› added 1 year ago

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TIL pilots in the 30s-40s navigated their aircraft using Morse code. The "low-frequency radio range" navigation system played letter A to tell pilots to turn left, N to turn right, and a steady tone to go straight. Pilots listened to Morse code for hours. It was prone to giving wrong directions.

wyP1 TIL 40% to 50% of the genetic information found in your GI tract does not match anything that’s ever been classified before–not plant, animal, fungus, virus, or bacteria. We have no clue what it is. Biologists call it “biological dark matter.”
56wQ TIL The central nervous systems of the smallest spiders fill up almost 80 percent of their total body cavity, including about 25 percent of their legs.
6E4bZ TIL that the entire surface of Saturn's moon, Titan, can move several kilometers per month, suggesting that there is an ocean underneath the surface.
Oo1K4 TIL in Russian culture "British Scientists," is a running joke and Internet meme used as an ironic reference to absurd news reports about scientific discoveries, particularly ones that have no practical value. For example, "British scientists debunked the myth that mice love cheese."
epRaD TIL 46 U.S. states allow you to use any name you want whenever you want as long as there is no fraud intended. Your consistent use of a preferred name is expected to build up unofficial records showing it. Changing your name through a court is only needed to force institutions to recognize a change.