› added 3 years ago

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TIL that American surgeon William Beaumont, the "Father of Gastric Physiology", researched human digestion by putting pieces of food on a string and poking them through an old gunshot wound in his handyman's stomach. He pulled it out on regular intervals to check on how well it had been digested.

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6LQ TIL that a 1,000 year old “fish trap” made of stones was found off the British coast with Google Maps
78ZeM TIL Pikachurin is a protein discovered in 2008. It was named after the Pokemon Pikachu, and plays a role in the interactions between the photoreceptor ribbon synapse and the bipolar dendrites.
W7XAX TIL that our lips become thinner as we age, primarily due to collagen loss. Collagen, which constitutes 30% of the body’s and 70% of the skin’s protein, is vital for maintaining the skin's structural integrity and volume.
OoPna TIL that rock band Foo Fighters provided music, appear in, and gave tacit support for the 2004 film "The Other Side of AIDS." The pseudoscientific documentary tries to argue that HIV does not cause AIDS.
e0jK5 TIL lithium metal must be stored under argon as it can burn in a pure nitrogen atmosphere (no oxygen present) to form lithium nitride. Other reactive metals like sodium and potassium, however, do not react with nitrogen.