50 things we know now (that we didn't know this time last year)

NASA called a big press conference a couple weeks ago. This sent tongues wagging, especially among space geeks. NASA doesn't call press conferences for piddly stuff. This had to be big.

Rumors ran wild on the Internet.

Had intelligent life been discovered on other planets? Were we going to Mars? Was an asteroid headed our way?

Scientists said they discovered a bacteria microbe that thrives on a poisonous, arsenic-like substance. It pointed to a new way of thinking about how life forms both on Earth and possibly beyond.

No aliens. No Mars. No asteroid. Space geeks were crestfallen.

They shouldn't have been.

This was huge. Any time the scientific community grabs a microphone and says, "Pretty much everything we thought we knew about how life thrives just changed," it's a momentous day.

In other words, what we think we know now - the knowledge that we're drop-dead sure is iron-clad truth - could change at any moment. Even the stuff that relates to the basic patterns of life. We were looking for X. We should have been looking for X and Y and maybe some other letter we never considered.

Which brings us to the following list.

Every year, new information emerges about who we are, how we live and what we know about the world around us. And every year proves that all that stuff we thought we knew everything about has a new edge that we've yet to discover.

Here's some of what we learned in 2010.

1. A species of snail in Japan with shells that coil counter-clockwise are less likely to be eaten by snakes than those with clockwise-coiling shells.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9264000/9264808.stm

2. A person's math abilities can be improved by passing a mild electric current through the skull into the brain's parietal lobe. The current is barely enough to light a light bulb. The effect lasts about six months.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/improve-math-skills-with-a-zap-to-the-brain-2128498.html

3. Tiny variations in human cells make it possible for some HIV-positive people to lead healthy lives without taking medication.

http://myhealthnewsdaily.com/hiv-infection-without-medication-0693/

4. Canadian scientists discovered how to make human blood from adult skin. The finding could have implications for cancer treatments, surgery and blood conditions such as anemia.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/11/07/16018141.html

5. Ostriches use half the energy humans need to run at top speed because their tendons store twice as much "elastic energy" per step.

http://accra-mail.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27071:ostriches-faster-than-all-birds&catid=68:life-style&Itemid=212

6. Severe to profound hearing loss may be why dolphins and whales strand themselves on beaches.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/05/1910522/study-hearing-loss-may-lead-to.html#ixzz14nZg1klu

7. Luminous cells from jellyfish could be used to detect early-stage tumors deep within the human body.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20101102/Jelly-fish-glow-may-help-detect-early-stage-cancer.aspx

8. Female boa constrictors can produce offspring without mating by using an asexual reproduction known as parthenogenesis.

http://sify.com/news/boa-constrictor-has-virgin-birth-news-international-klepadjffgf.html

9. Receptors for a sixth taste called kokumi have been found on the human tongue. They detect a sort of bitter, sort of sour calcium flavor.

http://www.thestar.com/living/food/article/882480--after-umami-a-sixth-taste-is-discovered-kokumi

10. An extinct deep-sea volcano off the west coast of Australia was found 2 kilometers beneath the ocean's surface. Scientists mapping a flat seabed in the Benthic Protection Zone named it, Anna's Pimple.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8116432/scientists-stumble-upon-rare-volcano

11. A walnut sphinx caterpillar will whistle through the side of its body cavity to fend off attacks from birds that want to eat it.

http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978794488

12. Christopher Columbus was Polish, not Portuguese.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333895/Christopher-Columbus-Polish-Portuguese-claim-historians.html

13. More than 300 species, ranging from birds to tiny mites, depend on a single army ant species known as Eciton burchellii for their survival. That is the greatest known number of life forms dependent on a single species.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9209000/9209345.stm

14. Scientists discovered a planet 2,000 light years from Earth that was formed in another galaxy and absorbed by the Milky Way galaxy. The planet is similar in size to Jupiter.

http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=32785

15. Body fat can trigger early puberty in girls, resulting in an early first menstrual period.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/early-puberty-triggered-by-body-fat-study/article1809023/

16. The key to healing a wound without a scar could involve blocking the action of a common sugar in the body called hyaluronan.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=blocking-a-common-sugar

