› added 8 years ago

347

TIL that by international agreement, topographic features on the planet Venus are named after goddesses and notable women

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0wXYp TIL I learned why we can “smell metals” when they don’t have a significant vapour pressure, sublimating etc. We smell the reaction of oils in our skin with the metal, producing detectable byproducts such as ketones, not the metal itself.
rNLNM TIL a town in Colorado had an unelected mayor serve for over 50 years. He was appointed mayor pro tem because the then-mayor didn't want to sign liquor licenses, and inherited the post when the mayor died. The town considered doing an election in 1974, but it was too expensive.
epK6b TIL that in Ancient Rome, citizens and soldiers drank an average of 100 gallons (~450 litres) of wine per year
e0m55 TIL there is a species of beetle that lives in ant nests by imitating the sounds of the ant queen. These beetles feed on ant eggs, larvae and adults by piercing their mandibles into the abdomen or other soft part and sucking the contents. There appears to be no benefit to ants from the association.
8ZvX TIL actor J.K. Simmons is the voice of the yellow M&M and has been for over 20 years.