› added 8 months ago

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TIL that the entire cast of Alien, including Sigourney Weaver, was originally selected based on genderless last names. The best person was then chosen for each character, and a first name was assigned to them.

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nWVyo TIL that ants can grow their own food, keep livestock, teach their younglings, bury their dead, wage wars, medevac and care for their injured, keep slaves and build massive cities and supercolonies spanning several continents
VBlW8 TIL of Rithmomachia, a complex medieval game similar to Chess, based on arithmetic.
GYZn7 TIL a researcher spent her career studying what differentiates successful from unsuccessful people. She found grit, which she defines as "passion and perseverance for long-term goals", to be the main determinant of success, at least as good as IQ or socio-economic status at predicting life outcomes.
pYPRO TIL that in addition to being the lead singer of Offspring, Dexter Holland has a PhD in Molecular biology and launched a brand of Hot Sauce
N70P6 TIL there is a service that allows you to "Rent a Friend" to attend social events, play sports, travel, or just hang out.