› added 8 years ago

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TIL that the current Emperor of Japan has published scientific papers in Taxonomy and has a goby species named after him

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l7KRa TIL about Orotidine 5'-phosphate decarboxylase, an enzyme known for its extreme efficiency, it accelerates a certain reaction that would take normally 78 million years to 18 milliseconds.
v1vdK TIL that Mr. Rogers was a vegetarian on ethical grounds, stating "I don't want to eat anything that has a mother."
RMOj TIL that Benjamin Franklin had an illegitimate son, who had an illegitimate son, who had an illegitimate son.
1axWP TIL that director William Friedkin first approached Audrey Hepburn for the role of Chris MacNeil in "The Exorcist" but she was only willing to take the role if it was shot in Rome, as she had recently moved to Italy. Also considered, ahead of Ellen Burstyn, were Anne Bancroft and Jane Fonda.
XGaj TIL in 2014 Japan debuted the world’s largest indoor farm using LED lights that emit wavelengths optimal for plant growth; The upshot: grows 2.5x faster than outdoors; reduces produce loss from 50% to just 10% and cuts water usage to just 1%