Test Facts

Chewing the same flavor of gum while studying and during a test can help trigger memory recall through a phenomenon called context-dependent memory.

At 15 years old, Jack Andraka won the top prize at the 2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for developing a concept for an early pancreatic cancer detection test using carbon nanotubes. His preliminary results suggested the sensor could potentially be faster and cheaper than existing methods, though the test has never been validated in clinical trials or brought to market.

In the 1950s, the US government placed beer next to an atomic bomb blast to determine if it was still drinkable. The result: in the event of a nuclear war, beer is safe to drink!

Offering people money for doing well on IQ tests causes them to score significantly higher. A meta-analysis found that financial incentives can boost scores by up to 10 points on average, with some studies showing even larger gains. This suggests IQ tests measure motivation and effort, not just raw intelligence.

Scientists in the UK developed a smartphone dongle that could test for STIs including HIV and syphilis in just 15 minutes, using a small blood sample and delivering results directly to the phone.