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TIL that a 20th-cent scientist called Margarita Salas discovered the order in which messenger RNA is read, as well the existence of S Φ29 phage DNA polymerase. Through her work, she created a way to replicate trace amounts of DNA into quantities large enough for full genomic testing

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jO4M TIL Earning interest on loaned money originates from the lending of “food money” that was commonplace in Middle Eastern civilizations as early as 5000 B.C. The argument that acquired seeds and animals could “reproduce themselves” was used to justify interest.
Z8lVR TIL French veterinarian and microbiologist Gaston Ramon was nominated for the Nobel prize 155 times between 1930 and 1953, but never won any, making him the most nominated individual to miss out on the award.
GApxE TIL that in ancient Rome, there was a vending machine that dispensed holy water. Pilgrims would insert a coin and receive a measured amount of sacred water. It was one of the earliest recorded examples of a coin-operated machine!
4VJ6 TIL: Hollywood has had a population of feral chickens living under a freeway since the 70s. Nobody knows how they got there and all efforts to remove them have failed.
grwGX TIL Hiroshima’s streetcar network was reopened three days after the atomic bombing of the city