› added 6 years ago

251

TIL that 300 million years ago insects could get really big. Millipedes and centipedes could get larger than humans, dragonflies as big as eagles, beatles the size of a large dog.The leading theory is that ancient bugs got big because they benefited from a surplus of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere.

Read more earthsky.org

via reddit.com

15o8 TIL that Johnny Knoxville has to use a catheter 2x a day to prevent scar tissue from building up in his penis because of all the penis-punishing pranks he’s done
Z1ZB TIL the US government forcefully sterilised thousands of native american women until the late 1970s.
ANkjx TIL traditional Albanian tribal law (Kanun) may have originated in the Bronze Age, predating the Roman empire and the Homerian epics. Kanun is based on honor, hospitality, right conduct, and kin loyalty. In some parts of Albania, men are confined at home to avoid triggering inter-family blood feuds.
neYrr TIL That octopuses, when given the drug Ecstacy, were affected in very similar ways to humans, such as showing an increase in social behavior and more exploratory touching with their peers.
ADlNl TIL the deadliest conflict since the Second World War was the Second Congo War (1998 - 2003) which has caused >5 million deaths. Hostilities have not ended yet today in 2018.