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Post by limeyhoney on Jun 11, 2016 6:10:04 GMT
TIL that the moon is very important to life. Many species have a "biological clock" that tells them on which lunar phase they will reproduce; and it appears that since the moon is responsible for tides, it has had an impact on the terrestrialization of the first tetrapods and even plants and arthropods before them, because with the tides, they had to adapt to live in shallower water and even out of water for several minutes, then hours, days, and finally being able to live completely out of water. It is still very vital to our well-being. Without the moon, most cities would sink into the ocean.
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Post by limeyhoney on Jun 11, 2016 6:34:31 GMT
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Post by mitobox on Jun 29, 2016 8:54:49 GMT
TIL that tobacco hornworms repel predators by releasing a small amount of nicotine (which paralyzes insects and spiders) from respiratory openings. This serves as a warning that the caterpillar itself has even more nicotine in it.
I also learned that wolf spiders are staunchly anti-tobacco (after being starved for 24 hours, specimens still refused to eat nicotine-fed hornworms, but didn't turn down hornworms on a nicotine-free diet).
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Post by tammio on Jul 1, 2016 20:44:16 GMT
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Post by TheCreator on Jul 5, 2016 6:31:12 GMT
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Post by mitobox on Jul 6, 2016 5:39:42 GMT
TIL that avocados and papayas are specialists in attracting, and passing safely through the intestines of, giant mammals, like giant ground sloths... Except they're all gone, and the remaining animals are poisoned by the fruit, leaving no valid hosts.
So their specialization would have led to their extinction if it weren't for Native Americans down south finding some really tasty fruit, and they've been kind of hungry after all the big animals just up and vanished, so...
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Post by Atrox on Jul 6, 2016 16:01:05 GMT
I'm happy to hear that because I Belgiuming love avocados. Like I'm obsessed with them.
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Post by elementalred on Jul 7, 2016 21:15:12 GMT
TIL that terrorism is declining. Well at least in Middle East and North Africa, because it is increasing in West Europe and North America, but globally speaking there have been less attacks and victims in 2015 compared to 2014 .
But I also learned that the world is not as violent as we think it is: compared to the last decades, violence is at it's lowest level, but our tolerance threshold have also diminished. Well the medias may have a bit of responsibility in that. We might all be suffering from the "mean world syndrome" theorized by George Gerbner: showing us stuff about crimes and war had an influence on making us think that the world is more dangerous than it looks like, which makes us fell insecure and vulnerable, but at the same time we got used to it and are asking for more. Social medias have also amplified this phenomenon.
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Post by Rowdy on Jul 11, 2016 1:18:21 GMT
TIL about Frigate Birds: There's a BAMFin' species of bird called that can fly for up to two months without stopping. These flying sons-of-birdguns can't swim and they don't have waterproof feathers, but they find their main source of food while over the open ocean. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU RAN THE RISK OF DROWNING EVERY TIME YOU WENT TO GO GRAB SOME GRUB?
PRETTY METAL, AM I RIGHT OR AM I RIGHT? Oh yeah, what's that thing called SLEEP? Pfft, all of you fledglings probably sleep for HOURS at time, but not these cool flying warships, nah. Instead, they sleep for multiple periods of minutes IN MID-AIR.YEAH THAT'S RIGHT, THEY CAN LITERALLY FLY IN THEIR SLEEP.
EAT YOUR HEART OUT CHUCK NORRIS!!Speaking of which, they fly up to an altitude of 4,000 METERS. Not even airplanes fly so close beneath cumulus clouds, because there's too much turbulence. BUT WHAT DO THESE GUYS DO? THEY GO STRAIGHT THROUGH THOSE THINGS AND USE 'EM LIKE SPRINGBOARDS.That's right, folks! We've got GIANT METAL FLYING DEATHTRAPS who don't dare go through those things, but these guys do it like those fluffy motherflyers are some FRIGGIN' MID-AIR SLINGSHOTS.
EAGLE-WHAT? EAGLE-WHO?? SORRY, I COULDN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF THIS UNSTOPPABLE, FLYING, FREE BIRD.
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Post by Aquos on Jul 11, 2016 8:26:40 GMT
TIL about the largest lakes of the world have a video
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Post by mitobox on Oct 22, 2016 2:44:11 GMT
TIL that memes have been made illegal in Russia.
Some say the underground meme market is going strong.
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Post by Omicron on Nov 13, 2016 13:37:16 GMT
TIL that the woman who made up the fact that you eat 8 spiders a day, to prove how easily we believe everything you hear, was made up, probably to prove how easily we believe everything we hear ( source) EDIT: Or maybe this was also a troll
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Post by tammio on Nov 14, 2016 17:35:38 GMT
OK so TIL that Liechtenstein participated in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 (on Austrias side). Liechtenstein dispatched 80 of its 100 soldiers to help defend Tyrol (then Austrian but geographically in Italy).
The thing is: Of the 80 men that marched off to war, 81 returned. They never saw battle in Italy but made a friend they brought back. It may be only a story or an imbellishment on reality (realiable sources are hard to find) but hey it's an interestingly different war story for once.
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Post by timetraveler22 on Nov 16, 2016 14:10:01 GMT
TIL that there's a park just south of Gainesville, Florida, called Paynes Prairie. I've known about the park, and I've gone through many times before, but what I didn't know is that they have a controlled population of wild Bison in the park after an act passed to try and reintroduce animals that were once native to Florida before the introduction of European colonialists.
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Post by Longisquama on Nov 17, 2016 16:42:26 GMT
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Post by mitobox on Nov 17, 2016 23:28:24 GMT
I thought jellyfish reproduction was weird.
But TIL that echinoderms (starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, etc.) aren't too far off from Xenomorphs.
tl;dw The larva's "body" that comes out of the egg is a temporary vessel that harbors the real body as it develops (basically, a facehugger).
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RoboTrannic
Spacefaring
haunting deviantart
Posts: 1,005
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Post by RoboTrannic on Nov 18, 2016 0:06:15 GMT
dose that mean patrick is intact a xenomorph
spongebob just got a whole lot darker
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Post by ATP Kraken on Nov 18, 2016 1:19:47 GMT
I do believe that Spongebob has been mutilated many times over the course of the series, even dried out in one episode. At least the violence is toned down due to the lack of gore and permanent limb loss.
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RoboTrannic
Spacefaring
haunting deviantart
Posts: 1,005
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Post by RoboTrannic on Nov 18, 2016 2:44:41 GMT
I do believe that Spongebob has been mutilated many times over the course of the series, even dried out in one episode. At least the violence is toned down due to the lack of gore and permanent limb loss. and patrick kiled some one to be born
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Post by StealthStyleL on Nov 18, 2016 14:21:53 GMT
Aw, we are quite small. Also, TIL nothing.
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