› added 3 years ago

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TIL about the Xoloitzcuintli (pronounced "show-low-eats-QUEENT-lee"), a 3,000-year-old dog breed native to Mexico. Ancient Aztecs named the breed for their dog-headed god Xolotl, and mentions of these “strange hairless dogs” appear in the journals of Columbus and other European explorers.

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yQ74V Today I learned that tigers can’t purr but they do make an adorable sound when they are happy
AJrg TIL the longest surgery to date was a 96-hour marathon to remove a 300-lb ovarian cyst from a 600-lb woman. Simply hacking it out would have killed her, so the surgeon gradually drained fluid from the cyst over the course of 4 days, shrinking it to 100 lb. and allowing for a successful removal.
r8gW TIL: The RNA Tie Club was a scientific gentleman’s club created to “solve the riddle of the RNA structure and… how it built proteins”.The motto was “do or die; or don’t try”. The 20 members each had a designated amino acid and a tie. They would exchange ideas over cigars and alcohol. 8 won Nobels.
dDrOE TIL that an 18 year old called John Horwood was hanged for murder in Bristol and his skin was used to bind his trial transcripts. The transcript book is currently in the M Shed in Bristol’s Prince’s Wharf.
nW8J9 TIL that male Gentoo penguins propose to females by giving them a pebble. If the female accepts the pebble, they become a mated pair and use the pebble to build their nest.