› added 4 years ago

119

TIL there is a fungus in Thailand that spreads into ants and controls their central nervous system making them perform actions to help its spread. It causes ants to climb trees and then fall into the moist soil where the fungus thrives. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/5/110511-zombies-

Read more nationalgeographic.com

via reddit.com

J1Qnj TIL The Canary Islands are named from the Latin word for dog and not the bird!
ywPX TIL that “sentience” means “the ability to feel” and does not mean “self aware”. “Sapience” is the ability to have complex thought. Therefore, it is probably true that all animals with a brain are sentient.
4kAPa TIL That people think in different ways. People who think in the verbaliser style have spoken word associations (ex: talk to themselves in their head) and people who think in the imager style think in images; and there are people who use both styles.
rRn70 TIL There were 22 California condors left in 1987 (0 in the wild). Thanks to conservation efforts, there are ~500 now. Its 3.0 m (9.8 ft) wingspan is the widest of any North American bird!
16JRd TIL when snowflakes hit water they create a screeching sound too high for humans (but not some sea animals) to hear. When a flake hits the water, an air bubble is released that oscillates in the 50-200 khz range well above a human's range. Snow hitting water can increase underwater sound by 30 db.