› added 2 years ago

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TIL there are more american robins in the US than there are people.

KOYQ4 First, it's important to know that the big bang wasn't an explosion of matter into empty space—it was the rapid expansion of space itself. This means that every single point in the universe appears to be at the center. Think of the universe as an empty balloon with dots on it. Those dots represent clusters of galaxies. As the balloon inflates, every dot moves farther away from every other dot.
Wbrd TIL the Greek religion’s God (Zeus Pater), the Roman religion’s God (Jupiter), and the Indian Vedic religion’s God (Dyaus Pita), have similar names because those religions - along with Norse, Persian, and Slavic mythologies - all evolved from the same original religion.
neBJr TIL a German study found that wine tasted better if the drinker thinks it's more expensive. Subjects inside an MRI scanner tasted a $14 red wine 3x but were told each sip was from bottles costing $3, $7, & $21. The brain's motivation & reward center was more active for the "more expensive" wine.
PYQbV TIL even animals like jellyfish that lack brains need to snooze. Biologists have discovered that like people, jellyfish hit the hay & have the same trouble we do waking up. Because these creatures are very low on the animal family tree, the work suggests that the ability to sleep evolved quite early
oBJ4K TIL there’s a stinging plant called the Gympie Gympie that produces a toxin so painful it’s driven humans and animals to suicide. Described as being sprayed with hot acid whilst being electrocuted at the same time. A man was reported to have shot himself after using a leaf as toilet paper.