A specimen of the world’s largest flower, the titan arum, is about to bloom at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. To attract carrion insects, the flower emits a stench botanists likened to “a very dead elephant.”
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Baby Boomers who frequently used recreational drugs like marijuana and cocaine in their youth are now turning back to drugs like Oxycontin for relief of age-related pain and illness. As a result, the fatal-overdose rate for people ages 45 to 64 has become higher than that for 25 to 44-year-olds for the first time. More than 12,000 Boomers died of […]
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A British pilot momentarily lost control of his passenger plane when his artificial arm fell off during landing. The captain of the FlyBe turboprop was approaching Belfast City Airport in windy conditions with 47 passengers on board when his prosthetic left arm suddenly became detached, forcing him to handle the controls with just one arm. The plane touched down heavily […]
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The oceans, like the rest of the planet, set a temperature record in 2014, at 60.9°F (16°C), or 1.03°F above the 20th century average. Acidity is up as well—a bad combination for sea life.
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In 2012, some 2.9 million adults and teens tried an illicit drug for the first time. More than 80% of them used pot. Among all pot users, 40% take the drug 20 or more days a month. Two states have legalized it for recreational use.
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A survey of 700 flight attendants revealed that among the items air passengers have left on planes are a live parrot, a box of dried fish, a toupee, hand-cuffs, and a glass eye.
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Due to the high demand of the “dip season,” a national shortage of Velveeta has shoppers hunting stores for the gooey, bright-yellow “cheese product.” People planning Super Bowl parties are calling the shortage of the dip-friendly substance a “cheesepocalypse.” One fan tweeted, “If this is true, I’m going to die.”
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THE PROBLEM Flight delays, a large share of which are caused by weather, cost the U.S. economy $31 billion annually. Regulators have been slow to approve technology that could provide pilots access to weather data. THE INNOVATION Mobile technology can keep pilots abreast of the latest weather information and plan ways to avoid bad weather in advance, even if they’re […]
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A campaign to allow students and teachers to carry guns at public colleges, so they can fire back at mass shooters or defend themselves against sexual assault, is failing in 14 out of 15 states where bills have been introduced. Only in Texas does the legislation have a chance of passing this year.
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A Danish politician is trying to stand out from his rivals in national elections by appearing in X-rated campaign posters wearing nothing more than a cowboy hat, a holster, and a determined gaze. John Erik Wagner, 51, who is running for prime minister as an independent, has become known as “the naked cowboy” for the racy ads, which he’s posted […]
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