› added 3 years ago

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TIL that Nebraska community college student Katy Ayers grew a canoe out of mushroom roots (mycelium) to prove fungi is a bio-friendly building material. It floats with two passengers, but when it gets wet it fruits (sprouts mushrooms). Katy plans to get a Ph.D. in mycology then help save the planet.

Read more nbcnews.com

via reddit.com

kkXm TIL Pretty people activate the reward centers of our brains. Shared brain regions judge both attractiveness and goodness. The insular cortex, associated with disgust, pain and punishment, is activated by both viewing unattractive people and by judging people to be of bad moral character. Ugly hurts.
1bEX TIL that Black gay men in America have the highest HIV rates in the developed world, and that by the age of 40, there is a 60% chance that they are infected with the virus.
rJoM TIL Two paragliders were sucked into a thunderstorm during practice. The updraft was so powerful that one pilot was sucked up to 19,000 feet and killed by a lightning strike. The pilot of the second glider passed out from the altitude, but woke up still airborne and covered in ice.
d88d8 TIL in 1986 the death mask of the Mayan leader Pacal was stolen from a museum in Mexico. Museum officials believed the thieves to be international, professional criminals since security was so intense. A year later the mask was discovered, and the thieves revealed to be veterinary school drop outs.
Bg8bL TIL in 2012, Adidas withdrew its plans to sell a sneaker which featured affixed rubber shackles after significant criticism that the shackles invoked the painful image of slavery. In a tweet, the designer of the shoe responded that the sneaker was inspired by a childhood toy called "My Pet Monster"