› added 5 years ago

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TIL that there exist "Ag-Gag" laws in multiple states, which criminalize releasing videos or media of the inside of factory farms. These laws target animal activists trying to expose factory farming conditions, and are justified as trying to protect the agriculture industry.

Wk4QN TIL that False Killer Whales and Bottlenose Dolphins form interspecies social relationships; individual pairings can become buddies for 5 years and beyond
Lky4Z TIL In Japanese Folklore, Ijuu is a strange beast that lives in the forests. If you are hiking and run into Ijuu, don't be scared. Just offer to split your lunch with it and the beast will most likely repay you by carrying your heavy backpack.
Z81XR TIL that banana trees die after bearing fruit. Also, they are technically plants, not actual trees. They take around nine months to grow up and produce banana tree fruit, and then once the bananas have been harvested, the entire plant dies. New shoots will sprout and start again anew.
6MGZ TIL that the Darian calendar is a proposed system of time-keeping for Mars. The year is divided into 24 months of four weeks; each week has seven days: Sol Solis, Sol Lunae, Sol Martis, Sol Mercurii, Sol Jovis, Sol Veneris and Sol Saturni.
5YNbR TIL of viruses that attack bacteria called ‘bacteriophages'. The term phage originates from Greek phagein, which translates as ‘to eat'. A single phage injects its genome into a bacterial cell, switching the cells' program in its favor. The host cell eventually dies, releasing about 100 new phages.