WHY DO CRABS, LOBSTERS, CRAYFISH, SHRIMP TURN RED WHEN COOKED?

Most of the time, the exoskeleton of most crustaceans has a blue-green to graying colour and sometimes they appear a brown or olive green, with just a hint of red; with a few exceptions like the blue and yellow lobsters and crabs. The exoskeletons of such creatures are made up of several pigments, one of which is a carotenoid called astaxanthin, which provides its reddish colouring (astaxanthin is the same carotene that gives salmon its color).

At normal temperatures and when alive (when they are not yet dumped in boiling water or grilled), the astaxanthin pigments are hidden because they are covered with other protein chains that give their shells the bluish-gray or brownish-green colour we see.

Exposure to heat destroys this protein coating, while the carotenoid pigment, astaxanthin still remains stable. So when you cook a crab or lobster or its other tasty crustacean friends and family for your scrumptious meal, the heat breaks down all the other pigments except for astaxanthin; thus, causing the bright red colour we see in cooked lobsters, crabs, and crayfish or the reddish-orange colour of cooked shrimp.

All lobsters eventually turns red when cooked except of the albino crab and lobster. For the obvious reason that they don't have pigments so therefore, they remain the same colour even when cook.

Source: Today found out.

WHY CRACKERS HAVE HOLES

Surprisingly, it turns out the holes are there for a reason, it is not just for decoration or for convenience in some manufacturing process, as you might expect. In fact, without these holes, crackers wouldn't bake correctly. The holes allow steam to escape during baking. This keeps the crackers flat, instead of rising a bit like normal biscuit as the steam tries to escape; these holes also help to proper crisp the crackers.

When crackers are made, dough is rolled flat in sheets. These sheets then travel under a mechanism containing "docker" pins that end up putting the holes in the dough. The hole's positioning and number varies depending on the size and shape of the cracker. If the holes are too close together, the cracker will end up being extra dry and hard, due to too much steam escaping. If the holes end up being too far apart, parts of the cracker will rise a bit forming little bubbles on the surface of the cracker, which is undesirable in most types of crackers.

Source: Today found out.

Viagra Overdose!!!

A 74 year old man almost had an attack after he too 2 tablets of Viagra. He took the pills because he wanted to impress a woman almost 50 years younger than he is.

Retired hairdresser Ray Boddington, 74, had picked up the pills from a friend in his local pub after scoring with the 27-year-old woman, but as he left her apartment after a night of getting it on with the younger woman, He took ill at a bus stop with major heart palpitations and an ambulance had to be called.

As he lay in the back of the ambulance a paramedic treating the father of six told him 'its coming down" and then added "I'm talking about your blood pressure'.

Test showed Ray had a high blood pressure reading of 157/88 - a normal reading shouldn't be above 140/90. His heart rate was 102 beats per minute - above the normal 60-100 beats.

The pensioner, from Salford, Greater Manchester - was allowed to stay in the vehicle until his heart rate went back to normal. He did not require any hospital treatment over the incident on October 25.

Ray said: "The paramedics told me you shouldn't take two and I want to pass on that warning that it can make you ill, it can make your blood pressure go sky high or you could have a heart attack. It was only two hours after taking the tablets when I began to feel faint. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest and the blood rushing from my head. I thought I was having a heart attack and I was going to die"

"Imaging if someone dies because no one has spoken about the dangers. People shy away from the subject. It took around 24 hours for things to go back to normal."

EVER WONDERED WHAT THOSE SMELLY YELLOWISH CHUNK THAT SOMETIMES COMES OUT OF YOUR THROAT ARE???

Well, the bad smelling, small yellowish chunks that comes into your mouth or you feel at the back of your throat are called Tonsilloliths or Tonsil Stones.

Tonsilloliths are stinky globs of calcified mucus, dead cells, debris and bacteria that form in the tonsil crypts (small pockets or divots that is in everybody's tonsils). They are composed of calcium, but may contain other minerals such as phosphorus and magnesium, as well as ammonia and carbonate.

Tonsilloliths are one of the causes of Halitosis (bad breath). They usually apear as tiny little chunks in the shape of cauliflower and smell very bad. True tonsillar stones are rare, small areas of calcification or concretions are relatively common.

Tonsil stones sizes can range from a small peppercorn to a larger size causing throat discomfort and in some cases uncomfortable side effects including sore throat, ear pain or tonsillitis. It has been recorded weighing from 0.3g to 42g.

They are common in both adult and children. However, they often occur mostly in people who suffer from chronic inflammation of their tonsils or recurrent tonsillitis. Studies have shown that people who have had their tonsils removed, under most circumstances, almost never experience tonsil stones (well because they don't have tonsils).

Often no treatment is needed, as few stones
produce symptoms. Some people are able to remove tonsil stones using the tip of the tongue. Oral irrigators are also simple yet effective and will thoroughly clean the tonsil crypts.

More simply still, gargling with warm, salty water may help alleviate the discomfort of tonsillitis, which often accompanies tonsil stones. Vigorous gargling each morning can also keep the tonsil crypts clear of all but the most persistent tonsilloliths.

Also Curretages, Laser and Tonsillectomy (removal of tonsils) can also be done. But, tonsillectomy is not the best option because with tonsillectomy, you stand a chance of developing recurrent mouth infection as the Tonsils are part of the the immune system and function like nets and trap incoming bacterias and viruses passing through your throat.