› added 1 week ago

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TIL Ambergris is a waxy substance produced in the digestive system of sperm whales, with a "fecal, marine" odour, but it acquires a sweet, earthy scent as it ages, hence highly valued in making fragrances. It's also very expensive, like 127kg (280 pound) of it found in Yemen valued at US$1.5 million

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wLnAE TIL that most work to restore paintings is designed to be removable, so that future conservation efforts can undo any changes
ky4g TIL all figs are pollinated by wasps as they are basically inverted flowers and can’t be pollinated otherwise. If it’s a female plant the wasp can’t escape and the fig plant slowly digests the wasp’s body with enzymes. So all edible figs have a digested wasp in them.
KO95a TIL- In France, you can sign up for a service where the postman pop in and check on your elderly parents to make sure they're all right.
oAjE TIL Masha, a stray cat in Russia, kept a 2-month old abandoned baby boy warm in freezing temperatures before being found. The baby survived.
lVNN TIL Psychiatrists have redefined “Pathological Grooming” such as skin-picking, hair-pulling, and nail-biting as similar to OCD, and they are considered often to be virtually uncontrollable.