› added 5 years ago

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TIL viruses are not alive because they do not have cells, they cannot turn food into energy, and without a host they are just inert packets of chemicals. Then I learned they are not exactly dead, either: They have genes, they reproduce, and they evolve through natural selection.

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9Y9Vp TIL that OutKast's "Ms. Jackson," heavily inspired by Andre 3000 and Erykah Badu's former relationship, was a sore spot for Badu--but her mother, Kolleen Gipson, loved it so much that she bought a "MSJACKSON" vanity license plate
m6Yv TIL that, by examining high-resolution satellite imagery with algorithms developed via trial-and-error, Sarah Parcak and her team have discovered 17 pyramids, 1,000 tombs, and over 3,100 settlements in Egypt alone. She now wants to crowdsource “space archaeology” to prevent looting of ancient sites.
9YXvB TIL the word "Jedi" originated from the Japanese term "Jidaigeki," which refers to a drama set, set during the Edo period of Japanese history, when samurais were still in activity.
5Yv7P TIL the cost of acquiring the rights to use The Beatles' music in "Yesterday" was around $10 million, nearly 40% of the movie's total cost.
0dZ5y TIL Frank Sinatra was convinced that Johnny Fontane, a singer with mob associations, in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather was based on his life leading Sinatra to shout abuse and threaten physical violence when he met Puzo at a restaurant.