› added 3 years ago

119

TIL The Welsh flag is a symbol of King Arthur and a prophecy of his return

8aKdL TIL Brad Pitt and Sheryl Crow when to college at the same time, had one class together, and both started their professional careers in the same year (1987)
VMBgZ TIL Sean Astin has four dads. He refers to John Astin (Gomez Addams) as his actual but not biological dad.
jN6KR You probably know that your visual perception of the world is a bit different than your pets’. Dogs see things with less color than humans, snakes can see infrared, and if you have a pet bull, it lives in a world where red and green are the same color. This brings up a good question. Why do you have a pet bull? You should get a cat instead, and when you do, it is important to know that your new friend can’t focus on objects farther than 20 feet away. The point is, animals have evolved to see in a variety of ways. But how can we see things through their eyes? Marine biologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer David Gruber collaborated with a research team to develop lights and camera filters that allowed him to do just that, underwater. Through their work, the team discovered biofluorescence in an abundance of aquatic species. This “glowing” trait has to do with how an organism absorbs and emits light. Research has indicated that this radiance is possibly used for communication and camouflage. One caveat: You need a certain species of eyes (or David’s camera) to see it. Swell sharks (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) have fluorescent proteins inside their skin, which are triggered by the ocean’s blue light, becoming visible to other swell sharks. David’s camera has special yellow filters that allow the simulation of a swell shark’s vision. It turns out there is a massive rave going on 500 meters below the ocean’s surface, and one of the glowing guests is a type of cat shark!
R5Nll TIL that Marc Bolan of T.Rex ad-libbed the line “Meanwhile, I'm still thinking” at the end of the band’s 1971 song “Bang a Gong (Get It On), because he originally desired to record Chuck Berry’s song “Little Queenie”. The line “Meanwhile, I’m still thinking” came from that Chuck Berry song.
kJWVB TIL that the living component of an acre of soil, may include 900 lb of earthworms, 2400 lb of fungi, 1500 lb of bacteria, 133 lb of protozoa and 890 lb of arthropods and algae.