› added 7 years ago

127

TIL that In Sweden and Finland, meteorologists use a non-calendar based definition for the seasons based on the temperature. Spring: temperature permanently rises above 0 °C. Summer: above +10 °C. Fall: below +10 °C. Winter: below 0 °C.

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p8vJp TIL The inventor of the PSA test, taken by over 30 million American men yearly to detect prostate cancer, called it a "profit-driven public health disaster". He also stated that the test is "hardly more effective than a coin toss".
BrPyy TIL when fallout from Chernobyl drifted northwards to Sweden, the mosses and lichens that reindeer survive on during winter months was contaminated with radiation. 73,000 reindeer were killed by the Swedish government, with no compensation given to the local Sámi peoples.
v1814 Today I learned that club moss spores are so hydrophobic, if you pour them onto water, then stick your hand in the glass, it'll come out dry. Also, that it's super flammable. I heard it on a podcast but had to see it myself, and found this:
d8XGK TIL that Las Vegas's MGM Grand Hotel & Casino had its worst financial week ever when it hosted a physicist convention
166JV TIL that the prehistoric giant sloth had hidden "armor" of tiny pebble-like bones imbeded in its skin.