› added 4 weeks ago

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TIL in the original pitch for Star Trek, Spock was described as "probably half Martian". It was later changed to half Vulcan because Gene Roddenberry thought humans might actually walk on Mars while the show was still running.

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wL0OY TIL Australian medical pioneers, doctor Mark Lidwill and physicist Edgar Booth, developed the first artificial pacemaker in the 1920s. Lidwill even used the invention in 1928 to revive a stillborn baby, who went on to make a full recovery.
5YNbR TIL of viruses that attack bacteria called ‘bacteriophages'. The term phage originates from Greek phagein, which translates as ‘to eat'. A single phage injects its genome into a bacterial cell, switching the cells' program in its favor. The host cell eventually dies, releasing about 100 new phages.
Yr6A TIL Cats ‘play’ with their prey to ensure that the prey is weak enough to be killed without endangering the cat.
ayGM TIL Microsoft was about to use “Prepare to Fly” slogan for Windows XP launch but dropped it because the 9/11 happened.
e0lJE TIL A species of Salamander called the Tiger Salamander have a unique way of controlling the population within their little society. If they sense their population has overgrown, they develop offspring with specially adapted heads and larger bodies to eat the larvae of their own species.