› added 3 months ago

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TIL Robots have been around since 1948, with the first robot actually being a complex application of concepts from the 4th century

Read more roboticsacademy.com.au

via reddit.com

wLP6P TIL a group of 30 Suffragettes taught themselves jiu-jitsu to defend against assaults from crowds and police.
BPvW TIL the sperm whale was named after a semi-liquid, waxy substance found in the whale’s head that researchers mistakingly thought was semen
l7XQB TIL In 1985, Ronald Reagan welcomed Li Xiannian as the first Chinese head of state to the US. When Reagan met with Li in Beijing, he suggested the Chinese principle of hu jing, hu hui -- mutual respect, mutual benefit
7gjb TIL Pure LSD (Acid) salts are triboluminesent, emitting small flashes of light when shaken in the dark.
lopa1 TIL: Viruses evolve differently to adapt to their mode of transmission. A water-borne virus (e.g. cholera) is virulent because fecal matter can transmit to care-givers. OTOH, droplet-borne viruses (flu, SARS) become less virulent over time to create more ambulatory carriers for transmission.