12 Farm-Fresh Trivia Tidbits for Thursday, February 27, 2025
Microsoft is so busy with A.I. that it’s most impressive feat in years has gone totally ignored.
A Horrible Tech Startup Wants to Make Sci-Fi and Fantasy Pets
A dystopian nightmare of a biohacking start-up blandly named the Los Angeles Project has announced intentions to use gene editing to create glow-in-the-dark rabbits and “real” unicorns.
Humans Have Been Using Asphalt for at Least 40,000 Years
One of the thickest naturally-occurring forms of petroleum is bitumen, which humans used long before they needed to pave interstates. Over the millennia it’s been used as sealant, adhesive and even decoration.
‘Single Malt’ Used to MEAN Something
Normally, the label “single malt” applies exclusively to whiskey made in Scotland, similar to how true champagne only comes from Champagne, France. But the U.K. says it’s going to start labeling its whiskey “single malt,” an affront to whiskey-loving Scots.
Two Libraries Protected by Bat Colonies
The Joanina Library and the Library at the National Palace of Mafra, both in Portugal and both built in the 18th century, are home to colonies of bats that eat insects that might otherwise damage delicate papers.
Doctors Were Able to Cure Some Childhood Blindness
A rare genetic condition that causes people to be born blind has been reversed in four children through gene therapy. The operation only takes an hour, and the lasting results are anywhere from recognizing shapes and faces to being able to read and write.
Alan Turing Was Like, a Really Good Runner
The codebreaker and computer scientist helped win World War II, and also came really close to competing in the 1948 Olympics. He got injured during tryouts, but still ran a 2-hour, 46-minute marathon. His competitor who would represent Britain won the silver medal in 2 hours and 35 minutes.
Fish Have Some Semblance of Fashion Sense
A study of wild seabreams found that they could come to recognize particular researchers based on their diving suits, and when introduced to multiple divers, would follow the one with the outfit they recognized. They were confused when two or more researchers showed up in the same suits though.
There’s Always Money in the Banana Stand
Authorities in the Dominican Republic intercepted a shipment of 303 ceramic bananas that were packed full of cocaine en route to the Netherlands.
Has Big Tech Cried Wolf Too Many Times?
With tech companies claiming new, gimmicky “innovations” every fiscal quarter to excite shareholders, actual innovations may be getting ignored. Microsoft may have legitimately created a new state of matter and revolutionized quantum computing, but it sounds exactly like the worthless A.I. tools they’ve been shoehorning into their products for years. The new Majorana 1 quantum chip, which they’ve been working on for 17 years and utilizes a distinct fourth state of matter, is flying under the radar.
The World’s Fastest Ship Is About to Become the World’s Largest Artificial Reef
The SS United States set a transatlantic speed record when it debuted in 1952, and still holds the record for fastest ocean liner at 36 knots (41 miles per hour). It spent the last 30 years docked in Philadelphia, and is now being tugged to Alabama, where it will be sunk and transformed into a reef.
Some Psychiatrists Think Jackson Pollock Hid Messages in His Art
Pollock was posthumously diagnosed with bipolar disorder, causing some art historians and psychiatrists to suspect that his seemingly random drip paintings may actually be hiding messages and images in plain sight.
New Largest Crypto Theft Just Dropped
Dubai-based crypto exchange Bybit says its offline wallet was hacked and over 400,000 Ethereum were stolen. That works out to $1.4 billion, more than double the previous largest crypto theft. It’s speculated that it might be the biggest theft of all time.
