› added 1 year ago

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TIL about the 'zombie ant fungus', A.K.A. Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. The spores can permeate an ants exoskeleton, use it as a source of nutrition and take over its biological controls, forcing it to leave the colony and head for more humid climates to facilitate growth and release more spores.

Read more arstechnica.com

via reddit.com

6EYe8 TIL about Leo Tolstoy's 1908 "A Letter to a Hindu," which had an indelible impact on Mohandes Gandhi's nonviolent resistance philosophy. Gandhi struck up a correspondence with Tolstoy after reading the letter, reprinted it in his own newspaper and even translated the letter to his native Gujarati.
R7Jj TIL the Yucatan peninsula is named after the Mayan phrase meaning, “I don’t understand what you’re saying.” in response to the Spaniards asking where they were.
9YBjB TIL that in 1890, an 8-year-old boy named Henry James Bristow saved his 3-year-old sister's life by tearing off her clothing when she caught on fire. She had knocked over a paraffin lamp on the mantlepiece. Henry was severely burnt in the process and later died of his injuries.
Wk9jY TIL: An exabyte (one million terabytes) is so large that it is estimated that 'all words ever spoken or written by all humans that have ever lived in every language since the very beginning of mankind would fit on just 5 exabytes.'
W7EYo TIL: To this very day there is a 'cargo cult' on Tanna island in the Republic of Vanuatu that believes that an American named John Frum will return one day and reward the faithful with prosperity and riches.