› added 4 years ago

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TIL :Police in West Midlands, U.K. have hung posters with photographs of staring eyes exploiting a phenomenon called “gaze detection". While humans evolved it to avoid being eaten by predators, some law enforcement agencies believe that it might actually help to deter some crimes.

ZpWgo TIL about Cordyceps mushrooms, which turn insects into "zombies"! These fungi take over insects' bodies and release spores. Used in traditional medicine for energy and immunity, they’re also a delicacy in Chinese cuisine, added in soups and teas. Despite their creepy backstory, they're safe to eat.
VB57Z TIL that King Richard the Lionheart is buried in France. His heart is in Rouen in Normandy, his entrails in Châlus, and the rest of his body at Fontevraud Abbey in Anjou.
6EddW TIL about an outbreak of mass hysteria in Belgium in 1999; hundreds reported cramping, nausea and headaches allegedly from drinking Coca-Cola products. Coca-Cola recalled 30 million products, claiming it had identified the cause of the epidemic. Toxicology experts found no evidence of contamination.
GYMxE TIL at a Japanese University ceremony, graduates remotely operated robots that accepted certificates of graduation. Each student robot was dressed in a real cloth graduation gown & topped with a real mortarboard over the screen "head".
v14kj TIL about invasive North American earth worms. All areas of North America that were covered in ice in the last ice age were devoid of worms before European colonization. If you've even encountered an earth worm north of the 45th parallel, it's almost guaranteed to be an Asian or European species.