Recent comments in /f/todayilearned
nirad t1_ja1m8dm wrote
Reply to comment by TheCloudFestival in TIL there's a rock formation in Saudi Arabia about 6 meters high and 9 meters wide, split curiously in half and balanced on two small, natural pedestals. The origin of the Al Naslaa rock formation is unknown. by OccludedFug
If the stone is so soft, wouldn’t it have eroded more over time?
Jack_Off_All_Aids t1_ja1m5rb wrote
Reply to comment by [deleted] in TIL: "Popcorn" is not simply a descriptive term, but also refers to a specific variety of corn which has the unique characteristic of being able to pop, while the other five varieties of corn do not have this capability. by greenappletree
No. Variety here is meaning more like '6 general phenotypes' and I'm not interested enough to read what they're referring to. Corn differs in seed coat makeup and endosperm makeup- endosperm being the store carbs that the seed will digest and is for growth
It's really all 1 'variety' and separating them is kind of arbitrary-
Glass gem corn, the really pretty stuff, is a flour corn that will also pop - arbitrary
OwenLoveJoy t1_ja1kvo3 wrote
Reply to comment by aceh40 in TIL of the less well known and earlier War in Vietnam (1945-1946), which was a military success. by VengefulMight
That’s true.
MattyKatty t1_ja1k1f2 wrote
Reply to comment by SandwitchCoveness in TIL about Janet Parker, the last person to die of smallpox in 1978. She worked above one of the last labs in its last months of permission to study the virus. The day Janet's viral strain was confirmed, Henry Bedson, the doctor in charge of the lab, took his own life. by w0mpum
Yes.
dirtballmagnet t1_ja1jx22 wrote
Reply to comment by TheCloudFestival in TIL there's a rock formation in Saudi Arabia about 6 meters high and 9 meters wide, split curiously in half and balanced on two small, natural pedestals. The origin of the Al Naslaa rock formation is unknown. by OccludedFug
You tie a long rope to one camel and toss it over to your guy who ties it to the other camel. The camels wander a little and fight each other for more line, cutting through the rock in a few days. Now others do it and the bottom gets hollowed out. Then, as the columns of support get dangerously narrow, they start packing them with more rocks or other things to keep it from cutting through, while still using it as an animal parking lot.
aceh40 t1_ja1jb58 wrote
Reply to comment by OwenLoveJoy in TIL of the less well known and earlier War in Vietnam (1945-1946), which was a military success. by VengefulMight
It is slightly more nuanced than that.
HardCounter t1_ja1jat3 wrote
Reply to comment by MarblesAreDelicious in TIL there's a rock formation in Saudi Arabia about 6 meters high and 9 meters wide, split curiously in half and balanced on two small, natural pedestals. The origin of the Al Naslaa rock formation is unknown. by OccludedFug
Zero.
Thank you for listening to my speech.
Source: i watched Stargate last week.
HardCounter t1_ja1j5g4 wrote
Reply to comment by timetravel_inc in TIL there's a rock formation in Saudi Arabia about 6 meters high and 9 meters wide, split curiously in half and balanced on two small, natural pedestals. The origin of the Al Naslaa rock formation is unknown. by OccludedFug
Let's just say the Spear of Adun did not care for that rock.
HardCounter t1_ja1j115 wrote
Reply to comment by underthingy in TIL there's a rock formation in Saudi Arabia about 6 meters high and 9 meters wide, split curiously in half and balanced on two small, natural pedestals. The origin of the Al Naslaa rock formation is unknown. by OccludedFug
Since Stonehinge is made up of many monoliths, would that be a Lithomania?
puddinfellah t1_ja1iuqf wrote
Reply to comment by mister-ferguson in TIL about the only double barrel cannon in the world. When it was its first tested during the American Civil War, the chain snapped immediately and one ball tore into a nearby cabin, knocking down its chimney; the other spun off erratically and struck a nearby cow, killing it instantly. by ExpertPreference8481
Yeah, I wouldn’t consider it close at all. I guess it’s close in that it’s located in the same town?
PeachSnappleOhYeah t1_ja1igl2 wrote
Reply to comment by runningmurphy in TIL about Demodex, or eyelash mites. They are too small to see with the naked eye, and feed off of the dead skin cells of humans. Almost every adult human alive has an eyelash mite population living on their face. by lonewolf9378
i hear this Yoda guy might be able to help?
