› added 2 years ago

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TIL: About a company that is genetically engineering poplar trees (already fast-growing, asexually spreading trees) to reduce their energy needs by adding metabolic genes from pumpkins and algae. The engineered trees grow 1.5x than controls. They've planted 600 trees in Oregon and plan to do more.

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N75dM TIL the reason you should contact a doctor if your erection lasts longer than four hours is that the blood is not circulating meaning that the cells are not receiving oxygen. The longer an erection is maintained, the greater the risk of permanent scarring of the penile tissue due to cell death.
W7dmY TIL that although Italian American actor Al Pacino's character was Cuban in Scarface (1983), the character in the original 1932 film was an Italian American.
404J TIL Alcatraz showers were always supplied with hot water to hinder inmates from getting acclimated to the chilly waters of San Francisco Bay. Furthermore, inmates had access to good food, monthly movies, and a 15,000 book library in order to curb bad behavior
Z8ea4 TIL there is a Hebrew equivalent to the Yiddish phrase "oy vey" (a phrase expressing dismay or exasperation) - it's "oy vavoy"
Brrvd TIL: The opening of the male urethra, the meatus, is a vertical slit in order to force urine to exit in a spiral after having traveled the length of the penis in a vertically compressed tube. This design allows for greater control of the stream and also keeps the end of the urethra clean.