WEIRD FACTS
It’s almost an unthinkable practice in our modern era and one that may teach us a lot about generosity: giving to your community until you have little else to give. By Cat Perry – In remote fishing communities across southeast Alaska live the …
It’s some spooky, slimy science. By Nina Pullano – What do you call something that’s neither a plant, nor animal, nor fungus? In this case, the answer is “The Blob” — or, seeing as it exists in Paris, France, “Le Blob,” to be …
“We may encourage people who usually add chiles to their food to continue doing so.” By Emma Betuel – If you happen to enjoy the burn of a hot pepper as it blazes through your digestive system, there’s some good news. It’s increasingly …
Native Americans, English sailors and pirates all came together on Ocracoke Island in North Carolina to create the only American dialect that is not identified as American. By Brian Carlton – (This year, we published many inspiring and amazing stories that made us …
… A notorious class of chemicals could have invisible effects that take a toll over time. By Emma Betuel – You may not remember the last time you sprayed a carpet to make it waterproof, but those chemicals are likely still floating around …
Even if you avoid industrial farm produce it’s likely that your veggies will have been grown with the help of manure and other animal products. Jessica Glenza in New York @JessicaGlenza – A tractor spreads muck over field of stubble. ‘Most organic agriculture …
Crisco’s main ingredient, cottonseed oil, had a bad rap. So marketers decided to focus on the ‘purity’ of factory food processing. It’s all about having faith in the purity of the process. (Melissamn/Shutterstock.com) By Helen Zoe Veit, The Conversation via Smithsonianmag.Com – …
These holiday mainstays are potent fire hazards. By Alexandra Pattillo – A single spark from a broken string of lights or a jumping flame from a fireplace can transform Christmas trees from magical decorations into raging infernos. The holidays are a notoriously bad …
By Bridget Borgobello – Canadian entrepreneurs Mike Medicoff and Damien Vince have created a toothpaste that comes in the form of a tablet. Change Toothpaste. – In order to combat the hundreds of millions of empty toothpaste tubes that are destined for landfills …
Food trends are far more political — and economically motivated — than it seems. By Martin Cohen and Frédéric Leroy – If you were to believe newspapers and dietary advice leaflets, you’d probably think that doctors and nutritionists are the people guiding us …
