Top 9 Incredible Science Facts

The Earth is not a perfect sphere - it is slightly flattened at the poles and bulges at the equator, forming an oblate spheroid. Water is the only substance on Earth that exists naturally as a solid (ice), liquid, and gas (water vapor). The Earth's atmosphere is made up of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and trace amounts of other gases. The human brain is made up of about 75% water and can process information at a speed of about 120 meters per second. The speed of light in a vacuum is about 299,792,458 meters per second, which is the fastest speed that anything can travel. The average temperature of the human body is about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). The Earth is approximately 93 million miles (149.6 million kilometers) away from the Sun. The Earth's magnetic field protects the planet from solar wind and cosmic radiation. The Earth's rotation causes the change in seasons and the alternation of night and day. The Earth's atmosphere contains about 100 trillion individual molecules of air.