Sorry, science-fiction fans: Time travel is impossible. That is the sobering conclusion, anyway, of a Hong Kong-based team of physicists. They found that the maximum speed of a single photon, the basic unit of light, “obeys the traffic law of the universe,” Agence France-Presse reports. The photon cannot go faster than the speed of light—186,282 miles per second—and thus provides […]
Read more
A high school football team of deaf players in Fremont, Calif., has won a league title for the first time. The Eagles of the California School for the Deaf, already national champions among schools for the deaf, won the regular North Central ll/Bay League title with a 10-2 season. Despite fielding a squad without a single player over 200 pounds, […]
Read more
52: Number of unprovoked shark attacks in the U.S. last year (compared with 20 elsewhere in the world). None were fatal. 28: Number of attacks in Florida, the most of any state. Runners-up were Hawaii (seven), South Carolina (five), California (four) and North Carolina (four). 65%: Percentage of attacks involving surfers (or people doing other board sports); 32% involved swimmers. The rest involved […]
Read more
47%: Share of U.S. jobs that are at high risk of becoming automated in the next 20 years, according to Oxford University research.
Read more
About 25 percent of the world’s population, or 1.6 billion people, do not have electricity in their homes.
Read more
. . . ordering a margarita, after heavy rains, tree disease, and cartel violence sent prices for Mexico’s limes soaring from to $14 a case to $100. “We don’t buy them [anymore],” said the owner of a San Antonio Mexican restaurant. “We substitute lemons.”
Read more
Percentage by which New York City’s homeless-shelter population increased under Bloomeberg: 65 Portion of the city’s shelter population who are children: 2/5
Read more
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.
Read more
Number of times guns are used in self-defense each year in the U.S.: 180,000
Read more
Remaining creative throughout your life clearly offers mind health benefits. Not only can it minimize anxiety, depression, and cognitive problems, it can also enhance a person’s enjoyment of everyday experiences. In order to point your mind in a more creative direction, consider some of the following strategies: 1. Notice the world around you. You don’t need to be a writer, artist, or inventor to […]
Read more