We know this one sounds unlikely, so bear with us. As it turns out, dung beetles are avid stargazers. In fact, they're completely reliant on the light that comes from our home galaxy in order to exist.
Researchers working in South Africa a few years ago concluded that dung beetles use the bright stripe of light that comes from the center of the Milky Way as the basis of their orientation and rely on it to keep them moving in straight lines - a necessary function for the beetles, who need to collect and move dung as quickly as possible to prevent other beetles from stealing it. The insects have photoreceptors in their eyes which enable them to see forms of light that are beyond human perception, and it's this skill that allows them to pick up on polarized light. Like sailors of old, dung beetles rely on the stars to guide them.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.