› added 8 months ago

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TIL scientists in 2007 managed to resurrect an ancient retrovirus using virus DNA fragments embedded in the human genome.

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via reddit.com

b6RgE TIL the proud American motto “e pluribus unum”, or “out of many, one” was originally used by a Roman poet to describe pesto.
5VQB9 TIL a year after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the English sent their own Armada to Spain, leading to similar losses of ships and men, and an ignominious English defeat
oeVK TIL a WW1 homing pigeon saved 194 men by continuing her flight after losing a leg, an eye and having been shot through the chest
16RxX TIL Kansas City isn't in Kansas at all but rather in Missouri. The town used to be called Kansas but soon after the city's incorporatation the territory of Kansas was established so they renamed the town Kansas City
5lW8 TIL that some old books were released with some of the pages “uncut” and folded together, and in order to read them, you must cut the pages