› added 4 years ago

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TIL that the Chicxulub impact crater (from the asteroid that killed the non-avian dinosaurs) can be seen today as a series of sinkholes. The buried rock on the rim of the crater redirects groundwater that causes the limestone above it to dissolve and form sinkholes called cenotes.

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via reddit.com

QJEOM TIL that in 1168AD, Fustat, the then-capital of Egypt was ordered to be burnt to the ground by its own vizier to stop it falling into the hands of the crusaders
ADMyB TIL that a team in Tanzania is training giant rats to spot Tuberculosis in human spit. The rats can test 100 samples in 10 to 20 minutes: a human with a microscope takes 4 days to test the same number. The same species is also used to detect landmines.
pjop TIL - Before Radar Great Britain built huge concrete structures that acted as a ultra sensitive microphone to detect incoming enemy airplanes.
G7E1 TIL that the 27-year partner of Sally Ride, the first American woman and youngest American ever to travel in space, is denied benefits because of the Defense of Marriage Act
KVOE TIL most of the founding fathers were quite young - most were in their 20’s or 30’s. Except for Benjamin Franklin, who was 70.