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TIL that scientists kept a species of fruit fly in complete darkness for 57 years (1400 generations), showing genetic alterations that occur as a result of environmental conditions.

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Z8n5R TIL that Charles Guiteau, who assassinated President Garfield, probably suffered from neurosyphillis, perhaps caught from a prostitute. He spent several years at a free love commune but could not get any of the women there to sleep with him, even earning the nickname "Charles Git-out"
OPWa TIL the ashes of Clyde Tombaugh are currently en route to Pluto - the planet he discovered
16y1P TIL that SOS is a reverse acronym (a backronym). It is a distinctive and easy way to remember the morse code distress signal of three dots, three dashes, three dots. Only after its implementation did the mnemonic phrase such as "Save Our Souls come into use
rNKK0 TIL that the highest-flying living thing on Earth is a type of bacteria called Bacillus stratosphericus, which can be found floating in the air at altitudes of up to 41 kilometers (25 miles)
DQaJe TIL in the 1936 Olympics in Germany, Finnish cross-country skier Kalle Jalkanen spat out his dentures during the last leg of 4x10 km relay, returned to pick them up and went on to finish the race in first place