› added 7 years ago

324

TIL in 2016, inspired by an ancient toy called a whirligig, Manu Prakash developed the Paperfuge. The hand-powered centrifuge made of paper, string, and plastic weighs about 2 grams, costs less than a quarter to make, and can spin biological samples in circles at an astonishing 125,000 rpm.

Read more wired.com

via ift.tt

OokLR TIL - Mountain Dew is banned in over 100 countries for using a dangerous chemical called BVO. It was also created to be a mixer for moonshine. (Had to remake cause I couldnt spell or edit).
WkeoY TIL In 1971 Fleetwood Mac had to cancel a sold out show booked at the Whiskey A Go Go when their guitarist Jeremy Spencer simply vanished into thin air. He was eventually found having cut off all his hair, dressed in shabby clothes, and joined a cult called The Children of God.
b90YE TIL First 13 Chernobyl firefighters were taken to Moscow and were treated according to Dr. Robert Gale's instructions and only 2 survived. Second group of 11 firefighters were taken to Kiev and were treated by a different method - all 11 were saved.
740P TIL after a mine explosion killed 29 coal miners in 2010, a study found that 6 out of 7 tested victims had black lung, including one who had worked in the mines less than five years.
jNBLX TIL that Jerry Rice (one of the greatest wide-receivers in NFL history) started playing football in his sophomore year of high school after his principal caught him skipping class. The principal noted how fast Rice sprinted away from him, which led him to recommend Rice to the football coach.