• In 2006, an 87-year-old Oregon man, Marty Alvey, lost nearly all his sight, due (unsurprisingly) to age-related causes. This is not noteworthy. However, three years later, the same man became faint and dizzy, so he called 911. He began to feel better on the ambulance ride to the hospital, but he wanted to be checked out anyway. By the time the doctor made it to his room, Alvey’s sight had been restored. Even after thorough examinations by two ophthalmologists, no cause was found.

• If you’re pregnant in Switzerland, don’t tell anyone the name you plan to give your baby; it’s considered to bring bad luck.

• Smugglers will never stop trying to find creative ways to transport illicit goods from one part of the world to another. In 2009, a German man tried to smuggle 44 lizards out of New Zealand in his underwear; it seems that he had sewn special pockets in his undergarments specifically for the creatures.

• If a frog eats too many fireflies, it will begin to glow.

• You’ve probably heard or seen pictures of bioluminescent lagoons, but the bacteria that cause this phenomenon are not limited to small bays and inlets. In fact, there is a bioluminescent patch of ocean to be found off the horn of Africa. “Patch” may not be quite the right word to describe it, though; the area that glows is the same size as the state of Connecticut.

• You might be surprised to learn that the sweatiest part of the human body is not the armpits; it’s the palms of the hands.