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Many people have small pouches in their colons that bulge outward through weak spots. Each pouch is called a diverticulum. About 10% of Americans older than age 40 years have diverticulosis, which, when the pouches become infected or inflamed, is called diverticulitis. The main cause of diverticular disease is a low-fiber diet.
Pope Sylvester II tried to introduce Arabic numbers into Europe between the years 999 and 1003, but their use did not catch on for a few more centuries, and Roman numerals continued to be the primary number system.
Bacteria have flourished on the earth for over three billion years. They were the first life forms on the planet.
Bacteria have been found alive in a lake buried one half mile under ice in Antarctica.
More than 2,500 barbiturates have been synthesized. At the height of their popularity, about 50 were marketed for human use.