whyy.org

DQNDe TIL smell is the only sense that isn’t processed by the thalamus (sensory integration center of the brain); instead, smell is directly processed in the primary olfactory cortex without us consciously registering them, which is why odors can bring back memories without us understanding why.
rNdZ4 TIL that the con-artist, Frank Abagnale, from Catch Me if You Can, lied about most of the story. His book retelling his "crimes" was the only successful con he ever pulled.
W7NGL TIL the evolutionary leap from egg laying to placental birth may have been helped by DNA from an ancient retrovirus, which coded for a protein allowing cells around the placenta to fuse, blocking the exchange of maternal-fetal blood and preventing the mother’s immune system from harming the fetus.