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TIL about the RNA world hypothesis, according to which the many key roles of RNA in protein synthesis, such as the ribozyme nature of the peptidyl transferase activity of the ribosome, suggest that RNA evolved as an informational biopolymer before proteins and even before DNA.

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R5n56 TIL George Jennings invented the public toilet. It premiered at the Great Exhibition in 1851 and cost one penny to use the toilet. Since then, "To spend a penny" became a euphemism for going to the toilet in the United Kingdom
W7ADB TIL Dorodango is a traditional Japanese childhood hobby of polishing balls of mud into glossy shiny spheres. Mythbusters used the technique to bust the myth that one "can't polish a turd" and created highly glossy lion & ostrich dung balls
WPaB TIL of Joe Angelo who saved George S. Patton’s life in WW1, went broke during the Depression, joined the Bonus Army Protests of 1932 where he encountered Patton commanding troops to quell the protests. He approached Patton to sway him, Patton pretended to not know who he was and had him removed.
x6OWD TIL Benjamin Franklin, fascinated by compounding interest, left $2,000 in 1789 to Boston and Philly to loan to young artisans and grow for 200 years. Mismanagement diverted his vision, but the funds reached $6.5M by 1991, supporting public projects and showing the power—and challenges—of compounding
l7Ljr TIL TV remotes are equipped with dedicated color buttons—commonly red, green, yellow, and blue because of Teletext