› added 11 years ago

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TIL The Svalbard Global Seed Vault has more than 20,000 marijuana seeds, ensuring weed will survive the apocalypse.

mxk7p TIL An Italian economics professor Guido Menzio's flight was delayed because while he was solving a differential equation on the plane, the woman seated next to him called a flight attendant and the pilot asked Menzio to get off the plane and was questioned by airport security.
Vkk4 TIL that according to the Planned Parenthood website, withdrawal (Pulling out method) is 96% effective if done correctly. The problem is people don’t do it correctly.
jN6KR You probably know that your visual perception of the world is a bit different than your pets’. Dogs see things with less color than humans, snakes can see infrared, and if you have a pet bull, it lives in a world where red and green are the same color. This brings up a good question. Why do you have a pet bull? You should get a cat instead, and when you do, it is important to know that your new friend can’t focus on objects farther than 20 feet away. The point is, animals have evolved to see in a variety of ways. But how can we see things through their eyes? Marine biologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer David Gruber collaborated with a research team to develop lights and camera filters that allowed him to do just that, underwater. Through their work, the team discovered biofluorescence in an abundance of aquatic species. This “glowing” trait has to do with how an organism absorbs and emits light. Research has indicated that this radiance is possibly used for communication and camouflage. One caveat: You need a certain species of eyes (or David’s camera) to see it. Swell sharks (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) have fluorescent proteins inside their skin, which are triggered by the ocean’s blue light, becoming visible to other swell sharks. David’s camera has special yellow filters that allow the simulation of a swell shark’s vision. It turns out there is a massive rave going on 500 meters below the ocean’s surface, and one of the glowing guests is a type of cat shark!
K1B TIL that there are natural alternatives to chlorine pools, which have plants growing in them to keep them clean
78WlP TIL that since 2016, there are more American tourists in Iceland than Icelanders themselves