› added 5 months ago

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TIL Viruses called Pandoraviruses and some bacteria, were found frozen in 30,000-year-old permafrost (ground that is continually frozen) in Siberia. In 2016 there was an anthrax outbreak in Siberia that killed one person and many animals. It’s thought that permafrost melting exposed the bacteria.

0VYj TIL the US dropped more bombs on Laos during the secret war, than on all countries combined in WW2 - and that 300 people still die yearly from unexploded bombs
grLrX TIL about Nguni Stick Fighting, a South African martial art. Fighters, armed with two long sticks, spar until blood is drawn or the referee intervenes. It's popular at weddings where it’s seen as a way for the newlyweds’ families to get to know each other. Nelson Mandela practiced it as a child.
M7rxb TIL that the US government no longer uses the term Unidentified Flying Object (UFO), the preferred term is Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP, which previously stood for Unidentified Aerial Phenomena), since UFOs are a source of ridicule due to their popular association with alien spacecraft
BggJK TIL of "ninja rocks," shards of spark plug ceramics. Harder than tempered glass, when thrown at car side windows they can easily cause those windows to shatter.
YwDx TIL that one developer of the smash arcade hit NBA JAM deliberately coded the game in a way that if you were playing as the Bulls against his Pistons, your shooting percentage would be completely awry, especially near the end of a close game.