17. A species of metal-eating bacteria discovered on the sunken hull of the Titanic may be speeding the decay of the wreck.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/12/101210-new-species-bacteria-metal-titanic-wreck-science/

18. Leptoptilos, a 6-foot-tall, 35-pound stork big enough to eat human infants, roamed the island of Flores in Indonesia 18,000 years ago.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/indonesia/8193184/Giant-stork-preyed-on-Flores-hobbits.html

19. The act of imagining eating a certain food may help you eat less of it. The finding challenges the assumption that thinking about a favorite food triggers cravings and increases the likelihood of eating more of it.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20101208/imagination-tricks-the-brain-into-eating-less

20. Teenage girls are 30 percent more likely than boys to have unprotected sex the first time they have sexual intercourse regardless of previous sex education instruction.

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20101107/unprotected-sex-teens

21. Blue whales that gobble huge mouthfuls of krill when they feed may stop eating because they experience a kind of "food coma."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h3-YKrKbR4CxD-alXWrL-xoDtLCw?docId=CNG.31881ec950bbfaea604ca0b9be049da4.4d1

22. Oriental hornets become more active as the temperature rises because a yellow stripe on their abdomen gathers sunlight and harnesses it for energy.

http://www.gearlog.com/2010/12/scientists_discover_solar_powe.php

23. Up to 90 percent of an antibiotic passes through the human body without metabolizing. Excreted antibiotics that enter stream and river environments then become potential sources of antibiotic-resistant genes in nature.

http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/News/Feeds/2010/12/industries-virginia-tech-engineer-identifies-new-concerns-for/

24. Five types of newly discovered lizard venom could prove a gold mine for researchers working on the next generation of blood pressure and heart disease medications.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/science/scientists-take-heart-over-lizard-venom-20101202-18ia7.html

25. People who consume energy drinks 52 or more times within a year are at a statistically significant higher risk for alcohol dependence and episodes of heavy drinking.

http://www.sify.com/news/excess-of-energy-drinks-drives-alcohol-dependency-news-international-klrouledbbb.html

26. Loneliness raises blood pressure and increases the risk for other cardiovascular conditions, as well as vision loss, kidney dysfunction and memory deficits.

http://brainblogger.com/2010/11/15/the-lonely-hearts-club/

27. A species of subterranean fish discovered in an underground cave in Papua, New Guinea, developed without eyes or pigmentation.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/sci-tech/scientists-find-eyeless-cave-fish-in-indonesias-papua-region/story-fn5fsgyc-1225962587009#ixzz18CzMnKtO

28. Teens who text 120 times a day or more are more likely to have had sex or used alcohol and drugs than those who don't send as many messages.

http://www.care2.com/causes/education/blog/sex-and-drugs-more-common-in-hyper-texting-teens/

29. Loud background noise at restaurants interferes with the physical enjoyment of food.

http://www.masslive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2010/10/study_shows_noise_impacts_dini.html

30. Putting ice on an injury may prevent healing by interfering with a hormone produced by inflamed tissue to heal damaged muscle.

http://www.metro.co.uk/lifestyle/845338-putting-ice-on-injuries-may-prevent-healing#ixzz18D2HFmFW

31. In the jungles of Myanmar, scientists discovered a new species of monkey with nostrils turned upward. Whenever it rains, the nostrils fill with water and cause the monkey to sneeze.

http://www.aolnews.com/2010/10/27/new-species-of-sneezing-monkey-found-in-asia/

32. Bees, much like humans, lose their memory and cognitive ability as they age.

http://www.statepress.com/2010/10/27/old-bees-lose-memories-like-humans/

33. People living in a cave on the southern tip of South Africa were using a sophisticated technique for shaping stone weapons 75,000 years ago, or about 55,000 years before anyone was doing so in Europe.

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=125253

34. Beer consumption may increase women's risk of developing psoriasis.

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/psoriasis/news/20100816/beer-linked-psoriasis

35. Women who gain 55 pounds or more during their pregnancies were found to give birth to bigger babies than women who gain less weight.

http://www.dbtechno.com/health/2010/08/05/weight-gain-during-pregnancy-can-mean-fat-babies/

36. Deleting just one gene during the embryonic stage can make a female mouse a lesbian. After the mice were genetically modified, they rejected the advances of males and tried to mate with other females.

http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/14168

37. Gorillas play games like human children to gain a competitive advantage. The primates have been observed playing tag, where they hit a playmate and run away.

