CWFI: Epistle of Hebrews and James

You can have cells from more than one person in your body.
In Greek mythology, a chimera is a part-lion, part-goat, part-snake, all-weird monstrosity, but in scientific circles, the name takes on a different meaning. In biology, a chimera is anyone whose body contains genetically distinct cells. This doesn’t mean that another small organism is living within you, but rather that cells wholly different from your cells coexist within you. In fact, a kind of chimerism is fairly common. New mothers carry some of the cells of their offspring, which can remain within their body for up to 40 years. This exchange of cells is also a two-way street, as children often contain some of their mother’s cells, which cross the placenta and into the child’s bloodstream during pregnancy. However, not many cells reside in a mother and her offspring, so scientists refer to this phenomenon as “microchimerism.”

A more dramatic form of human chimerism is when two embryos that would usually form nonidentical twins instead fuse in the womb, and the resulting single embryo contains cells of both. While this can have some outward effects (like different-colored patches of skin on one person), most of the time this condition is only discovered through genetic testing. In one bizarre case in 2003, a 52-year-old mother needed a kidney transplant, and when her children were tested for compatibility, the results showed that two of her three children were not hers genetically. This is because she was a chimera, having fused with her twin embryo before birth, and the doctors didn’t think to search for a second genetic marker in other parts of her body. That makes this confused mother only 1 out of 100 or so confirmed chimera cases worldwide, but many, many more are likely out there.

Silly String was invented for broken bones.
There's nothing silly about a broken bone, but if laughter is the best medicine, then the creators of Silly String may well have helped more people than they ever envisioned. In the 1960s, inventor Leonard A. Fish and chemist Robert P. Cox set about producing a mixture that would rapidly harden after delivery via a spray can, providing a near-instant cast for anyone unfortunate enough to sustain a broken limb. They came up with a sticky concoction that set quickly and held, then tested some 500 nozzles in search of the best application from a pressurized can. When one nozzle propelled a stream 30 feet across the room, Fish and Cox had another idea — maybe this stringy goo would work better as a plaything?

After tweaking their recipe, the duo arranged a meeting with an executive at Wham-O, the company behind such popular toys as the Frisbee and Hula Hoop. At first, a business relationship seemed unlikely; overeager to demonstrate, Fish and Cox all but decorated the office with loads of colorful string, and were unceremoniously shown the door. Fortunately, the company's owners later spotted some leftover gunk and were intrigued enough to seek a larger sample. The next day, Fish and Cox received a telegram from Wham-O requesting 24 cans of the stuff for a market test. By 1972, when a patent was granted for this "foamable resinous composition," Silly String had clearly moved on from its roots as a tool for healing and was well on the way to its destiny as a mess-making accoutrement for partygoers of all ages.