› added 1 month ago

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TIL, the chainsaw was originally invented for use in childbirth, specifically for a procedure called symphysiotomy, which involved widening the pelvis to facilitate delivery

Read more science.howstuffworks.com

via reddit.com

7r9Bx TIL about Burning Mountain in Australia, where a coal seam has been burning nonstop for 6000 years
dGwB TIL that students at Oxford University are required to wear academic dress for all of their examinations - including a suit, gown, bowtie, and colour coded carnation. Students wear different gowns depending on their grades. Cambridge no longer has such dress for exams.
BLYK TIL for the film Dogma, Kevin Smith warned Jason Mewes that he needed to be on point due to the involvement of “real actors,” such as Alan Rickman. As a result, Mewes memorized his, and every other character’s dialogue in the screenplay because he “didn’t want to piss off that Rickman dude”.
BwAe TIL Rhesus Monkeys had their own Milgrim Experiment equivalent, and performed FAR better than humans in altruistic behavior. The majority of monkeys DID NOT shock the other monkeys, some choosing to starve for almost 2 weeks rather than to harm others.
XEDwQ TIL scientists made a mouse utopia called Universe 25. It started with 4 males and 4 females, peaked at 2200 mice, then declined to extinction - the mice lost instinctual behavors. Humans now demonstrate similar traits.