kqed.org

kJnPE TIL hairworms, parasites which infect crickets and control their brain, can extend a male cricket's lifespan by removing his ability to chirp so it's harder for predators and competing crickets to find him. Hairworms may even share their immune system with its host.
QNv96 TIL about Bummer and Lazarus, two stray dogs that roamed the streets of San Francisco in the early 1860s. Recognized for their unique bond and their prodigious rat-killing ability, they became a fixture of city newspapers, were exempted from local ordinances, and immortalized in cartoons.
W7X58 TIL that Duck feathers are known for their extraordinary ability to repel water, thanks to their unique structure and the hydrophobic properties of their fibres.