The $9 billion, 1,000-ft. (305 m) Amazonian Tall Tower Observatory—now the tallest structure in South America—recently entered the final stages of construction. It will be inaugurated in August and fully operational by 2017. Here’s what Brazil and Germany, which co-funded the project, are hoping it will accomplish: Gather data The tower’s height and state-of-the- art instruments will enable scientists to […]
Read more
25%: Share of the world’s population that the U.S. is legally bound to defend thanks to pacts and treaties signed with over 60 countries, according to a report from the Harvard Belfer Center.
Read more
A Florida man has been arrested and convicted of running a prostitution ring, thanks to the honesty of his 7-year-old son. Robert Burton, 34, was pulled over during a traffic stop while driving with his son and two unnamed women. When police asked who the women were, the boy replied, “Those are my daddy’s hos.” Burton last week was sentenced […]
Read more
A Colorado man was given a ticket by police this week for shooting his balky computer eight times and “killing” it. Police say Lucas Hinch, 37, had become “fed up with fighting his computer for the last several months,” so he took it outside and repeatedly blasted it with a handgun. Hinch said he didn’t realize he was breaking the […]
Read more
Estimated number of people held in forced labor worldwide: 21,000,000 Portion who are 18 or younger: 1/4
Read more
Heat and acidity are also bad for coral reefs, which have declined by 40% in some areas since the 1970s. Coral organisms reproduce just once a year, making it hard for reefs to bounce back.
Read more
The world’s most pierced man has been refused entry to Dubai over fears that he might be an evil sorcerer. Rolf Buchholz, who has 453 piercings on his face and body as well as fake horns implanted in his forehead, had just arrived in the conservative Islamic country to perform in a show when airport authorities detained him, saying they […]
Read more
Bad drivers in Shenzhen, China, who blast oncoming motorists with high beam headlights will now face in-kind punishment from police. Police officials in the Chinese city said drivers who abuse the use of high beams will be stopped by police, ticketed for roughly $50, pulled from their car, and forced to stare into police cruiser headlights for five minutes. According […]
Read more
Boston police found a scribbled checklist on suspected burglar Evan Dorsey that included such goals as “find crystal meth,” “sell drugs,” “rob a dealer,” and “do one altruistic thing for a stranger.”
Read more
Your risk of getting heartburn today is 1 in 150.
Read more