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95

TIL there was a halfpenny

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D1yYv TIL the US Army Signal Corp(USASC) successfully bounced radar signals off the moon in 1946, paving the way for future space communication
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!
R595Q TIL that Mithradates VI invaded the Kingdom of Cappadocia three times, deposing the puppet ruler each time, and afterwards, the Romans put the puppet ruler back on each time.
k6JE TIL archaeologists excavating a Roman city found remains of close to 100 infants who were smothered and cast into a sewer that ran beneath a brothel. It believed infanticide was a widely used method of limiting family size in ancient Rome
5DVD TIL the guy who throws his shoes in Austin Powers (Random Task) is a convicted rapist and murderer who also got punched in the balls a lot in an MMA fight.