› added 4 years ago

166

TIL Bhutan is the worlds only carbon negative country, every year it removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it produces. It achieved this by powering itself from hydroelectricity, banning log exporting, and amending it’s constitution to legally protect its forested area from dropping below 60%

MeNb7 TIL that in the 1950s, people attempting to get discharged from the Army for homosexuality, as had become common during the draft, had to pass a 'gag reflex test.' No gag reflex, youre free to go
ANddd TIL: In the early 1990s, dozens of scientists wrote letters to the NIH opposing the Human Genome Project, calling it "mediocre science" and a "flagrant waste" of funds.
R7j09 TIL A toothpaste was sold in early 20th century Germany which was slightly radioactive because it contained small amounts of thorium. Its radioactivity was promoted as imparting health benefits and the product is exemplary of the radioactive quackery which thrived in those times
69VKZ TIL that a cross between a zebra and a donkey is known as a zenkey, zonkey, a zebrass, or a zedonk. There are also zorses, zonies and even "Zetlands".
6EEaJ Yes, it’s true that most jetliners are certified for automatic landings, called “autolands” in pilot-speak. But in practice they are rare. Fewer than 1 percent of landings are performed automatically, and the fine print of setting up and managing one of these landings is something I could talk about all day. If it were as easy as pressing a button, I wouldn’t need to practice them twice a year in the simulator or periodically review those tabbed, highlighted pages in my manuals. In a lot of respects, automatic landings are more work-intensive than those performed by hand. The technology is there if you need it for that foggy arrival in Buenos Aires with the visibility sitting at zero, but it’s anything but simple.