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TIL that sand dollars are actually live creatures. The white sand dollars we often see on beaches are actually dead. When they're alive they are black and have fine bristles on their underside to catch food.

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plb8 TIL that the inventor of Vaseline was such a firm believer in its medicinal properties that he claimed to have eaten a spoonful of it a day; During a bout of pleurisy in his 50s, he ordered his nurse to cover him from head to toe in the substance, and soon recovered. He lived to be 94.
9wr0Q TIL scientists believe they had the first "communicative exchange between humans & humpback whales in the humpback 'language.'" The 20-minute exchange occurred while they were studying intelligent communication in nonhuman species to gain insight that can aid in processing extraterrestrial signals.
74ex TIL A team of stonemasons, carpenters, blacksmiths, quarrymen, tile makers and workers of other professions are painstakingly building a medieval castle from scratch, using only tools, materials and techniques available in the Middle Ages.
JMVl TIL that after a massive power outage in Los Angeles, many residents called 911 and reported seeing strange clouds overhead - the Milky Way
JY181 Did you wake up today with a craving for clay, or dirt? That’s called pica, an abnormal craving for substances other than typical food. If you went ahead and acted on your impulse, it's probably a good idea to head over to your doctor’s office. Research indicates that in most cases this craving is a result of a mineral or vitamin deficiency. This brings us to this week’s Today I Learned, as National Geographic Society grantee and ornithologist Luke Powell explains why macaws regularly munch on South American rain forest clay. Yummy! All animals (including humans) need salt to live. Animals that live in the Amazon rain forest face a curious predicament due to the way the Andes mountain range affects weather coming from the Pacific Ocean. This geography results in an extreme lack of salt in the Amazon and, consequentially, some unique behaviors and appetites.EDITOR: Laurence AlexanderSERIES PRODUCER: Chris Mattle