Illustration by Arnie Bermudez

Things you always never wanted to know

· The indentation in the middle of the area between the nose and the upper lip has a name: the philtrum. Scientists are somewhat baffled as to what purpose this concavity serves, and their theories by no means agree. Among the ancient Greeks, this innocent little dent was considered one of the body's most erogenous zones.

· Apart from its vulnerability to fire, human hair is almost impossible to destroy. It decays at such a slow rate that it is practically nondisintegrative. It cannot be destroyed by cold, climate change, water or other natural forces, and it is resistant to many kinds of acids and corrosive chemicals. This is the reason why it clogs sinks and drain pipes.

· After the great ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky died, doctors cut open and examined his feet. They wanted to find out whether his foot bones were different from those of ordinary men, thinking that his bone structure might account for his ability to perform the extraordinary leaps for which he had been famous. The autopsy, however, revealed nothing unusual.

· In a churchyard near Cardiff, Wales, one can read the following inscription: "Here lieth the body of William Edwards of Cacreg, who departed this life 24th February, Anno Domini 1668, age one hundred and sixty-eight."

· Contrary to popular opinion, the pyramids of Egypt were not among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, although the Sphinx was. The other six wonders were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the lighthouse at Pharos, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Temple of Diana at Ephesus.

· Everyone knows about vitamins A, B, C, D, and E. Few are aware that there are also vitamin K (promotes proper liver function and vitality), vitamin T (helpful in treating anemia), vitamin H (also called biotin), and vitamin U (promotes the healing of ulcers).