Bcbulbchap

Bcbulbchap t1_j1delh4 wrote

Reply to TIL The human nose can detect over 1 trillion different scents? This is because the human nose contains around 400 different types of scent receptors, which allow us to distinguish between a wide range of smells. by theythatspeak

In terms of detecting and identifying different smells, can dogs recognise burning toast or leaking gas any better than humans can?

Mind you, I’d be unable to recognise any of my friends or family by sniffing their butts…

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Bcbulbchap t1_iyjbccg wrote

Reply to TIL that the southern United States converted all 11,500+ miles of its railroads from broad gauge (5 ft/1.524 m) to nearly-standard gauge (4 ft 9 in/​1.448 m) in just 36 hours, starting on May 31, 1886 by 1859

I might be wrong, but I imagine it would be reasonable easy to achieve. All they needed to do (presumably), was to move the existing rails to comply with the smaller gauge.

In today’s budget floundering world, we would still do this, but we would rip up the old tracks for scrap first, before relaying with new.

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Bcbulbchap t1_ixvf71a wrote

Reply to This bar puts ice in the urinals to slowly melt because people dont flush. by cheesesandsneezes

It is unusual to have to flush your own urinal (although I have come across them in the past). I always assumed that urinals had a cistern above to provide the flush. A screwed down inlet valve allows a trickle of water to enter the cistern, with a full flush released when it is full enough.

Are you sure it is ice though? Urinals usually have chemically scented blocks chucked in, to make them smell better.

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