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TIL a newly crafted DNA base pair, an unnatural base pair (UBP), has been used to create a semi-synthetic organism that can make amino acids and proteins not otherwise found in nature

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OoAoX TIL The name "Sri Lanka" does not come from the fact that it is by far the biggest island off India's coast (Lanka just means "island"). The honorific "Sri" came with the independence movement in British Ceylon. So the name doesn't mean "Lord Island" or "Great Island" but rather "Sovreign Island".
JYYa1 TIL of George Ray Tweed, who avoided Japanese capture from 1941 to 1943 in Guam with help from the local Chamorro people. During that time, he published an underground newspaper, made shoes, and studied algebra.
yQWVJ TIL William Harvey Carney was an African American soldier during the American Civil War. Born as a slave, he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1900 for his gallantry in saving the regimental colors (American flag) during the Battle of Fort Wagner in 1863.
X04vP TIL of David Sarnoff, the head of RCA and NBC who suppressed and then stole FM radio and Television from their inventors, driving one to suicide and the other to alcoholism.
l7YMB TIL During Prohibition in the United States, the U.S. government literally poisoned alcohol. When people continued to consume alcohol despite its banning, law officials got frustrated and decided to try a different kind of deterrent—death