› added 7 years ago

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TIL about this parasite called Toxoplasma gondii that changes the behavior in its hosts in weird ways. In humans, it is said to infect 50% of the population, and could be responsible for having neurotic diseases like bipolar and depression, and psychotic diseases like schizophrenia.

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rNwmx TIL the median age in Japan & Germany is 48 years old, which is 10 years older than in the US
O0RX TIL when Stanley Kubrick took over the production of Spartacus cinematographer Russell Metty complained to producers that Kubrick was taking over his job. Kubrick’s response was to tell him to sit there and do nothing. Metty complied, and was awarded the Academy Award for his cinematography.
NOKJ TIL: Dogs can smell when humans have low glucose levels (Type I Diabetes) and actually serve as a service animal.
pLo8 TIL of “mummy brown”, a once-popular paint pigment made from ground-up Egyptian mummies. It was produced well into the 20th century, and only disappeared when the manufacturers ran out of mummies.
9YaB7 TIL: China’s ongoing toilet revolution aims to replace open-pit latrines with safe, sanitary toilets and septic systems, to reduce the spread of parasites and diseases, and improve waste treatment.