1101
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To protect itself from parasites while it sleeps, the parrotfish encases itself in a bag of mucus burped from its gills. (Image: RobertoCostaPinto, CC-SA-4.0)
1102
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A 2015 study found that cheese can trigger a response in the same brain receptors activated by heroin. (Image: Christian Bauer, CC-BY-2.0)
1103
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Phrase of the Day: ‘avoir le cul entre deux chaises’ (French) - to be torn by a dilemma (literally ‘to have one’s arse between two chairs’).
1104
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There is evidence that Greenland sharks can live as long as 500 years, meaning some older specimens might have been born during the reign of Henry VIII.
(Image: Hemming1952)
1105
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Sharks (or shark-like creatures) appear in the fossil record before trees.
(Image: Albert kok)
1106
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The political terms ‘left’ and ‘right’ date back to the physical layout of the French National Assembly during the early stage of the Revolution in 1789: supporters of the king were ranged to the right of the presiding officer and their revolutionary opponents to the left.
1107
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Soccer was originally ‘socca’ – a late 19th century Oxbridge slang term created by shortening the Association in ‘Association football’ to distinguish it from ‘rugger’ (rugby football).
(Image: Christopher Bruno)
1108
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Psychopaths tend not to procrastinate.
1109
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If a dog jumps up into your lap, it is because he is fond of you; but if a cat does the same thing, it is because your lap is warmer. ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD.
1110
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Bats give birth upside down and catch their babies in their wings.
1111
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According to a recent Russian law, it’s only ‘champagne’ if it is produced in Russia. Otherwise — and even if it comes from the Champagne region of France — it’s just ‘sparkling wine’.
1112
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In 12th-century Milan, many politicians had surnames starting ‘Caga’ or ‘Caca’, i.e. ‘shit’. For instance, Gregorio Cacainarca (Gregorio the Shit-In-a-Box); Arderico Cagainosa (Arderico the Shit-In-Your-Pants); and Girardo Cagapisto (Girardo the Shit-Pesto). (h/t @ProfSimonton)
1113
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From 1912 to 1948, when art competitions were a part of the Olympic Games, three sculptors received Olympic medals for the medals they had created.
1114
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A study showed that mosquitoes in the Central, Victoria, and Bakerloo lines of the Tube are genetically different from each other. According to the researcher, the only way for them to get genetically mixed would be ‘for all of them to change trains at Oxford Circus station’.
1115
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Word of the day: ARSLE - to move backwards.
1116
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Ecstasy was patented in 1913 as a diet pill.
1117
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Be pleasant until ten o'clock in the morning and the rest of the day will take care of itself. ELBERT HUBBARD 1856-1915
1118
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According to a 2000 poll, the Japanese believe their greatest invention of the 20th century was the instant noodle.
1119
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The average person swears 80-90 times a day.
1120
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MI6 did, in fact, employ a spy named James Bond.
In 1964, James Albert Bond was sent to Warsaw to collect military secrets from behind the Iron Curtain.
1121
@qikipedia
Buying your dog a toy will make you happier than buying yourself something of equivalent cost.
(Image: Eric Sonstroem; CC BY.)
1122
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There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud. CARL SANDBURG
1123
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Transdeletion, or transposed deletion is a process whereby you shorten a word by a letter and form an anagram out of the remaining ones: ‘sure’ → ‘use’. A transdeletion pyramid is a chain of words where each one is a transdeleted version of the previous one.
1124
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"It doesn't stop being magic just because you know how it works." TERRY PRATCHETT
1125
@qikipedia
The first Polish language dictionary (published 1746) included definitions such as:
"Horse: Everyone knows what a horse is."
@qikipedia
A Quite Interesting Twitter feed from the team behind the BBC TV show QI.
linktr.ee/TheQIElves