Apologies if this has been done before
this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2024
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I like useless facts! :D
Here's another! The degree Celsius and degree Centigrade are technically two distinct temperature scales; the difference just only becomes noticeable at the resolution of thousandths!
The ISS is one yard short of the length of one American football field!
Search terms found: ~~metric~~
A male cat's penis is barbed to keep the female's vagina attached!
Eggs have a protective layer of wax that protects them from bacteria. However, in the US, this layer is removed, which means eggs need to be refrigerated there, while in most other countries they can be kept at room temperature for long periods of time without spoiling.
Wait, maybe this isn't useless...
In ancient times, one of the timekeeping devices used in some places was the water clock, where a hole was put into the side of a water container, where the water dripped into another container, and the water level of the second container corresponded to certain times!
Whales have their own form of language. Scientists have identified a number of patterns in whale calls that seem to suggest they have a similar system of communication to our own. Their calls have certain sequences called codas that seem to repeat reliably in their speech, and show similar properties to our human vowels.
These aren't just instinct either, they must be learned, and so baby whales will start out only being able to make incoherent sounds, until eventually they are taught to use the same codas their parents do.
Not only that, but they are different for each pod, so two separate groups of whales can't communicate with eachother because their languages are differerent.
Scientists are currently trying to decipher whale language with the help of AI language models.
The Celsius scale was originally the reverse of what it currently is, with 100° being at the bottom and 0° being at the top! Eventually, it was changed and it stuck!
The most preserved dinosaur fossil ever is of a Psittacosaurus. This fossil is so well preserved in fact, that scientists were able see what it's cloaca looked like.
For decades, the kilogram all around the world was calibrated to the Prototype Kilogram, a 1 kg physical cylinder housed in France. Over time, despite being kept in a vacuum-sealed case in a climate-controlled secure vault, it was found to actually be steadily losing mass due to normal degradation just from existing.
Nowadays, it's no longer as much a concern due to the kilogram being formally defined relative to universal physical constants.
Some species of flatworm practice what is known as "penis fencing" to reproduce. All of them are hermafrodite and in order to mate they must duel with their sharp penises and try to stab eachother to inject sperm inside, impregnating the loser, but often also killing it.
Well ain't that just throwing the baby out with the bathwater!
Okay, you win! I'm out! xP
Aww, i was enjoying our fact exchanges.
Me too. But, even good things must end. :(
I just came back to this thread. What did I start?! :)