RISING OCEAN TEMPERATURES
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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Helping The Homeless in San Francisco
A nonprofit group in San Francisco is helping the city’s homeless population with a former public transit bus that’s been outfitted with two bathrooms, complete with toilets and hot showers. “If you’re living on the streets and you’re filthy, you can’t interview for a job and you can’t apply for housing,” explains the group’s founder, Doniece Sandoval. “You get disconnected […]
Read moreAIR TRAVEL
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 […]
Read moreWaste management
British scientists invented a cellphone battery powered by urine. This “is about as eco as it gets,” said one researcher, noting that urine is a renewable resource.
Read moreAverage Cost Of A Hospital Stay
Average cost of a hospital stay in the United States: $12,000 In Germany: $5,000
Read moreDanish Politicians X-rated Campaign Posters
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 […]
Read moreRatio of Shootings In Our Own Communities
Ratio of shooters in the U.S. who attack their own communities: 2 in 3
Read moreWeight of Turkeys
Percentage increase since 1960 in the average weight of a farm-raised U.S. turkey: 72
Read moreInches of Rainfall
4.36 – The average rainfall, in inches, for the contiguous United States in May, the country’s wettest month since record keeping began in 1895.
Read moreBaby Boomer Drug Use
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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