A cloud in space smells of rum and tastes of raspberries.
Sagittarius B2 contains ethyl formate — the exact molecule behind rum's aroma and raspberries' flavor — in vast quantities.
HISTORICAL ARCHIVE
Sources · October 18, 2026
Every claim from this day’s challenge, with its verdict, explanation and sources.
Round 1
A true "day" on Earth lasts 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds.
That is the sidereal day (one full spin vs. distant stars); the 24-hour solar day adds the extra spin needed to catch up to the moving Sun.
Bats are blind.
All 1,400+ bat species see; many fruit bats have vision sharper than ours. Echolocation supplements eyes, never replaced them.
Round 2
Elephants help grow the trees used for guitars and pianos.
Elephants disperse ebony seeds in their dung; forests where elephants were wiped out had 68% fewer ebony saplings.
Flamingos are naturally pink.
Only thanks to their diet: chicks hatch with gray down, and the pink comes from carotenoid pigments in the algae and tiny crustaceans they eat. Without those, the color fades.
Greenland sharks are the fastest sharks in the Arctic.
The opposite: they cruise at about 1.6 km/h and top out near 2.7 km/h — adjusted for size, the slowest fish known to science.
Round 3
Some people can give themselves goosebumps on command.
Documented voluntary piloerection lets rare individuals contract their arrector pili muscles at will — no cold or emotion required.
Chimborazo in Ecuador is the farthest point on Earth's surface from the planet's center.
The equatorial bulge lifts it: Chimborazo's summit sits ~2 km farther from Earth's core than Everest's, despite being lower above sea level.
Meteorites are burning hot to the touch when they hit the ground.
The fiery entry only lasts seconds and strips away the outer layer; the inside stays cold from space. Freshly fallen meteorites are usually cool or barely warm to the touch.