› added 7 months ago

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TIL evolution isn’t always slow and continuous—sometimes it happens in rapid bursts (Punctuated Equilibrium), which explains why fossils often lack smooth transitions.

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R75j4 TIL the last Boer war veteran died in 1993 aged 111 years old
neDWW TIL Antonio Pigafetta was an Italian tourist who joined Magellan’s historic circumnavigation around the world. Magellan himself was killed, and only 18 crew members survived, including Pigafetta — his surviving journal is where most of the information about the voyage comes from.
rRdky TIL In medieval times, all fruit and vegetables were cooked as it was believed that raw fruit and vegetables caused disease. One book from 1500 even warns: “Beware of green salads and raw fruits, for they will make your master sick”.
4X5Ag TIL, the first human flight was in 875 AD. Abbas Ibn Firnas built a glider out of silk and feathers and flew for 10 minutes, but didn't quite work out how to slow the landing until after the flight and was injured. There is a crater on the moon named after him.
QJdpM TIL The West African diet is heavy on starch, light on meat, generous with fat and commonly cooked together in one pot. Soup or stew which often accompanies the starchy food may also be high in fat, especially the saturated fat from palm oil