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TIL some male and female duck reproductive organs have evolved into a biological arms race, with the male duck’s penis being long, corkscrewed and barbed to secure penetration and the female duck’s vagina being cork-screwed in the opposite direction to prevent penetration.

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eyaJ TIL Christopher Lee received Tolkien’s blessing to play the role of Gandalf, if a movie was ever released, but he played Saruman instead. He was also the only person involved with the Lord of the Rings films to have actually met Tolkien himself.
mx0EY TIL when the Hoover Dam was being drafted, the engineers calculated that it would take 125 years for the concrete to cool if done in a single pour. Instead they poured it in sectioned blocks, some as big as 50 square feet and 5 feet high.
pYRXN Today I learned a musical road is a road which when driven over causes a tactile vibration and audible rumbling that can be felt through the wheels and body of the vehicle. This rumbling is heard within the car as well as the surrounding area, in the form of a musical tune played out.
B8ak TIL that the designer of the “50 star” U.S. Flag was a 17yr old high school student who received a B- from his teacher for his design. He made a deal with the teacher that if the design was approved by congress, the grade would be changed.
Q1VM TIL that scientists believe there is a 9th planet in our solar system that is roughly 10 times larger than earth. They haven’t been able to locate it yet but they know it’s there because of its gravitational effects on other objects.