› added 5 days ago

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TIL that some patients remain awake during brain surgery so doctors can ensure vital areas controlling speech or movement aren’t damaged. They can talk and even play instruments mid-surgery.

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

xVXwD TIL that the Hubble Telescope can read newspaper print from 1 mile away.
pYmjZ TIL that the Soviet Union was one of the largest producers of TVs in the world. However, many of them had a rather worrying defect: They could explode at any moment.
4kEWo TIL The Taiping Rebellion is the bloodiest civil war in world history during which an estimated 20-30M people died. It was started by a guy who thought he was the brother of Jesus Christ sent by the heavens to defeat the Manchus.
mx96R TIL being overweight, but not obese, results in a lower mortality rate than being in the "normal" range (using BMI as a measure).
yVj9M TIL after losing 63lbs for his role in "The Machinist" where he weighed 120lbs, Christian Bale had to gain 100lbs in 6 months to star in "Batman Begins" but then had to lose 30lbs again before filming because he bulked up too much.