› added 12 years ago

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TIL that the orbits of two of Saturn’s moons are only 50km apart, less than each moon’s diameter, yet they never collide, instead they switch orbit every four years.

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OGa96 TIL one of the earliest known account of Islam from a non-Islamic source is a manuscript called "The Teaching of Jacob" (634-640 AD) describing the conquest of Jerusalem by the Muslim army and mentioning a "prophet [who] had appeared, coming with the Saracens"
PYOjn TIL that the word "decimation" stems from the a punishment meted out to units of the Roman army who were guilty of capital offences, whereby one man in ten was executed by nine fellow soldiers after they had all drawn lots. Thus, the army would literally be reduced by a tenth in size.
oRY58 TIL Roly-Poly’s breathe through gills and are actually crustaceans, more related to shrimp and crabs than they are to insects. They also carry their babies in a pouch!
DQYeg TIL no animated film has ever been three or more hours long
nWpn7 TIL Protein folding is the process where newly formed protein in the cell, changes from a long, unstable coil into a specific 3D shape. This final structure allows the protein to carry out its biological function. Many proteins fold spontaneously, some require enzymes or certain chemical conditions.