› added 1 year ago

31

TIL that carriers of Phenylketonuria, an inherited genetic disorder of the metabolism, are protected against the fungal toxin Ochratoxin A that occurs in grains. This accounts for the persistence of the allele in certain populations: it confers a "selective advantage."

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

D1b1r TIL 2 brothers were filming a documentary about a probationary New York Fire Fighter in 2001. They went on a routine call to check for a gas leak on 9/11 and ended up being the only camera to film the first crash. They followed the FDNY into the Twin Towers and survived.
ANKGd TIL in project Cybersyn, Chile almost became the first cybernetic state in the world. It was destroyed in the coup of 1973.
x4w5 TIL that after Union troops executed his sons and placed their severed heads on the gate-posts of his home, Jack Hinson, who was previously neutral, went on a one-man killing spree and sniped dozens of Union soldiers, at ranges up to ½ mile+, with a custom-made Kentucky Long Rifle.
4klN TIL that in Mandarin, “Cat” is pronounced “Mao” in a a high tone.
rN4Gy TIL The Praetorian Guard assassinated thirteen Roman emperors. "An astonishing rate of murders for a unit whose sole purpose was the protection of the emperor."