Posts

Animals were pretty active this week, and we look at some clever birds, a herd of crime-fighting cows, and one vicious squirrel. Scientists were busy unraveling the mysteries of cheese and spaghetti, and we also examine a really weird planet where titanium exists in vapor form. 10 Sharp Scientists Solve Sneaky Spaghetti Stumper Researchers at MIT cracked a decades-old mystery by finally finding a way to break a spaghetti stick in two....

Sometimes we forget, however, that true heroes walk among us. They may not wear capes or shoot webs from their wrists, but their feats are far more impressive. The danger they experience is genuine, the stakes far higher. They go beyond the call of duty, often risking their own lives to help others. While the 24-hour news cycle can sometimes make the world seem like a dark and cruel place, there is plenty of good to be found....

However, some concierges (many of whom are members of the elite, worldwide Les Clefs d’Or organization) go above and beyond the regular call of duty in their work. These dedicated professionals will fulfill any request—even the most seemingly impossible—as long as it is morally, legally, and humanly possible. Naturally, this means that on occasion, they get a request that is unique, unusual, or even completely insane, to say the least....

With suicide, death isn’t certain, not even within a near margin. There are many more suicide attempts than actual suicides (25 attempts for every fatality), and those who try to kill themselves have to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives. While many assume that a bullet to the head will provide a clear path to a successful suicide, it’s not actually guaranteed, and many people have shot themselves in the head and lived to tell about it....

10 Civilizations That Might Have Beaten Columbus To America – 2014 10 Polynesian Voyagers The epic journeys of the ancient Polynesians inspired the 2016 Disney movie Moana. Starting about 3,000 years ago and using ocean-going catamarans, they colonized New Zealand, Hawaii, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), and everything in between. Their network of islands, now referred to as the Polynesian Triangle, was larger than modern-day Russia. The Polynesians almost certainly made it to South America before Columbus....

Not long after that, the health industry caught on to this discovery. Radium salt used in bath water was suggested as an experimental therapy for patients with gout, arthritis, and neuralgia. Discovering more efficient ways of extracting radium from pitchblende in 1913 allowed for commercialization of this type of treatment, starting a golden era of radiation therapy. Today, especially after the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we’re extremely cautious when it comes to any presence of radiation....

SEE ALSO: 10 Mysteries Behind Inexplicable Photos 10Punk And Monk The Ananda temple was built around A.D. 1100 and is one of the many surviving temples in Bagan, Myanmar. According to legend, the monks who built the temple were killed by the king so that they could never create its equal. And every year, Bagan welcomes travelers into this sacred temple with open arms for a two-week-long celebration known as the Ananda Pagoda Festival....

Throughout history, mankind has engaged in one war after another. It seems like nothing could be left to amaze us. And yet, the following discoveries reveal secret, surprising realities that shaped one of humanity’s most ancient pastimes—warfare. 10 Roman Soldiers Were Cremated In Cooking Pots Roman soldiers weren’t always privileged with a dignified send-off as archaeologists were reminded at a 1,900-year-old Roman camp near Tel Megiddo, Israel. The Legio camp is the grandest imperial base found so deep into the eastern portions of the empire and housed the Legio VI Ferrata, or Roman “Ironclad” Sixth Legion, who quelled uprisings and maintained Roman interests in Syria Palaestina....

Two years ago, that sentence would have seemed satirical. Just last month, it sounded implausible to many. Yet Trump’s meteoric rise isn’t a joke. Nor is it just the story of some plucky underdog. The 45th president’s path to success was made possible by a specific set of remarkable factors. 10 GOP Failures Many leaders in the Republican Party, especially those who supported Jeb Bush, did not want this to happen....

So here are ten saints who lived extraordinarily unsaintly lives and whose stories should give hope to even the most troublesome of us. 10 St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354–450) St. Augustine of Hippo is one of Christianity’s most influential saints. His theological masterpiece, Confessions, is a cornerstone of modern religious philosophy. Over five million words of his writings survive. However, it is worth asking what exactly he was confessing to....

