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TIL The “stress hormone” cortisol is released by the adrenal glands in response to fear or stress. Researchers have studied the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and have found that cortisol is highest in the first hour of waking for people with an increased level of stress in their lives.

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kON5g TIL Elizebeth Smith Friedman, America’s first female cryptanalyst, worked as a code breaker who successfully broke up a Nazi spy ring across South America during the 1940s. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover took credit for her work until reports were declassified in 2008.
nWy07 TIL that Phantom Islands appeared on maps but later found not to exist. They often stem from early sailors' reports, navigational errors, or deliberate fabrications, and some lingered on maps for centuries before being debunked.
e0Lnb TIL Owls have asymmetrical ear openings with one ear slightly higher than the other. Due to this, owls will hear sounds at two slightly different times. This adaptation, along side their farsightedness and densely packed retinal rods, aid in locating prey at night and low light situations🦉
mxmoO TIL Female brown trout will fake 'orgasms' when courting with inferior males. She'll give all the right visual cues as if about to release eggs for fertilisation, but doesn't; the male will frantically ejaculate, not notice he's been duped, and swim away.
l7oLN TIL about the "Inventio Fortunata," a lost book that described the North Pole as a magnetic island surrounded by a giant whirlpool and four continents, believed to be written in the 14th century. Its influence on maps of the Arctic region persisted into the 16th and 17th centuries.