› added 4 years ago

114

TIL That fireflies are predatory...

Read more blogs.scientificamerican.com

via reddit.com

XEL8X TIL Bananas and Tomatoes are technically berries whilst Strawberries and Raspberries are not. This is because the technical classification of a berry is any fruit derived from a single flower with one ovary, and both raspberries and strawberries stem from flowers with more than one ovary.
Zp4Qo TIL that children in ancient China learned to write from "Thousand Character Text", a 1000-word poem where the characters do not repeat and cover everything from philisophy to astrology.
5Y6EB TIL that the swiss have enough bunkers to house the entire countries population fake houses with artillery in them, and bridges that are rigged to blow.
KYEGR TIL that in the early Middle Ages the Scots, originating in Ireland, colonised what is now Scotland and replaced the native Britons and Picts.
vPYaK TIL that although you can buy different grades of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, 70% is actually most effective for disinfecting; the added water helps it to dissolve more slowly, penetrate cells, and kill bacteria.