› added 9 years ago

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TIL that scientists are working on bioluminescent trees. By merging the light producing compound found in jellyfish with plants, the team envisions illuminating city streets with trees that glow at night.

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b96ba TIL they used to release massive balloons from Macys Parade into the air. If found, you could redeem one for a $100 reward. But they stopped because in "1932 an errant balloon wrapped itself around a passing airplane's wing, sending it into a tailspin."
loOVr TIL about Ralph Lazo, the only known non-spouse, non-Japanese American who voluntarily relocated to an internment camp. When Lazo learned that his Japanese American friends and neighbors were being forcibly removed, he was so outraged that he joined friends on a train that took hundreds to Manzanar.
V5Ak TIL some types of slime mold can solve simple problems such as the shortest path problem. It also shows signs of memory.
JwY4 TIL there is a species of flatworm that after sex, if the female has been filled with unwanted sperm from an undesirable partner, it can double over, put its mouth over its genital opening, and suck the sperm back out. This gives the female control over who fertilises her eggs.
4k8la TIL: The first highly successful disposable product was the bottle cap in 1892, also known as a crown cork.