› added 8 years ago

1233

TIL the reason we see stars/shapes when we rub our eyes is because our brain doesnt know the difference between light and pressure when either stimulates the cells in our eyes

Read more sciencefocus.com

via ift.tt

kOvdB TIL Sunflower roots produce sugar, alcohol, and biofuel. "Sunroots" can be eaten by people and livestock. Sunroots are prebiotic with bioactive medicinal compounds demonstrating antifungal, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. They grow in drought, poor soil and resist pests, disease, and fungus.
l7XOA TIL It is possible to see two sections of sunspots through a magnification of 50x through a filtered telescope at the Sun. There is a darker, cooler central portion with a surrounding lighter ring and 150x shows tiny grains called granules
DQaKJ TIL Michael Garnier built 9 treehouses to make a "treesort" bed and breakfast. Garnier had to fight a ten year legal battle to get his houses approved for guests, which included recruiting 66 humans, 2 dogs, and 1 cat (total of 10,847 lbs.) in a single treehouse to prove it was structurally sound.
nW9lb TIL that a football player lied to his team about being in graduate school. The Baltimore Ravens thought that John Urschel was taking classes at MIT part time. The team did not know that he was a full-time PhD math student. Urschel studied from the end of Sunday games until practice on Tuesday.
0dAPy TIL: The same man who created a new style of hard to detect audio bug (secret agent listening device) also created a musical instrument (the theremin).