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TIL about the MIT developed camera that uses terahertz radiation to read closed books. A fascinating breakthrough that could mean reading dated and delicate documents such as historic manuscripts without touching or opening them.

Read more gizmodo.com

via reddit.com

1YDD TIL that the term “bug” for a software malfunction became popular because it was once (in 1947) traced back to a moth stuck in the system.
lJ8a TIL the words hysteria, hysterical & hysterics has the root word hyster, Greek for womb. The ancient Greeks believed women have a wandering womb that would attack their brains every now & then.
AN0Ax TIL of Sword & Planet, a subgenre of science fantasy. It doesn't necessarily feature any scientific rigor, being instead romantic tales of high adventure. This leads to anachronistic situations such as flying ships held aloft by anti-gravity technology, while ground travel is done by riding horses.
PYGXg TIL that the Ancient Egyptians had a solar calendar with 365 days, and was a basis on which the Julian calendar was established in Rome.
Erkx TIL Records show that 50,000 American soldiers deserted in the European theater during World War II