› added 11 years ago

119

TIL there are companies that make foil kites which can be fitted to cargo ships to significantly reduce fuel consumption by using high altitude winds as an alternate power source.

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rRlVd TIL that plants don't die from cancer because plant cells can recreate any cell type the plant needs (unlike animal cells) so they replace dead cells & tissues easily. Also mutated plant cells are usually not able to spread to other parts of a plant due to rigid interconnecting cell walls
x6NPk TIL the most effective surrender leaflet in WW2 was known as the "Passierschein". It was designed to appeal to German sensibilities for official, fancy documents printed on nice paper with official seals and signatures. It promised safe passage and generous treatment to any who presented it.
VBV78 TIL That a binary star system passed through the outer boundary of the solar system ~70,000 years ago, which would've been visible to humans living in the northern hemisphere at the time.
N7xD8 TIL in 1975, Jack Hetherington, a physics professor at Michigan State University, wrote an entire paper on low–temperature physics and during proofreading realized that he had used “we” instead of “I” everywhere. Too lazy to change anything, he simply listed his Siamese cat Chester as his coauthor.
8ak9P TIL about Wu Lien-Teh, “The Plague Fighter,” a doctor who developed thicker, more substantial masks to be used against the pneumonic plague in Manchuria during 1910-1911. Dr. Wu identified the bacteria as airborne, and successfully contained the plague; the epidemic ended after 7 months.