find something more useful to comment on than your apparent spelling impediment.
3. Its - it’s
It’s best to write an article and its words properly for optimal reader engagement. Again, if you still fail to tell the difference without effort, just write how great it is not having to worry about misusing or misspelling words.
4. To - Too - Two
To write two posts per day, or not to write two posts per day. That too is the question.
5. Were - Where - We’re
Where in the world were you? We were at Billy’s and we’re staying for another day. Make sure your blog visitors do that too.
6. There - Their - They’re
They’re moving their cursor over there. By focusing more attention on proper word use, your visitors won’t highlight and pinpoint your mistakes.
7. A - An - And
A flawlessly written article serves as an eye-opener and should provide lasting value. Remember also that an abbreviation like SUV starts with a vowel pronunciation and requires an ‘an’ in front of it.
8. Off - Of
Of all the mistakes you could prevent from appearing, start off by checking out this common mix up. You should have paid attention at school when they told you not to write ’should of’. Or off your visitors go.
9. Here - Hear
Hear ye! Hear ye! Here is a blog worth reading. You can almost hear the distant clicks of new visitors finding their way over here this very moment.
10. Lose - Loose
But if you’re too loose on your writing discipline, you will end up losing those readers after a while. You’d have a bolt loose if you don’t apply these 10 writing rules from now on with greater care. You win some and you don’t lose anyone.
1. Arachibutyrophobia
Fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of the mouth.
2. Barophobia
Fear of gravity.
3. Chirophobia
Fear of hands.
4. Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia
Fear of long words.
5. Laliophobia
Fear of speaking.
6. Papaphobia
Fear of the Pope.
7. Medomalacuphobia
Fear of losing an erection.
8. Uranophobia
Fear of heaven.
9. Parthenophobia
Fear of virgins or young girls.
10. Phobophobia
Fear of phobias.
In 1981, Canterbury Christ Church University bought a graveyard property to build a concert hall, in Canterbury City. Before construction there were 200 remains that needed to be reinterred to make room for the hall. Among the plots in the cemetery was the famous cricketer, Fuller Pilch. However, the memorial above his plot was moved to the county cricket ground in 1978, so they had no idea where his grave was. A distant relative, Pete Pilch, 78, from Wadhurst, East Sussex, remembered a picture (shown above) of his mother standing beside the grave in the 1950s. He located it in a family album. The photograph was taken before the memorial was moved. Because of the home in the background, it provided enough information to reveal the location of the celebrated cricketer’s grave.
Interesting Fact: Canterbury Christ Church University spokeswoman told BBC News that the photograph was a huge help. The spokeswoman also added that Fuller Pilch’s grave won’t be disturbed. This is because the grave is near the front entrance to the church and the development is to be built at the back. The university may also consider some way of marking the cricketer’s grave in order to ensure the location remains in the public domain. Pilch is described as one of England’s greatest batsmen. He played for Kent from 1835 to 1854, and became famous for his unusual batting technique, known around the country as the Pilch Poke.
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1. Socotra
This is considered to be the weirdest and most unusual looking place on the planet. Socotra is part of a group of 4 islands, has been geographically isolated from mainland Africa for the last 6 or 7 million years. This island is teeming with 700 extremely rare species of flora and fauna, a full 1/3 of which are endemic, i.e. found nowhere else on Earth.
2. The Door to Hell
This is located in Turkmenistan and is basically a crater which starting burning 35 years ago and has not stopped till date. It is 70 meters wide and was discovered in 1971. When it was found, scientists did not calculate the among of gas it held very accurately which is why it still continues to go up in flames.
3. Salar de Uyuni - Bolivian Salt Lake and islands
The Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni is perhaps one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. A magnificent area with an impressive Salt Desert; it’s the world’s largest, active volcanoes, tall cacti islands and geyser flats, it exists like an alien mirage, something completely out-of-this-world. There’s mountains od gathered salts, bizarre islands with giant cacti, a stone tree, a haunted train cemetry and a geyser’s valley.
4. Mount Romaira (Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana)
This mountain has held a special significance for the indigenous people of the region, and it is central to many of their myths and legends. It is a pretty remarkable place. It is a tabletop mountain with sheer 400-metre high cliffs on all sides. There is only one ‘easy’ way up, on a natural staircase-like ramp on the Venezuelan side – to get up any other way takes and experienced rock climber. On the top of the mountain it rains almost every day, washing away most of the nutrients for plants to grow and creating a unique landscape on the bare sandstone surface.
5. The Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil’s Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean in which a number of aircraft and surface vessels are alleged to have mysteriously disappeared in a manner that cannot be explained by human error, piracy, equipment failure, or natural disasters. Popular culture has attributed these disappearances to the paranormal, a suspension of the laws of physics, or activity by extraterrestrial beings.
6. Kauai, Hawaii
These are the seaside lava ledges on this Hawaiian island. It creates otherworldly experiences sor those who visit this place.
7. Rotorua, New Zealand
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. Rotorua city is renowned for its unique “rotten eggs” aroma, which is caused by the geothermal activity releasing sulphur compounds into the atmosphere. Geysers and bubbling mud-pools, hot thermal springs and the Buried Village (Te Wairoa) – are within easy reach of the city.
8. Fly Geyser, Reno
Fly Ranch features two geysers, one of which is dormant. The other, Fly Geyser, was accidentally formed by a water well drill that hit a geothermal source, and continuously sprays hot water.
9. Aurora Borealis (North Pole)
Auroras sometimes called the northern and southern (polar) lights or aurorae are natural beautiful light displays in the sky, usually observed at night, particularly in the polar regions. They typically occur in the ionosphere. The Cree people call this phenomenon the “Dance of the Spirits. Its southern counterpart, the aurora australis or the southern polar lights, has similar properties, but is only visible from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, South America, or Australasia.
10. Pammakale, Turkey
Thousands of years ago earthquakes, which are common in Turkey, created fractures that allowed powerful hot springs to bring water rich in calcium carbonate to the surface. As the water evaporated the chalky material condensed and formed layer-upon-layer of Travertine and thus slowly built up the walls over time in the same way that a stalactite forms in a cave. Apparently Pammakale means Castle of Cotton but the Greco-Romans built a town above it called Heirapolis – meaning “Holy City” or “Sacred City”. They too recognised it as a rare and important place attributing healing powers to the milky-white waters.
From miraculous survivals to bizarre medical disorders, the medical world is crawling with astounding tales. Here’s just a sampling of the many stories the medical community has to offer.
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