SEE ALSO: 10 Eerie Last Words Of People Who Then Vanished Without A Trace Fact: Hitler was a tax evader Recent research into papers relating to Hitler has uncovered the fact that when he became chancellor of Germany in 1934 he had evaded paying 405,500 million Reichsmarks in tax (6.3 million USD in today’s currency). Fortunately for Hitler, he was forgiven his tax debts when he was elected. It is believed that he earned 1....

Occasionally, we listen and learn, and then society improves. But other times, we don’t. And while the present day seems quite ordinary to us, the reality is that our modern era was once a horrible, terrifying nightmare that sci-fi writers desperately tried to stop. 10 ‘Number 12 Looks Just Like You’ Warned Us About South Korea’s Plastic Surgery Obsession When The Twilight Zone first aired on TV, cosmetic surgery barely existed....

The negotiating parties are Iran on one side and the P5+1 as a group on the other side. P5+1 (also known as the E3/EU+3) means the five permanent members of the UN Security Council—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—plus Germany. Basically, these negotiations are about the oversight and regulation of Iran’s nuclear program, with the P5+1 seeking to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons for at least a decade in exchange for the easing or lifting of economic sanctions on Iran....

10Caterpillars, Corn, & Wasps When we think of an evolutionary arms race, we probably aren’t picturing the relationship between corn, caterpillars, and wasps, but that’s exactly what’s going on. When a caterpillar decides it wants to munch on some corn, the plant is able to release a gaseous chemical called a “terpenoid” from both its damaged and undamaged leaves. Once in the air, the terpenoid attracts a species of parasitic wasp (Cotesia marginiventris) that sees the caterpillar and decides it would be a good thing to lay its egg in....

Although some people defend the companies, others claim that they are no more than glorified pyramid schemes. So far, these companies have been allowed to operate with little trouble from the authorities, but more people are becoming aware of their many dangers. 10 A Legal Loophole Allows Them To Exist An MLM is almost identical to a pyramid scheme, but the emphasis is on selling products rather than recruiting members....

But that’s only half the story. Even as the nation rallied round the Tories, the election threw up some very awkward questions about British politics. These questions suggested that the UK political system is outdated at best and downright messed up at worst. 10The Voting System Is Rigged Toward The Two Main Parties Under the First Past the Post system (FPTP), British politicians have to win the most votes in their local constituency to enter the House of Commons....

The myth is further found in Scandinavia, Wales, France, Germany, and the Slavic nations of Central and Eastern Europe. Despite this, the tradition of the Wild Hunt has not been deeply documented. This has allowed for rampant speculation. 10The Mythical Leader Of The Hunt Changed In Scandinavia, the hunt’s appearance was presaged by the loud barking of Odin’s hounds. When this occurred, it was widely believed that war was on the horizon....

Although his novels might have gained him his first accolades, the author has also published novella and short story collections containing some of his best-known works. Both Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption were based on King novellas, and the Children of the Corn franchise has spawned nine films! Perhaps due to the shorter format, King’s short stories and novellas have contained some of his most surprising twists. Shocked readers expect one thing only to be caught off guard by something completely unexpected....

10Egyptians Had The First Governmental Health Care System At least in terms of health care, ancient Egypt was quite similar to modern developed countries. In Deir el-Medina, an ancient village in the mountains above the Valley of the Kings, written records and physical remains reveal evidence of the first documented governmental health care system. Under harsh conditions, artisans with unusual literacy and advanced engineering knowledge built the pharaohs’ royal tombs from 1292–1077 B....

Lovers of mysteries know that a “red herring” is a false clue given to divert attention from the track of the real criminal. This one, however, began with an actual fish. Bloodhounds, the sharpest trackers in the world, are difficult to lose when on a scent. But a red herring, especially if it is a day or two out of the water, can produce a scent strong enough to confuse any hound if the fish is drug on the ground behind the escaping criminal....