Scaphism was a method of torture that caused its victims to be eaten to death by bugs. It’s even more horriffic than it sounds. Scaphism, also called “the boats,” was an ancient Persian method of torture and, inevitably, execution. The victim would be placed in a boat, and then another boat would be placed on top. The victim’s feet, head […]
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The smog which suffocates Beijing has gotten so bad that the Chinese media has concluded that something must be done. Poor visibility has led to canceled flights and highway closings. The level of particulates in the air topped 35 times the World Health Organization’s safety limit. China’s new leaders “appear to be sending a signal that they want to allow […]
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Since NASA has made missions to the moon, Mars, and Pluto they are now getting ready to mission to the sun. This spacecraft will come within four million miles from the sun’s surface to explore its atmosphere and observe how this star works. The probe called Solar Probe Plus will have a shield on it so that it can survive […]
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The strain of worrying constantly about making ends meet depletes poor people’s brainpower, making them more likely to make bad decisions that can perpetuate the cycle of poverty. In fact, Princeton University researchers conclude in a new study, just feeling poor can quickly knock 13 points off a person’s IQ.To determine how financial worries affect thinking, the researchers posed various […]
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Beijing Fatter and sicker: Prevalence of type 2 diabetes has more than tripled in China over the past decade as Chinese people adopt a more Western diet and lifestyle. “China, unfortunately, has become the world’s capital for diabetes,” said Michael Rosenblatt, chief medical officer of pharmaceutical giant Merck. “The government is starting to pay more attention, as this is the […]
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New Horizons has found a more distant world out beyond Pluto about 1 billion miles away from the sun on its travels through the Kuiper Belt. This new world may be an icy relic left over from the formation of the planet Pluto. Right now, NASA is calling it 2014 MU69 and will eventually give a proper name. 2014 MU69 […]
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Rio De Janeiro No rain forest beef: Hoping to prevent Amazon deforestation, Brazilian grocery stores say they will no longer sell beef from cattle raised on land clear-cut from the rain forests. Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of beef, and an area of the Amazon larger than France has been cleared to create pastureland for […]
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Hidden Cash was a 2014 multi-city project founded by Jason Buzi and Yan Budman using the Twitter account of the same name. On May 22, 2014, Hidden Cash began hiding money in San Francisco, California and tweeting out clues using the handle. Followers were encouraged to tweet a photo of themselves with the money they found, and Hidden Cash retweeted […]
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If you are an adventurer be sure to check out the longest suspension footbridge – 1621 feet long and 26” wide – in the world. Located in Switzerland, 279 feet above the ground between Zermatt and Grachen. The previous bridge was destroyed in a rock avalanche back in 2010. They don’t recommend that you try to cross if you are […]
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