› added 9 years ago

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TIL: Some birds use cigarette butts as an insecticide for their nests

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x6BXB TIL that Frederick Banting, who received the Nobel Prize at age 32, remains the youngest Nobel laureate for Physiology/Medicine.
5VBn TIL: honey is more effective at cough suppression than many over the counter cough syrups
rNyOW TIL the most dangerous ant in the world is the bulldog ant (Myrmecia pyriformis) in Australia. In attack it uses its sting and jaws simultaneously. There have been at least three human fatalities since 1936, the latest a Victorian farmer in 1988
9jNQ TIL In Japan, Karōshi (meaning death from overwork ) is such a prominent problem that the government passed a bill aimed at tackling premature death and illnesses caused by overwork, apparently the first of its kind in the world.
JYM9m TIL in Sichuan opera, there is a performance art specifically dedicated to changing theatrical masks so fast that it’s imperceptible. It’s called Bian Lian (“face changing”), and the sleight of hand technique behind it is classified as a level two national secret by China’s State Secrets Bureau.