› added 3 years ago

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TIL that German virologist Christian Drosten discovered SARS-CoV in 2003 and developed a test for the virus. His research group also developed a test for MERS-CoV in 2012. He then went on to develop a test for SARS-CoV-2 and made it available worldwide on the internet in January 2020.

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1vpP TIL there is a shrine in Indonesia where once every 35 days, devout Muslims visit, to commit adultery with strangers in the belief it will bring them good luck.
epjMJ TIL no time zone has been assigned to the North Pole, so any time can be used as the local time
4XQgo TIL the African continent is peeling apart and a new ocean will form over the course of time.
VMOVG TIL that in 1920s, a famine struck Russia and forced people to eat raw seeds, grass, dirt, dogs, cats and leather horse harnesses. At its peak, people eat and sell human body parts as meat. Despite reports of cannibalism, the police took no action as it was deemed a legitimate method of survival.
r8gW TIL: The RNA Tie Club was a scientific gentleman’s club created to “solve the riddle of the RNA structure and… how it built proteins”.The motto was “do or die; or don’t try”. The 20 members each had a designated amino acid and a tie. They would exchange ideas over cigars and alcohol. 8 won Nobels.