› added 5 years ago

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TIL that there is a collection of viruses in our bodies known as the virome. These viruses do not only infect us but they can also infect the bacteria(microbiome) in our bodies. The stable equilibrium of virus infecting the bacteria in our gut is believed to be why we are immune to certain viruses.

Read more ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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ne9WG TIL - In 399 BC, Socrates went on trial and was subsequently found guilty of both corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens and of impiety ("not believing in the gods of the state"),and as a punishment sentenced to death, caused by the drinking of a mixture containing poison hemlock.
pYRKO TIL that a component of the immune system is defensins ('defense' + '-in', which is the suffix for anything protein related). They are proteins with antimicrobial properties and can kill microbes directly, which can be an alternative for antibiotics.
j6JLv TIL in the 1920s, Coco Chanel accidentally got a tan, and helped inspire the trend of sunbathing. Soon "sunlight therapy" was prescribed for almost every ailment from fatigue to tuberculosis. Before this, tanned skin was associated with the lower classes who work outside, and fair skin was revered.
xVyrb TIL men can be allergic to their own semen, which can be remedied by desensitizing them to it via repeated injections of small diluted doses of it under their skin.
4XO6a TIL As of 2016, Marie Curie is the only person to have won Nobel Prizes in two different scientific disciplines; Physics and Chemistry.