Transcripts

Bill McLain:
Well, grapefruit, unlike oranges or lemons, grows in clusters, like grapes, and that's how it got the name grapefruit.

Bill McLain, author of the book Do Fish Drink Water? Do they?

Well, it depends if they're a saltwater or a fresh water fish. If they're a salt water fish, the water draws fluid out of them and they have to drink water to replenish it. If they're a fresh water fish, the opposite occurs. They get their fluid by osmosis; the water seeps in by tiny holes through their skin.

Is it true that Thomas Crapper invented the toilet?

No, it was actually one of his employees. But he had his name on all the toilet tanks, so during the first World War, the soldiers would go into the restroom and they'd see "T. Crapper" on the toilet tank and they started calling them crappers.

Do dolphins ever sleep?

If a dolphin were to ever sleep soundly, he'd be exposed to great dangers, so his brain, like ours, is in two hemispheres, but it works differently. The left hemisphere sleeps for eight hours and they right hemisphere stays awake, and then the reverse is true for the next eight hours, and then for the final eight hours the total brain is awake. So when half the brain is sleeping, the dolphin is somewhat lethargic, but still alert enough to get out of danger.

For transcripts visit our website: somethingyoushouldknow.net- I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.