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TIL the 1979 cult classic The Warriors was based on the ancient story of the Anabasis, wherein Xenophon and his group of Greek mercenaries attempt to escape from Persia after the death of Cyrus.

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jN6KR You probably know that your visual perception of the world is a bit different than your pets’. Dogs see things with less color than humans, snakes can see infrared, and if you have a pet bull, it lives in a world where red and green are the same color. This brings up a good question. Why do you have a pet bull? You should get a cat instead, and when you do, it is important to know that your new friend can’t focus on objects farther than 20 feet away. The point is, animals have evolved to see in a variety of ways. But how can we see things through their eyes? Marine biologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer David Gruber collaborated with a research team to develop lights and camera filters that allowed him to do just that, underwater. Through their work, the team discovered biofluorescence in an abundance of aquatic species. This “glowing” trait has to do with how an organism absorbs and emits light. Research has indicated that this radiance is possibly used for communication and camouflage. One caveat: You need a certain species of eyes (or David’s camera) to see it. Swell sharks (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) have fluorescent proteins inside their skin, which are triggered by the ocean’s blue light, becoming visible to other swell sharks. David’s camera has special yellow filters that allow the simulation of a swell shark’s vision. It turns out there is a massive rave going on 500 meters below the ocean’s surface, and one of the glowing guests is a type of cat shark!
NMAM TIL The elevators in the San Francisco Federal Building only stop at every third floor as it was decided federal employees need the exercise.
M7QZb TIL that flight recorders must be able to withstand an acceleration of 3400 g for 6.5 milliseconds and that this is roughly equivalent to an impact velocity of 270 knots (310 mph; 500 km/h).
ANppa TIL only three single-letter .com domain names were registered before Internet pioneer Jon Postel registered the other 23 letters of the alphabet. IANA now holds these in reserve to prevent single entities from controlling a letter of the alphabet.
XEjOD TIL Casu Marzu is a sheep milk cheese where live maggots are introduced to partially decompose it before human consumption. And it’s only available on the black market.