› added 6 months ago

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TIL that 20%-40% of the population do not carry the gene that would allow them to smell cyanide.

Read more nature.com

via reddit.com

PA5e TIL the Indian rebellion of 1857 started because the East India Trading Company was asking its soldiers to bite the seal off their ammo cartridges, which were sealed with pork and beef animal fats (against Muslim and Hindu beliefs).
mYXo TIL that Charleston, AR was the first southern school system to integrate (not Little Rock, AR.) When asked how it could be done without violence, an attorney named Dale Bumpers said, “We’ll just do it.” The board integrated the schools without announcing it to the press, and there was no violence.
awgWy TIL that 100 years ago, motorised kick scooters like todays ”Bird“ scooters, were already a thing. They were foldable, had a top speed of 15 mph and were used by New York gangs as getaway vehicles.
QRlk TIL Christianity is increasingly popular among China’s youth. As many as 100 million people, or 7 percent of the population, have converted to the religion. The city of Wenzhou alone has more than 1,100 churches.
MNAa TIL Mars’s largest moon, Phobos, is one third hollow. Which once led some to believe it was artificial in origin.