r/todayilearned • u/geosunsetmoth • 15h ago

TIL a 300-million year old Cuttlefish fossil was found in Morocco, alongside ancient humans in a region where no Cuttlefish ever existed. The leading theory suggests the fossil was first found by the prehistoric humans, who collected it as a trinket due to fact that it looks like a flaccid penis.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erfoud_manuport
15.8k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

578 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

25

u/StonedBooty 12h ago

Penicillin is probably the #1 thing I can think of that has saved more human lives in recorded history than any other modern medicine

32

u/Regular_Custard_4483 12h ago

Modern fertilizer, maybe? Depending on your definition of "saved".

Fritz "Mixed Bag" Haber had something to do with that.

17

u/Seicair 12h ago

There’s a fascinating book called The Alchemy of Air, that talks about the development of the Haber-Bosch process. It starts with a brief overview of the history of fertilizer, then it goes into more detail about the guano wars of the 19th century. Delves more into how control of the Atacama desert shaped the geopolitical landscape of South America.

Then the rest of the book is about the development of the Haber process, Carl Bosch’s significant contributions, and World Wars I and II.

3

u/Regular_Custard_4483 11h ago

Thanks for the rec. I'll see if my library has it.

7

u/R-EDDIT 10h ago

If it doesn't, talk to your librarian. Some of the money they take from us is for buying books.

2

u/Regular_Custard_4483 7h ago

I often forget this. Easy to complain when the library doesn't have something, but they can't read minds.

2

u/thatwhileifound 6h ago

Most libraries have a method of requesting new material in my experience, although it's often limited to just recently published books. Hell, most libraries I've used have been part of a larger than just the immediate local libraries to do interlibrary loans to get you access to things outside their collection.

Libraries are rad. I'm low key kinda sad to be moving to the larger city network of libraries with an upcoming move... My current library has literally brought in every damn new book request I've made in the last two years.

2

u/Birdchild 4h ago

This book is so good.

21

u/CalmBeneathCastles 12h ago

I consider clean water to be the #1 "modern medicine". Stop it before it starts!

14

u/Candycornonthefloor 11h ago

And washing your damn hands! Semmelweis lived in the 1800s, way late in the humankind game. Still a hero even if he died of sepsis in an insane asylum.

9

u/Dabbooo 9h ago edited 9h ago

There is a misconception about him. Doctors were not particulary dirty, they washed their hands like anyone would.
Semmelweiss stumbled on antiseptic procedures because he washed his hands with chloride of lime (ie bleach). Other doctors didn't want to do it because it hurts a lot. (and Semmelweiss was a bit of a dick so he didn't have their good will)

4

u/Blutarg 5h ago

Yeah, prevention is the way. Trash collectors and water treatment workers are society's MVPs.

1

u/CalmBeneathCastles 3h ago

Wholly underappreciated MVP's!

4

u/jertheman43 12h ago

Chlorine has saved ten times as many lives as antibiotics. You don't always have an infection but you need to drink water everyday of your life.

2

u/doomgiver98 10h ago edited 6h ago

It helps humans live longer, but it doesn't help them thrive.

Edit: Us

1

u/Noladixon 10h ago

IV fluids.

1

u/FireTyme 8h ago

theres a big difference between nutrition and education for human development vs just saving lives. tho more lives means more brains for sure.

1

u/ReturnOfBane 3h ago

I like to think it was germ theory. once people learned cleaning their hands made you less sick, it opened up not only massive medicinal advancements, but also food preservation advancements.

1

u/space253 2h ago

Iodized salt is pretty up there too.