› added 12 years ago

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TIL Dead ants give off a scent to signal other ants that they need to be carried away. The dead are brought to a designated graveyard in order to avoid bacteria spreading.

mxMlY TIL Marie Curie's annex lab in Arcueil is sometimes called Chernobyl on the Seine. The lab closed in 1978 but radium has a half-life of 1,600 years, and there are traces of a uranium isotope at the Curie annex with a half-life of 4.5 billion years. The cleanup has so far cost about €10 million.
PY7Ow TIL George Washington is the highest-ranking U.S. military officer in history. No matter how many stars other generals are awarded, Washington is understood to have one more. He is currently a 6-star general.
XEPgr TIL Koala Bear fingerprints are almost indistinguishable from human fingerprints. A forensic scientist suggested that koala bears were unlikely to be at the scenes of crimes, but police should be aware of the possibility.
R5Na8 TIL Peppers evolved to prefer birds spread their seeds. Capsaicin and pepper colors attract birds. Seeds that pass through the digestive system of a bird germinate at a rate of 370% higher than seeds that pass through mammals who are normally repelled by Capsaicin.
KYAQQ TIL Gypsies, aka Romani, are descendants of a nomadic tribe originating from the Punjab region of India, travelling across Europe around the 8th century. They retained many aspects of their nomadic lifestyle. The name "Gypsy" comes from the fact that people mistakenly thought they came out of Egypt.