Recent comments in /f/todayilearned

TackingIntoTheWind t1_jddz0gd wrote

Reply to TIL that the Hemlock Water Dropwort is the most poisonous plant in the UK. Its poison constricts the muscles, causing death by asphyxia, which also causes a rictus like death grin. Use of this plant in Phoenician Sardinia for executions is the origin of the term "Sardonic Grin". by AspireAgain

>Its poison constricts the muscles, causing death by asphyxia, which also causes a rictus like death grin.

Not unlike Tetanus then. Yikes.

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embouteillagez OP t1_jddvv87 wrote

Reply to comment by _Dnikeb in TIL that the talipot palm produces the world's largest flower cluster (inflorescence) containing one to several million flowers. It grows up to 25m tall, takes 30 to 80 years to reach maturity to flower and then dies immediately afterwards, having drained all its nutrients in the process. by embouteillagez

I don’t think so because their lifespans are so varied, but the pollen of palms is often spread by the wind or insects, so it could achieve fertilisation over a wide area. They could also be self-fertile.

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cote112 t1_jdduq64 wrote

Reply to comment by Gaaargh in TIL of Trix, a t-rex skeleton that is considered one of the most complete skeletons ever found. It was found only in 2013 on a farmers land in Montana, US. It was bought from the farmer for almost $5mil and is now on permanent display in The Netherlands. by lucamila5

fun account but that's not exactly exactly what I was thinking of.

This but T-Rexs moving through the Cretaceous swamps or whatever of what's now Wyoming.

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chriscross1966 t1_jddrw5o wrote

Reply to TIL of the Pig War, a border dispute between the US and the UK, around Vancouver Island (present-day Canada) and Washington State. The only casualty was a pig, owned by an Irish farmer, which was shot by an American farmer for eating his potatoes. Both countries deployed military troops. by drak0bsidian

And it's not even close to the daftest war us Brits have got into. See Anglo-Zanzibar War https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Zanzibar_War

Or The War of Jenkins' Ear https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Jenkins%27_Ear

There's a reason about a quarter of the world takes a day off, as locally appropriate to celebrate the anniversary of when they got rid of us

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Gaaargh t1_jddqx04 wrote

Reply to comment by FishAndRiceKeks in TIL of Trix, a t-rex skeleton that is considered one of the most complete skeletons ever found. It was found only in 2013 on a farmers land in Montana, US. It was bought from the farmer for almost $5mil and is now on permanent display in The Netherlands. by lucamila5

I saw Samson at the auction in Las Vegas in 2009. His final bid was $3.6 million, and he's the 3rd most complete.

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2009/oct/03/samson-fossil-unsold-vegas-auction-sets-records/

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Dawnawaken92 t1_jddqcbs wrote

Reply to TIL that the talipot palm produces the world's largest flower cluster (inflorescence) containing one to several million flowers. It grows up to 25m tall, takes 30 to 80 years to reach maturity to flower and then dies immediately afterwards, having drained all its nutrients in the process. by embouteillagez

Says almost nothing about the fruit other than its used to stupify fish when they catch them. I'ma guess they aren't safe for human consumption.

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the-magnificunt t1_jddqbo1 wrote

Reply to TIL of the Central Pangean Mountains - at its greatest elevation was comparable to the Himalayas. It's remnants include the Appalachians mountains in North America, Atlas range in Africa and the Caledonites in Europe. by wrxie

I read somewhere that the only reason the Appalachians aren't taller than the big European and Asian mountain ranges is because they used to be, but they're so old that they've sunken over time.

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G-fan25 t1_jddlr6e wrote

Reply to comment by DanYHKim in TIL that on April 1st, 1906, American newspapers ran prank articles reporting that Chicago had been "invaded by hordes of prehistoric monsters dealing death and destruction", illustrated with doctored photos showing dinosaurs attacking the Windy City. by TJ_Fox

Except that it isn't and Pterodactyl isn't even real, it's either Pterodactylus, Pteranodon (the one you think of) or Pterosaur (the order).

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Accomplished_Job_225 t1_jddirq0 wrote

Reply to comment by SuspiciouslyElven in TIL of the Pig War, a border dispute between the US and the UK, around Vancouver Island (present-day Canada) and Washington State. The only casualty was a pig, owned by an Irish farmer, which was shot by an American farmer for eating his potatoes. Both countries deployed military troops. by drak0bsidian

The drainage basin heights of land or one of the east west rivers like the Missouri, Assiniboine, Souris, Qu'apple Rivers might have worked.

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rsclient t1_jddg58f wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in TIL that the Incans genetically modified and hybridized crops such as potatoes at sites like the Moray Terrace. by A_Generic_White_Guy

And by precise you mean both "add in the heat resistance gene" and also "add in a pesticide gene that kills bazillions of insects, but that's someone else's problem"

It's that second thing that's the problem. GMOs let the big agri businesses grab lots of profits while dumping all of the potential problems onto the common people.

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