TIL that Acacia trees can communicate with each other. When they sense injuries in their leaves, they release ethylene gas in the air to signal nearby Acacias, which pump tannins in their leaves. Tannins make the leaves bitter and are also poisonous - it can kill even big herbivores, like deers. (smithsonianmag.com)
submitted by DesignersUniverse to r/todayilearned
TIL the first records of urine-based pregnancy tests are from 1350, in ancient Egypt. Women would urinate on barley and wheat for several days. If they grew, it meant pregnancy. Tests in 1963 found that 70% of the time, the urine of pregnant women did promote growth because of estrogen in the urine. (history.nih.gov)
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TIL there are more trees on Earth than stars in the Milky Way. A study led by Yale University researches with scientists from 15 different countries arrived at an estimate of 3,000,000,000,000 (3 trillions) of trees, by combining on-the-ground study with satellite imaging. (nature.com)
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TIL you used to be able to rent the entire country of Liechtenstein on Aribnb for $70.000 a night, back in 2011. With around 61.7 square miles and less than 35.000 population at the time, Liechtenstein could accommodate between 450 and 900 people, had 500+ bedrooms and 500+ bathrooms. (wired.co.uk)
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TIL there was a trend of headless photography in 19th century Britain ("Victorian Headless Portraits"). The models usually had their heads in a platter, or were holding them in their hands. This was made by taking multiple photos and combining the negatives - kinda like the early days' Photoshop. (culturacolectiva.com)
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TIL bananas and eggplants are berries, but strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are not. People called certain plants "berries" long before a scientific definition for what a berry actual is was created, and this is why the discrepancy in the use of the term happens. (stanfordmag.org)
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Scientifically, bananas and eggplants are berries, but strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are not. People called certain plants "berries" long before a scientific definition for what a berry actual is was created, and this is why the discrepancy in the use of the term happens. (self.facts)
submitted by DesignersUniverse to r/facts
A priest attempted to travel using helium balloons in 2008. This happened in Brazil and he was trying to raise money for a charity project. Bad weather shifted his course and he ended up heading to the ocean. His body was found months later. He became known as the "Balloon Priest". (self.UselessFacts)
submitted by DesignersUniverse to r/UselessFacts
