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TIL: Hox genes, that specify regions of the body plan of an embryo along the head-tail axis of animals, are some of oldest common genes, from flies, fish and mice to humans, indicating an early common ancestor.

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NXAyJ TIL Leonardo da Vinci did detailed experiments to understand the nature of gravity long before Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton.
rNY4x TIL Plant milks are over 1000 years old. Peoples in North America and North Africa separately developed legumes, beans, and nuts, based mixtures resembling milk since before 1000CE. The English description of these mixtures as 'milks' dates back to 1200 CE.
AD8Wn TIL that a coin toss decided that Portland, OR should be named after its namesake in Maine. The other proposition was Boston.
XoMk TIL Lincoln’s son was dating Lucy Hale while she was engaged to John Wilkes Booth.
4XOv5 TIL that in 1973, Johnny Carson created a fake joke about a nationwide toilet paper shortage, unintentionally causing a real shortage of toilet paper across the country.