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TIL That one man, William Whewell, coined the words “scientist”, “physicist”, “linguistics”, “electrode”, “ion”, “anode”, and “cathode” among others

Ne7M TIL There is a small island in the US state of Virginia. Its in inhabitants speak the same language as its settlers in 1686-some linguists consider it the closest surviving accent to Shakespearean English
l75e5 TIL Research has recently found neurons specifically dedicated to anticipating the sequence of melodic notes, separate from speech processing, showing music activates distinct neural mechanisms for predicting melody sequences.
R5Vp1 TIL dolphins use coral mucus to treat their skin. As they are prone to skin ailment, they would rub their body against the coral before and after their sleep, like human skincare routines. The corals they prefer include bioactive metabolites that can be used for skin medication.
pgQ4 TIL The hit song “One Night in Bangkok” from the musical “Chess” is banned in Thailand because its lyrics “cause misunderstanding about Thai society and show disrespect towards Buddhism”. While choruses praise Bangkok and its atmosphere, spoken verses ridicule its attractions.
R7Bb4 TIL: there is a radioactive mass created by the Chernobyl disaster that is so dense it could only be pierced by an AKM rifle, destroyed any camera that tried to take a picture of it (photographs had to be made with a mirror), and ate through 2m of materials to arrive at its current location.