› added 4 years ago

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TIL cows in the U.S. are repeatedly impregnated (often by artificial insemination) so they can make milk nearly year-round.

Read more nytimes.com

via reddit.com

RXKa TIL what happens when we drink sea water: A kidney can’t make urine from a concentration of salts of more than 2%. Seawater is made of 3% salt, so if we drink it the kidneys have to use existing water from our body to dilute the extra salt, which in turn makes us even thirstier.
JYKQ4 TIL there are trees in Florida that are so deadly that even standing under it in the rain is enough to cause blistering if the skin is wetted by raindrops containing any sap. Additionally, if one of these deadly trees is burned, the resulting smoke can cause blindness if it reaches a person’s eyes.
XpwR TIL that Zima, the original “malternative,” was made by filtering low-grade lager through charcoal (a process that strips away both color and taste), then adding citrusy flavor to make it palatable. The drink survived until 2008.
odgr TIL that if one attempted suicide (by hanging, for instance) in 19th century Britain and failed to die, he/she would be charged with attempted murder…which could be punished with death by hanging
p8v4Q Green-haired turtle that breathes through its genitals added to the endangered list.