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Until the 21st century, birds were largely dismissed as simpletons. How smart can you be with a brain the size of a nut?

And yet the more we study bird intelligence, the more those assumptions are breaking down. Studies have shown, for instance, that crows make tools, ravens solve puzzles, and parrots boast a diverse vocabulary. Their brains may be tiny, but birds have been known to outsmart children and apes.

4ydo TIL:Once George Dantzig was late for the class, professor had written two examples of famously unsolved statistics problems on the blackboard. Dantzig assumed that the two problems were a homework assignment and wrote them down. A few days later he handed in completed solutions for the two problems.
Z8BnB TIL When Apollo 12 deliberately crashed the Ascent Stage of its Lunar Module onto the Moon's surface, NASA reported that the Moon rang like a bell for almost an hour, leading to arguments that it must be hollow like a bell.
VMaW0 TIL that snapping shrimps (the family Alpheidae), which grow to only 3-5cm long, compete with sperm whales for title of loudest animal in the ocean. Their snaps are capable of stunning fish and breaking glass jars. In numbers, the shrimp can interfere with sonar and underwater communication.
Egr7P TIL 12th President Zachary Taylor’s only son served as a Confederate general during the U.S. Civil War
l70mN TIL about Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, an astrophysicist who discovered pulsars in 1972, had her boss not only take credit for the discovery but also win a Nobel prize for it.