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TIL about Salvinorin A, a dissociative hallucinogen found in the plant Salvia divinorum. Used by indigenous Mazatec shamans for spiritual purposes for thousands of years, it's currently being studied as a potential therapeutic agent, as it's in legal in most countries which facilitates research.

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6xxW TIL the American animated television show RoboTech is the result of heavily editing three Japanese television series that were previously unrelated to one another.
4ZYb TIL Alabama has the most aquatic biodiversity of any place in North America and the Mobile Basin, the most diverse river system in the United States, is known as “the Amazon of America”
bOr0 TIL the first Westerner to witness seppuku, the French sea captain Dupetit Thouars (who had demanded justice after the killing of his men), was so appalled by the proceedings that he asked the remaining nine offenders to be spared. They were.
BgWmd TIL the museum considered to have been the first museum in world history was founded in Ur circa 530 BC. Known as Ennigaldi's museum (named after Ennigaldi, a princess of the Neo-Babylonian Empire), it showcased cataloged and labelled artifacts from the preceding 1,500 years of Mesopotamian history.
awE4b TIL The Royal Bank of Canada is investing heavily in artificial intelligence, and now has more than 200 data scientists. It has identified a number of digital "ecosystems" where its clients live and work within which the bank believes it can play an "integral role in the future"