Did you know (revived).

[not_for_sale2025]

I thought I would try a Did You Know thread similar to one a few years ago. Maybe people can share some interesting facts, or trivia.

For example...

Did you know that there are more bacteria cells in the human body than human cells?

"A 'reference man' (one who is 70 kilograms, 20–30 years old and 1.7 metres tall) contains on average about 30 trillion human cells and 39 trillion bacteria, say Ron Milo and Ron Sender at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, and Shai Fuchs at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada."

"So to our 30 trillion human cells, we have on average about 39 trillion microbial cells. So by that measure, we’re only about 43% human,” said Rob Knight, director of the University of California San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation and professor of pediatrics and computer science and engineering."

It certainly does make one wonder what it really is to be human!

[countessalmirena]

Flyting is not unknown to me but I am enjoying the further information you’ve posted here!

As someone who loves the old-school computer adventure games, and who owns every single one of the Monkey Island games, I agree that the insult-fighting training which Guybrush undergoes is a form of flyting.

And… yes, Shakespearean insults delight me because of their inventiveness and the deft mixing of different elements and wordplay.

[countessalmirena]

Did you know that politicians up for election in Pompeii would have graffiti written on walls and archways around the city as part of their election campaigns?

https://www.pompeionline.net/en/archaeological-park-of-pompeii/pompeian-graffiti

[papermoon.lady]

---

@countessalmirena wrote:

And… yes, Shakespearean insults delight me because of their inventiveness and the deft mixing of different elements and wordplay.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They are indeed delightful!

I also love Dickens: What the Deuce: The Curse Words of Charles Dickens - The Millions

---

[not_for_sale2025]

Did you know that the real threat from climate change may be the release of ancient viruses from the ice and permafrost?

"Researchers have discovered viruses never before recorded, like the recently christened “pandoraviruses,” lurking in the permafrost. Pandoraviruses are a type of giant virus that appear to have been more common about 30,000 years ago. In 2014, researchers successfully revived two of these ancient viruses, which were found 100 feet underground in tundra along the coast. Luckily for us, the viruses can only infect single-celled amoebas, not people. But other unknown viruses and bacteria could potentially spread to humans after being preserved for hundreds or even thousands of years within Arctic ice. Without the immunity our ancestors may have had, both humans and the intermediary animals that can spread diseases could be extremely vulnerable to the revived microbes."

https://newrepublic.com/article/157129/next-pandemic-hiding-arctic-permafrost#:~:text=Pandoraviruses.... 

[twyngwyn]

This fruit from Japan can cost more than gold- Know about most expensive fruit in the world (dnaindi...

[imastawka]

It's just a cantaloupe/rock melon!!!!

The fruit is grown exclusively in the Yubari region of Japan and is grown only inside greenhouses, as opposed to mass farming. The reason why these melons are so expensive is that they are protected by geographical indication, like Wagyu beef or Iberian ham

[papermoon.lady]

Did you know that apples, peaches and raspberries are all members of the rose family?

[papermoon.lady]

Did you know that  a strawberry is not really a berry, but a banana is?

[papermoon.lady]

Did you know that lettuce is a member of the sunflower family?

[papermoon.lady]

Did you know that there is an island called “Just Enough Room”, where there’s just enough room for a tree and a house?

Just Room Enough Island - Wikipedia