Interesting Things with JC #261: “Kiribati” is made up of 33 atolls, these are ring-shaped reefs or a series of islands caused by submerged volcanos. Out of the 33 islands that all straddle the equator, and only 20 are inhabited. Although it only takes up a total of 811sq kilometers, Kiribati spans a distance equal to an area that is roughly the size of India, and it's the only country to fall within the northern, southern, eastern and western hemispheres. Kiribati is the third-least visited country in the world. Around 6,000 visitors come here annually. Only the Pacific island-nations of the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu receive fewer tourists.

Interesting Things with JC #218: “Elephants” - The word “elephant” comes from the Greek word “elephas” which means “ivory”. The elephant brain is remarkably similar to the human brain, with as many neurons and synapses, as well as a highly developed hippocampus and cerebral cortex. There is a movement called the wooly mammoth revival that seeks to bring the species back to life through the genes of the Asian elephant.