› added 7 months ago

24

TIL: In December 2024, a single mutation known as Q226L was found to enhance the ability of H5N1 ('bird flu') to infect human cells, particularly in the respiratory tract. Previously, at least three mutations were thought to be required for the virus to infect people and spread between them.

Read more nih.gov

via reddit.com

oR7JE TIL that free divers' heart rates can drop as low as 11 beats per minute(as low as that of diving seals, whales and dolphins), in order to preserve blood-oxygen levels
6KgQ TIL that the mother of a teenager murdered in a 2005 racist axe attack forgave his killers: “Unforgiveness makes you a victim and why should I be a victim?… Hate killed my son, so why should I be a victim too?”
dZy9 TIL there are hundreds of 1000-year-old underground tunnel systems in Bavaria, and nobody really knows who built them or what they’re for.
mxwEo TIL The Japanese were planning a biological warfare attack on San Diego, California before the atomic bombs forced them to surrender in WWII
dk4Z TIL while almost all weight lifting records are from modern day athletes, the current record for a one-handed dead lift was set by Hermann Görner in 1920. He lifted 330 kg (727.5 lb).