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19

TIL that there’s a parasite (Dicrocoelium dendriticum) that infects ants and forces them to climb to the tops of blades of grass to be eaten by cows.

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XjXk TIL when the Pope dies, it’s tradition to confirm the death ceremonially by gently tapping the pope’s head thrice with a silver hammer, calling his birth name each time.
XlLQ TIl wood frogs can freeze solid for up to 8 months. They thaw in the spring with all normal function restored (just in time to bang). Scientists still don’t understand the mechanism that restarts the frogs’ hearts.
WjkL TIL pirates were not anarchists and had a “Pirate Code’ that provided rules for discipline, division of stolen goods, and compensation for injured pirates
QJ7aa TIL French philosopher Voltaire was reportedly obsessed with coffee, drinking as many as 50 cups a day. This likely aided in the eccentricity of some of his writings.
Oobbg TIL donating a pint of blood is equivalent to donating a chocolate bar calorie-wise, mainly from the regeneration of 2 TRILLION red blood cells in bone marrow at a rate of 2 million/sec.