› added 12 years ago

136

TIL The Asian Giant Hornet is the size of your thumb, and stings with flesh dissolving acid that alerts other wasps to sting you until you die.

Read more scienceblogs.com

via reddit.com

QNyRp TIL Allen's rule, which describes a pattern in animals' lankiness and size (surface-area to volume ratio) across related species, according to hotter and colder climates
oBpnL TIL that in 1720 a ship full of precious goods arrived in Marseille/France. In spite of clear signs, greedy merchands put pressure an the authorities to shorten the quarantine and not to burn the freight. More than 100.000 people died because of pestilence in the next two years.
4kbQ6 TIL about the Battle of Saragarhi, a last-stand battle fought between 21 Sikh Soldiers from British India, and some 10,000 Afghan tribesmen. The soldiers refused to surrender and defended the outpost of Saragarhi, until they were wiped out.
Y7p7 TIL: Planet Earth is expected to transfer from a type 0 to a type 1 civilization within 100 years. Explained by theoretical physicist, Michio Kaku.
rR56e TIL that David Zucker (writer of the film Airplane!) named his racehorse All Pink to mess with the commentators. Zucker specifically instructed the jockey riding All Pink to hug the inside of the track so the commentator would have to keep saying the phrase “It’s all pink on the inside!”.