DroolingIguana t1_ja1icfr wrote
Reply to comment by TheCloudFestival in TIL there's a rock formation in Saudi Arabia about 6 meters high and 9 meters wide, split curiously in half and balanced on two small, natural pedestals. The origin of the Al Naslaa rock formation is unknown. by OccludedFug
Maybe they were planning on quarrying those stones for some kind of construction project, but discovered that they didn't need them after they'd already started cutting.
runningmurphy t1_ja1hzl6 wrote
bigbysemotivefinger t1_ja1hqlj wrote
Reply to TIL about the only double barrel cannon in the world. When it was its first tested during the American Civil War, the chain snapped immediately and one ball tore into a nearby cabin, knocking down its chimney; the other spun off erratically and struck a nearby cow, killing it instantly. by ExpertPreference8481
I feel like there's something hilarious about pointing a weapon "to warn against Northern aggression" when the weapon in question is one you know catastrophically doesn't work.
Honestly if that's not the most Confederate thing I've ever heard I'm not sure what is.
SandwitchCoveness t1_ja1hhtk wrote
Reply to comment by MattyKatty in TIL about Janet Parker, the last person to die of smallpox in 1978. She worked above one of the last labs in its last months of permission to study the virus. The day Janet's viral strain was confirmed, Henry Bedson, the doctor in charge of the lab, took his own life. by w0mpum
British what?
2bunreal24 t1_ja1hc3l wrote
my-final-bellyache t1_ja1hahj wrote
Reply to TIL that every October, the medieval town of Lucca, Italy turns into the biggest comicon in Europe. 300,000 cosplayers and enthusiasts take over the historic center and local shops sell merchandise. by TheChopinet
Lucca is simply an outstanding city to visit anytime of year. My wife and I spent a week there as a base of operations to see Tuscany.
amaninseattle t1_ja1gpig wrote
Reply to comment by LuangPrabangisinLaos in TIL there's a rock formation in Saudi Arabia about 6 meters high and 9 meters wide, split curiously in half and balanced on two small, natural pedestals. The origin of the Al Naslaa rock formation is unknown. by OccludedFug
When the south pole was in what’s now Africa—everything was in a different location—Pangea.
Rubcionnnnn t1_ja1gpg6 wrote
Reply to comment by Dirt_E_Harry in TIL about the only double barrel cannon in the world. When it was its first tested during the American Civil War, the chain snapped immediately and one ball tore into a nearby cabin, knocking down its chimney; the other spun off erratically and struck a nearby cow, killing it instantly. by ExpertPreference8481
The confederates weren't too bright.
myusernamehere1 t1_ja1gm8d wrote
Reply to comment by Djidji5739291 in TIL that from 1991 to 2007, tobacco conglomerate Philip Morris Cos. successfully marketed Capri Sun to children, based on their executives' experience selling tobacco to young people. by 99-bottlesofbeer
Alcohol is a hard drug and daily use of alcohol is probable worse for your health than daily use of amphetamine.
spennym t1_ja1g3dr wrote
Reply to comment by dariamorgandorfferr in TIL scientists believe people started wearing clothes between 83k and 170k years ago because that's when clothing lice diverged from head lice. by cwood1973
Do we have the right to choose which animals get to exist and what will disappear? I’d hope someone would play Noah’s ark to save the world’s population of cooties.
Dominarion t1_ja1fqei wrote
Reply to comment by Dirt_E_Harry in TIL about the only double barrel cannon in the world. When it was its first tested during the American Civil War, the chain snapped immediately and one ball tore into a nearby cabin, knocking down its chimney; the other spun off erratically and struck a nearby cow, killing it instantly. by ExpertPreference8481
It did work, but they were too frightened by the results. Which, thinking of it, proves even more that they were dummies.
Fazed-and_Confused t1_ja1me1v wrote
Reply to comment by Whitestride in TIL about Demodex, or eyelash mites. They are too small to see with the naked eye, and feed off of the dead skin cells of humans. Almost every adult human alive has an eyelash mite population living on their face. by lonewolf9378
Thank god we’re still comparing the mentally ill to viruses. I was afraid we’d been humanizing them too much.