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Cold Facts That Passed You By We all have those moments where we come across some piece of information that leaves us surprised, in awe, or even a little creeped out. These are what we like to call ‘cold facts’ – the kind of tidbits that slip by in our everyday lives, often unnoticed and unacknowledged. Here are some of the most intriguing cold facts that have passed you by: Did you know that all bananas are clones? That’s right – every bunch of bananas you see at the grocery store is genetically identical to every other banana in that same bunch. Bananas are grown from cuttings of existing plants, which means they have the same DNA as their ‘parents’. Another bizarre fact – the world’s largest organism is a fungus. Specifically, it’s an Armillaria ostoyae mushroom that spans over 2,200 acres in the Malheur National Forest in Oregon. The fungus is estimated to be over 2,400 years old and weighs approximately 605 tons. Talk about a heavyweight! But here’s something that’s sure to give you the creeps – there are more bacterial cells in your body than human cells. That’s right, we are outnumbered by the microscopic organisms that call our bodies home. But before you start freaking out, remember that most bacteria are actually harmless, and some are even beneficial to our health. Speaking of creepy crawlies, did you know that every time you sneeze, your body expels air at over 100 miles per hour? No wonder we feel such relief afterwards – that’s a lot of built-up pressure being released! Here’s a more serious fact – there are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history. Despite efforts to eradicate slavery, it still exists in many forms and affects millions of people around the globe. It’s important to educate ourselves on this issue and work towards ending it for good. Finally, let’s end on a more positive note. Did you know that there’s a species of jellyfish that’s biologically immortal? The Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish is capable of reverting back to its juvenile form after reaching maturity, effectively resetting its lifespan back to zero. While this may sound like science fiction, it’s a very real phenomenon that’s been observed in jellyfish all over the world. So there you have it – just a few of the many cold facts that have likely passed you by. It’s always interesting to learn something new and expand our knowledge, even if it’s about something as seemingly insignificant as bananas or as weighty as the issue of modern-day slavery. Who knows what other fascinating tidbits we’ve yet to discover?