5V6Zp TIL researchers created contact lenses that give humans limited night vision by turning near-infrared light into visible colors; test subjects could detect infrared flashes, distinguish different infrared wavelengths, and even see some signals better with their eyes closed.
M7vWa TIL that in ancient Japan, condoms were made from both tortoise shells and animal horns.
j6ama TIL in 1957, a nuclear explosion blasted a manhole cover in the air at 150,000mph (six times Earth’s exit velocity). Scientists think it was either vaporized, or blasted into space.
0dnBL TIL that white phosphorus must be stored underwater because it's so reactive that it will catch fire after a few minutes if exposed to air.
grkJb TIL of Myrmaplata plataleoides, a species of jumping spider which mimics weaver ants. The females particularly mimic the ants closely in size, shape, and colour. Males give the appearance of a weaver ant carrying a minor worker ant.
LQJ9P TIL the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914 was the first federal law that regulated and cracked down on drugs. This near prohibition disguised as tax, prohibited “any person” from distributing or dispensing coca leaves or opium except in pursuance of a "written order” issued by a practitioner “
b6NdQ TIL that crime is partially caused by lead.
QNAOe TIL that a moon can have its own moon, called a "submoon' or a "moonmoon"
ANEyd TIL that cicadas wings surfaces are not only superhydrophobic, but also bacteria landing on the wing surface are not repelled; rather, their membranes are torn apart by the nanoscale-sized spikes, making the wing surface the first-known biomaterial that can kill bacteria.
yV4wM TIL Chinese warlord Zhang Zongchang was nicknamed "Three Don't Knows" because he didn't know how much money was in his coffers, he didn't know how many men were in his army, and he didn't know how many women were in his harem.
m1oQR TIL researchers had men smell worn T-shirts from women at different cycle phases, and they consistently rated ovulation scents as more attractive, sometimes even identifying fertility above chance (~61%)
DQZbV TIL that no original broadcast recordings of the first ever Super Bowl exists today, as the videotapes were wiped to save money. In 2016, the NFL stitched together a version of the game using recordings from various sources.