› added 5 months ago

18

TIL that "mirror life"—organisms built from reversed biomolecules–could trigger unforeseen chemical chaos if they ever interact with our biology or environment.

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PY85G TIL that the doctor who figured out that washing hands greatly reduced the death rate of women after childbirth was viewed as a madman and later confined to an insane asylum where he died 2 weeks after.
69G6w TIL the 700 3rd class passengers on the titanic all had to share two bathtubs. One for men and one for women
E1x5W If a predator is lurking nearby, a mother mallard will pretend to be injured to distract it from her brood.
nWvLr TIL a standard matchbox containing neutron-star material would weigh 3 trillion kilograms, the same weight as a 0.5 cubic kilometer chunk of the earth.
R5Wga TIL that in 1961, surgeon Leonid Rogozov operated on himself for appendicitis. With local anesthesia, a mirror and the help of his colleagues, he managed to remove his appendix.