STUDY OF MATHEMATICALLY PRECOCIOUS YOUTH

In a New York Times op-ed this week, two Cornell professors lay out a provocative argument: The gender gap in research science isn’t a reflection of sexism in the academy; the real problem is that journalists over-report small differences, thus perpetuating them and scaring women off.

1/3 OF U.S. KIDS EAT FAST FOOD EVERY DAY

It's hard to blame people for craving fast food when they are inundated with advertising from such a young age. But what’s disturbing is just how far fast food companies will go to target kids from groups already more likely to suffer from obesity — including the poor, rural Americans and black Americans.

HOLLYWOOD'S ETERNAL UNCLE

"Daniels could’ve been Tom Hanks. But a look back at his career, which will, no doubt, peak with "Dumb and Dumber To" — a movie whose existence seems so improbable that it’s making me question my own existence — reveals the strange case of an actor who, not just once, but twice, on the brink of mega-stardom, slipped out of the mainstream and into little pockets of Hollywood."

DO IT, WE DARE YOU

Persimmons are a good weird grocery candidate right now; they’re in season, they’re unpopular, they’re cheap (five for two bucks), and they’re very good.

NOT FOR THE BIRDS

Twitter has 500 million logged out users it’s trying to squeeze value out of, but now it has a plan to fix its growth problem, which is really a new user retention problem. It’s called “Instant Timeline,” and it will jumpstart users with a feed full of interesting content even if they haven’t followed anyone yet.

STUDENT-ATHLETES PLAYING FOR 'OLIVER TWIST'

"While such horrific and despicable conditions are rarer in the United States, we still have to be vigilant against all forms of exploitation so that by condoning one form, we don’t implicitly condone others. Which is why, in the name of fairness, we must bring an end to the indentured servitude of college athletes and start paying them what they are worth."

WE WANT TO BELIEVE

"This big secret will be revealed in 2015, if the chatter on shows like Coast-to-Coast AM is any indication. Why? Well, the 'Grays' — the name given to the aliens who either conspire with the government to keep their presence hidden or are on the verge of attacking the Earth — have somehow given an ultimatum to their human co-conspirators."

GOODBYE

The phone call isn't dead. Despite what many a journalist/blogger/paranoid internet commenter might have you believe, smartphones can indeed still dial out. Of course, that doesn't mean it's not in the process of dying. And if you have even a shred of decency about you, you'll help take it out back Old-Yeller-style and put everyone out of their misery. Friends, it's time to kill the phone call.

TO BE CLEAR, BLACKFACE STILL NOT OK

Did you know that text-message exchanges between millennials today are comprised almost entirely of animated GIFs of NeNe Leakes rolling her eyes and Omarosa throwing shade? Yes, the stereotype of the “black bitch” has become its own language for some, thanks to a combination of basic cable television programming and general illiteracy among said millennials.