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TIL: Sea turtles are among the most ancient animals still in existence today with the oldest fossil dating back 215 million years – older than the oldest dinosaur.

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ADNWa The human brain looks like a big, pinkish-gray, wrinkly walnut. There are so many folds in it that, if it could be unfolded, it could be a small tablecloth. Pinkish-gray might not match your decor, but it would be about the right size! This "tablecloth" is made up of the cerebral cortex and is the wrinkly outside layer of your brain. All those folds are responsible for abstract thought, language, and memory. Scientists believe the wrinkles exist as a way to increase the surface area of the cortex, allowing for increased brainpower in a smaller space. In this week’s Today I Learned, neuroscientist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer Steve Ramirez shares some of his smarts on how your cortex is different from your pet hamster’s.
4kBRa TIL about the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German military transport ship which was sunk in 1945 by a Soviet submarine while evacuating civilians and military. 9,400 people died, making it the largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history
p81pp TIL Betty White was originally set to play Blanche and Rue McClanahan was set to play Rose. However, with neither actress wanting to be typecast, Golden Girls producers allowed them to switch parts.
eprmn TIL that Harry S. Truman was the last U.S. president to serve without a college degree. Although he briefly attended Spalding’s Commercial College and University of Missouri–Kansas City, he never earned a formal degree.
9wylr TIL Britain and France almost formed a political union in the 1940s