The Utterly, Completely, and Totally Useless Science Fact-o-pedia: A Startling Collection of Scientific Trivia You’ll Never Need to Know. Steve Kanaras

of its profound health virtues.

      • When the Israelites were wandering the desert, they pined for it (Numbers: 11:5).

      • Garlic is antioxidant-rich in the form of allicin (plus the antioxidant vitamins A and C). A variety of studies clearly suggest that consuming garlic on a regular basis can lower “bad” LDL cholesterol, raise “good” HDL cholesterol, and can prevent, reduce, and even reverse the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), which can lead to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

      • Studies also find that regular consumption of garlic can help lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar levels, reduce the formation of blood clots, relax blood vessels, and improve blood flow.

      • To enjoy the antioxidant benefits of allicin, you must first chop, crush, or otherwise “damage” the garlic clove so that a natural chemical reaction occurs that converts the undamaged allicin into heart-healthy, atherosclerosis-fighting allicin.

      • To date, no reliable scientific studies confirm the efficacy of garlic as a vampire repellant.

      Gemstones

      • Most gemstones contain several elements. For example, sapphires are an aluminum oxide (α-Al2O3), and emeralds are beryllium aluminum silicate with chromium (Be₃Al₂(SiO₃)₆). The diamond, however, is all carbon!

      • The sapphire is a corundum, and it comes in every color of the rainbow including purple, blue, and green. However, red “sapphires” are called rubies.

      • While most people think of garnets as red, they also come in every color of the rainbow … except blue! One of the most valuable is the tsavorite garnet, which is a vivid, radiant green. And like all garnets, the tsavorite has a particularly high refractive index (1.734/44).

      • Pearls, amber, and coral are the only three official gemstones that come from living things.

      • Alexandrite from the Ural Mountains of Russia is a particularly amazing gemstone: It changes colors depending upon the source of light! It’s a stunning shade of green, like an emerald, by daylight and then completely changes to the color red, like a ruby, by incandescent light.

      • Truth be told, the terms “precious” and “semiprecious” actually have more to do with an archaic import-export tariff definition rather than their inherent value. For example, tsavorite garnets, tanzanite, and imperial jadeite can easily sell for several thousands of dollars per carat, which is as much or more than most “precious” gemstones, like rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds.