› added 9 months ago

376

TIL hairworms, parasites which infect crickets and control their brain, can extend a male cricket's lifespan by removing his ability to chirp so it's harder for predators and competing crickets to find him. Hairworms may even share their immune system with its host.

Read more kqed.org

via reddit.com

p8eeG TIL: Shanghai was one of the few places that didn't require an entry visa in the years before WWII, so thousands of Jews fleeing Germany went there. Because German authorities required a visa to leave, Ho Feng Shan, the consul-general in Austria, made "fake" visas, over his superior's objections.
yVYov TIL that three teams were disqualified from the 2012 Olympics for trying to lose their matches to secure more favorable placements in the knockout stages.
dDX9Q TIL The modern Western salute originated in France when knights greeted each other to show friendly intentions by raising their visors to show their faces (according to some modern military manuals, though the history is uncertain and other theories exist)
W7ZxY TIL that from the 1800s through the 1970s, a secret pseudo-language was used amongst British entertainers, sailors, and criminals. It was a mixture of Italian, Romani, Yiddish and rhyming slang, and originated the modern slang terms “acdc,” “butch,” “camp,” “ogle” and others.
e0RxE TIL That most female cheetahs go their entire lives without raising a single cub to maturity. The species is dependent on "supermoms" that are particularly adept at raising cubs. One such supermom, Eleanor, has mothered at least 10% of all adult cheetahs in the southern Serengeti.