Facts & Trends

A British woman has abstained from smiling for the last 40 years in an extreme attempt to ward off wrinkles.  Tess Christian, 50, told the Daily Mail that she adopted a permanent poker face as a child to prevent laughter ...

A solar-powered airplane landed in India on March 10, completing the second leg of its bid to become the first aircraft to circle the world by solar energy alone. Solar Impulse 2, which launched in Abu Dhabi, will make 12 ...

The species of bacteria that dominate our guts may strongly affect whether we’re thin or fat. Researchers at Washington University collected samples of gut bacteria from pairs of twins in which one was obese and the other thin. Then they ...

Some addicts hooked on opioids such as OxyContin and Percocet turn to heroin when they lose access to prescription pills. Heroin, far cheaper than pills, is available through networks that source it from Mexico and Colombia ...

The odds are 1 in 4 million that you’ll be on a bridge when it collapses at some time during your life ...

Factor by which a placebo for Parkinson’s disease is more effective when the patient is told it costs $1,500 rather than $100: 2 ...

$6 trillion - Upper estimate of the cost to the U.S. of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan ...

There have been thousands of fatal shootings by police since 2005, yet only 54 officers were ever charged with a crime, according to an analysis of official records.  Of those charged, just 11 were convicted or plead guilty ...

A New York City hotel is offering wealthy guests a chance to go "glamping"—glamorous camping—so they can experience the outdoors with four-star amenities.  Guests at New York's AKA Central Park can spend $2,000 a night to sleep on a queen ...

Color commentary, after Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price used the F-word 77 times in a five-minute rant berating sportswriters for reporting that a player was injured.  “Does every f—ing team that we f—ing play have to know every f—ing guy ...