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1825652/?UserKey=

38. The hardness of a chair on which someone is sitting directly influences the way someone feels about another person.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1289463/Why-sitting-hard-chair-makes-better-haggler.html#ixzz18DFz2MGg

39. Studies of an adolescent boy skeleton from 3,500 years ago found near Stonehenge indicate the site may have been an ancient tourist destination attracting visitors from across Europe.

http://www.aolnews.com/2010/09/29/skeleton-points-to-stonehenge-as-ancient-tourist-site/

40. A newly discovered fault runs along the Mississippi River to the outskirts of Marion, Ark. It could produce an earthquake of 6.9 to 7.0 magnitude.

http://media.www.dailyhelmsman.com/media/storage/paper875/news/2010/10/01/News/All-Shook.Up.New.Fault.Confirmed-3939600.shtml

41. Rocks from Baffin Island in Canada are part of a patch of Earth that date to the infancy of the planet. They somehow escaped geologic changes since that time.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mantle-reservoir

42. A common "friendly" bacteria found in soil boosts intelligence and speeds learning time. The same microbe, which is blown around by the wind and inhaled, appears to act as a natural antidepressant.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1281104/How-walk-countryside-improve-brainpower.html#ixzz18Da9UNlm

43. A poll showed that 27 percent of adults text while driving - essentially the same amount of teens who said they did so in a 2009 study. But adults are worse offenders by a margin of 47 percent to 34 percent when you measure both sending and reading texts.

http://mashable.com/2010/06/18/texting-while-driving-stats/

44. About one in 10 fathers experiences prenatal or postnatal depression, with the highest risk appearing to be when a new baby is 3 to 6 months old.

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=17335

45. Testosterone, which makes men physically strong and aggressive, is connected to cynicism and a lack of trust in others. When given to women, it made them less open and more vigilant.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/7759903/Woman-become-less-trusting-when-given-the-male-hormone-testosterone.html

46. The harmful stress of a roller-coaster relationship is more likely to affect the mental health of young men than young women.

http://men.webmd.com/news/20100611/rocky-relationships-harder-for-men

47. Moms who soothe a child by kissing their boo-boos can reduce stress, calming the hormones that can contribute to chronic inflammation.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37215005/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/

48. People are happier, less stressed and feel better about themselves after age 50. Negative emotions such as stress and anger decline after the early 20s, and people older than 50 worry less than younger counterparts.

http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20100518/people-happier-less-stressed-after-middle-age

49. Blood vessels expel debris like blood clots, cholesterol and calcium plaque by growing a membrane around the blockages and then "spitting" them out of the vessel.

http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=24357

50. The common musk turtle's tongue has specialized buds which allow it to breathe underwater and stay submerged for many months.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/turtle-uses-tongue-to-breathe-underwater.html

Reporter Jeff Houck can be reached at (813) 259-7324 or jhouck@tampatrib.com.

Sources: Arizona State University, University of Oxford, Massachusetts General Hospital, McMaster University's Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, Royal Society Journal Interface, Public Library of Science, Yorkshire Cancer Research Laboratory, North Carolina State University, Monell Center, South Australian Research and Development Institute, National Biological Information Infrastructure, Duke University, University of Connecticut, Science, Boston University School of Medicine, London Health Sciences Center, Dalhousie University, Smithsonian Institution, Carnegie Mellon University, Tohoku University, Journal of Experimental Biology, University of British Columbia, Tel-Aviv University, Virginia Tech University, University of Melbourne, University of Maryland School of Public Health, University of Chicago, Institute of Research and Development, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Scientific American, Fauna & Flora International, Arizona State University, University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, Archives of Dermatology, Lancet, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, University of Portsmouth, Harvard University, Bournemouth University, University of Memphis Center for Earthquake Research Information, Sage Colleges, Pew's Internet and American Life Project, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Cape Town University, Wake Forest University, Florida State University, University of California, Los Angeles, Stony Brook University, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, University of Vienna.