5 Science Facts That You Didn't Learn in High School

The knowledge we pick up there sets the foundations for all the other amazing things we go on to study. But science definitely doesn't end at high school, and it's once you take your learning to the next level that things get really interesting.
In no particular order, here are some mind-bendingly incredible facts that we didn't learn at high school, but wish we did. Because I certainly would have paid a whole lot more attention if my teacher had shared a few of these insights in class.

1. Water can boil and freeze at the same time

Seriously, it's called the 'triple point', and it occurs when the temperature and pressure is just right for the three phases (gas, liquid, and solid) of a substance to coexist in thermodynamic equilibrium.This video shows cyclohexane in a vacuum.

2.Lasers can get trapped in a waterfall

Oh my gosh, yes. Not only is this an incredible example of total internal reflection, it also shows how fibre optic cables work to guide the flow of light.

3. We've got spacecraft hurtling towards the edge of our Solar System really, really fast

We all know rockets are fast, and space is big. But sometimes when we're talking about how long it takes for us to get to distant parts of the Solar System (eight months to get to Mars, are you kidding me?) it can feel like our spacecraft are just crawling along out there.

This gif shows just how wrong that idea is by comparing the speed of the New Horizons probe, which flew past Pluto last year, to a 747 and SR-71 Blackbird.

4. An egg looks like a crazy jellyfish underwater

A cracked egg on land might make a big mess, but 18 metres (60 feet) below the surface of the ocean, the pressure on the egg is 2.8 times atmospheric pressure, and it holds it all together like an invisible egg shell. True story.

5. You can prove Pythagoras' theorem with fluid

Not buying what your maths teacher is selling when they tell you a2 + b2 = c2? You can actually prove it with liquid.