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TIL that, based on cladistic analysis of mtDNA cytochrome b and 12S rRNA sequences, the Nicobar pigeon is sometimes called the closest living relative of the extinct didines (Raphinae), which include the famous dodo (Raphus cucullatus).

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LQdPr Today I learned that in the Marshall Islands (where Bikini Atoll, the namesake of the bikini, is located) bikinis are considered taboo because they expose the shoulders and thighs.
woLr7 TIL that 'Meow Wolf' (immersive art collective that built the 'House of Eternal Return' in Santa Fe, Las Vegas Area 51 center, etc.) got its name by having all the founders put two scraps of paper with a word on each one in a hat, and the first two scraps drawn became the name of the collective
GdA7 TIL A Vancouver police officer pretended to be disabled and brain-injured from a motorcycle accident and borrowed a wheelchair to work undercover in an impoverished neighborhood. He waited for someone to assault or rob him but instead people approached him by donating food and spare change
Mvj8 TIL when London Mayor Sadiq Khan was sworn in, he was told to bring his own Koran. Buckingham Palace tried to return it to him afterwards but he said they should keep it for the next guy.
l7ema TIL that Peter Jackson has a perfect replica of Bag End in his basement. You go down to the wine cellar and pull a bottle which opens a door, then there’s a long corridor into a mock torture chamber. Then you pull a book in a bookcase, the bookcase opens, and you walk into his perfect Bag End