What We Learned This Week
Welcome to "What We Learned This Week," a regular feature where we share all the most interesting nuggets of information we picked up in the past week.
How Two Russian Photographers Took The Ultimate Car Photo
Dmitriy Christoprudov and Nikolay Kykov shot these utterly astounding photos of an otherwise unremarkable Chevy on the frozen surface of Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest lake on the planet. Someone get these two guys a better car to work with next time.
American Elections Are Rigged, But Canada Knows How To Fix Them
Democratic candidates running for the House of Representatives in 2012 received 1.4 million more votes than Republicans, but the GOP ended up with a 33-seat majority in the House. Doesn't make sense, does it? Studies suggest the disparity is the result of both gerrymandering — purposely shaping districts to favor an incumbent — and simple geography. But there is some good news: our friendly neighbors to the north have already fixed the problem. Now we just need Congress to act. Oh… nevermind.
If you want to judge a chef, ask them to cook an egg. If they turn the heat up high, pick up the pan, bash them in the face with it and take over yourself. The humble egg is "one of the most overcooked dishes in America." It's time to stop killing it with excessive heat.
'Gospel Of Jesus's Wife' Found To Be Authentic
Scientific tests revealed no evidence of modern forgery in the "Gospel of Jesus's Wife," an ancient Egyptian papyrus that refers to Jesus being married. The existence of the scroll was announced just 18 months ago and has been hotly debated ever since. We're quite certain this won't end the debate.
A Mountain Bike Descent To Turn Your Knuckles White
Extreme sports are awesome! Yeah, bro! Wrong, bro. Extreme sports are terrifying. Here's proof.
The Surprising Science Of Why And When We Yawn
Yawning is one of our most primitive and fundamental behaviors. Babies do it. Dogs do it. Horses do it. But why? It seems to serve no purpose but if it's so evolutionarily ingrained, there must be a reason. It actually appears to serve multiple purposes, all united by a common theme. At the most fundamental level, a yawn is a form of communication.
The Kind Of Porn That Turns Women On
Most women don't watch porn. That's cool, it's not for everyone. But the women that do watch porn aren't watching the "female-friendly" porn you'd expect. They want the same kind of hardcore stuff men do.
The Five Extra Words That Can Fix The Second Amendment
For the first 200 years following the adoption of the Second Amendment, jurists understood that the right to bear arms was limited in two key ways: it applied only to arms kept for military purposes and it did not impose any limits on the power of individual states and local government to regulate ownership. In a new book, Justice John Paul Stevens lays out the historical argument for adding five very important words to tweak the controversial amendment and return our gun laws to their historic intentions.
Nine out of 10 doctors discourage others from becoming a doctor. Approximately 300 commit suicide every year. What happened to the noble profession? To put it bluntly, the economics of medicine are running the humans that practice it into the ground.
This Whole Damn Time You Could Have Been Taking Off Your Shirt One-Handed
Now if there was a way to make your t-shirts produce a cartoon whip noise too, then this guy would be on to something big.
There's A Number Of Reasons The Grammar Of This Headline Could Infuriate You
Grammars is difficult. Especially in the age of the Internets.
Sorry, but it's true. New research has found that by the age of 24, you've already reached your peak in terms of cognitive motor performance. The best part? Researchers determined that you're old and decrepit by watching 3,305 people playing "StarCraft 2." We don't even know what that game is so we must be senile.
The Most 'Normal' State In America
The good ol' USA is a large and largely bizarre place (see: Florida, Texas, and Arizona). Surely, somewhere amongst these far-flung diverse states and commonwealths (because you just have to be different, Massachusetts), there must be a hint of normalcy. Business Insider considered 31 different indicators and came up with an answer.
What Your Sleeping Position Says About Your Relationship
The extent to which you spoon with or avoid your partner while sleeping can predict the level of happiness in your relationship. A ridiculous 94% of couples who touch while sleeping reported being happy, while only 68% of couple who don't touch while sleeping said the same. Researchers found similar results when they measured how far apart the couples sleep. So chances are those two people making out on train platform right in front of everyone slept stacked one on top of the other last night. