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Today I learned that your brain is constantly eating itself. This process is called phagocytosis, where cells envelop and consume smaller cells or molecules to remove them from the system.

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Z8xnD TIL of "peine forte et dure", a type of torture used in the common law legal system when a person remained silent upon questioning. It consisted of progressively heavier stones placed upon the chest until either a plea was entered, or the person died. It’s been legal for ~500 years, until 1772.
Oxj4 TIL: “One man actually succeeded in reinventing the wheel. John Keogh … submitted a patent application for a ‘circular transportation facilitation device’ in May 2001, shortly after a new patent system was introduced in Australia. His 'wheel’ was issued a patent.”
b6mEN TIL: Olivia Newton-John and Ben Elton are third cousins
KOovR TIL In 2013, while walking their dog in their back yard, a married couple came across several rusty buckets sticking out of their land. The buckets were full of gold coins minted from 1847 to 1894. The total value of all the coins was about $11 million.
MekKW TIL Elephants resist cancer because of a gene called P53 that can either order repair of a damaged cell, or order to kill it. Most of the time P53 chooses the latter. The LIF6 gene carries out the orders to eliminate the cancerous cells.