› added 7 years ago

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TIL that a gene mutation allows a very small number of people to naturally sleep four hours per night, with no effects on mental or physical health. This would be evolution.

Read more ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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W704B TIL the origin of the dance routine from Whigfield’s “Saturday Night” are unknown. Once she performed the song and to her bemusement people started doing it. It was not in her music video and she never knew about it.
VgbZ TIL that Viking “Berserkers” would take hallucinogenic mushrooms to induce their battle rage
gney TIL the US Coast Guard trains pigeons to spot lifejackets, and they’re 92% accurate.
oBN67 TIL the origin of the phrase “hold a candle to”. When a craftsman and their apprentice would work in the dark, and the apprentice would hold a candle so the master could see. Telling someone they can’t even hold a candle for you, let alone do the complicated job you’re doing, is insulting.
jNbZQ TIL that the phrase “to blow smoke up your ass” was an actual medical practice used by indigenous North American people to stimulate respiration. It’s called a tobacco smoke enema.