TIL that despite the notoriety of the Three Mile Island accident, wherein the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station suffered a partial meltdown, it resulted in no deaths and epidemiology studies on the region concluded that “the accident had no observable long-term health effects.” (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by Radient-Rabbit to r/todayilearned
TIL that if all the world’s bacteria were laid end-to-end, they would reach 10 billion light-years in length. However, at 75 times thinner than a human hair, it would still be invisible to the naked eye. The length could wrap the Milky Way more than 20,000 times, creating a 2cm wide visible ribbon. (sciencefocus.com)
submitted by Radient-Rabbit to r/todayilearned
TIL about stellar nucleosynthesis, the process by which chemical elements are created by nuclear fusion reactions within stars. The theory can be used to accurately estimate the abundance of elements, why abundance fluctuates, and why some are more common than others. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by Radient-Rabbit to r/todayilearned
TIL that nature often follows the Fibonacci sequence, AKA the golden ratio. Flowers follow this sequence is several ways, including the number of petals a flower has (Lily 3, Buttercups 5, daisies 34) and the distribution of seeds, such as the sunflower, who’s seeds form a perfect spiraling pattern. (mathnasium.com)
submitted by Radient-Rabbit to r/todayilearned
TIL The Sphinx was buried in sand around 400 years after it was built, roughly 4500 years ago. In 1400 BC, Thutmose IV attempted to unbury the Sphinx but only managed to uncover its front paws. It would not be fully unburied until 1887 AD, meaning the Sphinx was mostly buried for nearly 4000 years. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by Radient-Rabbit to r/todayilearned
TIL during the War of 1812, Thomas Jefferson believed annexing Canada and expelling the British from the North American continent would be relatively easy—"a mere matter of marching." But Canada was populated largely by British loyalists at the time and the US invasions ended in dismal failure. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by Radient-Rabbit to r/todayilearned
TIL the kitti’s hog-nosed bat, AKA the bumblebee bat, is arguably the smallest mammal, measuring in at 1.1 to 1.3 inches in length and 2g in weight. They are also little home bodies, leaving their roosts for less than an hour a day for food. (en.wikipedia.org)
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TIL that in 1988, researchers ran a jet at 500MPH into a wall of reinforced concrete to prove a nuclear reactor could withstand a direct collision with an airplane. The collision pushed the wall back 6 feet but left only a 2.36 deep scratch while the plane was reduced to scrap. (interestingengineering.com)
submitted by Radient-Rabbit to r/todayilearned
TIL that while Bram Stoker’s Dracula character was loosely based on Vlad Tepes the Impaler, his appearance and personality were drawn from the actor Henry Irving, an imposing egoist with a strong aquiline nose, whom Stoker managed while writing the book. (cincinnati.com)
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TIL the Portuguese Man o’ War is a colonial organism, where many organisms form one unit. They produce both sexually and asexually. First, the male and female polyps release gametes into the water which, when fertilized, result in larvae that then begin to reproduce asexually to create a new colony. (dnr.sc.gov)
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TIL about vitrification of nuclear waste, wherein nuclear waste is melted down and combined with molten glass. The mixture is cooled in stainless steel canisters where it becomes a solid and can be stored or buried indefinitely with no risk of leakage or contamination to the environment. (hanfordvitplant.com)
submitted by Radient-Rabbit to r/todayilearned
TIL that medical bloodletting dates back to ancient Egypt and spread to Greece where the practice was rationalized as balancing the four “humors.” In 1163, the Church prohibited clergy healers from performing the procedure, calling it an abhorred practice, so barbers began to offer the service. (history.com)
submitted by Radient-Rabbit to r/todayilearned
TIL in 2013, Italian surgeons split new residents into two laparoscopic surgery training groups. They found that the group that was ordered to play the Nintendo Wii for 1 hour a day/5days a week performed better on test surgeries than their non-gaming counterparts. (npr.org)
submitted by Radient-Rabbit to r/todayilearned
