› added 12 years ago

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TIL That there is a community of 4 inch long amoebas that live in the Marianas trench. They are the largest single celled organisms in the world and are incredibly toxic.

Read more news.discovery.com

via reddit.com

Arl TIL that the computer term booting up comes from the phrase “Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps”. This is because, paradoxically, a computer cannot run without first loading software but some software must run before any software can be loaded.
8ePNb TIL the "Messiah" Stradivarius violin is the only Stradivarius that is considered to be in "like new" condition, having been played so infrequently that it has basically no wear.
B6pL TIL the the longest words you can spell in the English language without repeating a letter are “uncopyrightable” and “dermatoglyphics”, both coming in at 15 letters.
gMgo4 TIL, metal lunchboxes at schools were being used as weapons in the 1970s, and that metal was being phased out with something else while the last metal lunchbox made for school children was discontinued in 1985.
QRYk TIL one of the the bizarre effects of hypothermia is “Paradoxical Undressing” where the victim removes their clothes, speeding up heat loss.