› added 7 months ago

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TIL there is an island in Venice, Italy given to Armenian monks back in 1717 called San Lazzaro degli Armeni, and it was the only monastery to be excluded from Napoleon’s persecution of religious monastic congregations

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ADNWa The human brain looks like a big, pinkish-gray, wrinkly walnut. There are so many folds in it that, if it could be unfolded, it could be a small tablecloth. Pinkish-gray might not match your decor, but it would be about the right size! This "tablecloth" is made up of the cerebral cortex and is the wrinkly outside layer of your brain. All those folds are responsible for abstract thought, language, and memory. Scientists believe the wrinkles exist as a way to increase the surface area of the cortex, allowing for increased brainpower in a smaller space. In this week’s Today I Learned, neuroscientist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer Steve Ramirez shares some of his smarts on how your cortex is different from your pet hamster’s.
ApX4 TIL that South Africans call Traffic Lights “Robots”.
kJpWm TIL that there has been only 21 dunks in (Women's Basketball) WNBA history, with 7 of them coming in All Star games, and 14 of them in regular season and or playoffs
XEeM6 TIL that Russia trained dolphins how to kill people with harpoons and to undertake kamikaze strikes against enemies. They then sold them to Iran after running out of dolphin food
mADR TIL that rumble strips cause an increase in roadkill. During winter, the salt that gets put on the road accumulates in the spaces of the rumble strips. Moose, elk, and deer view this as a convenient salt lick, and get hit by oncoming traffic.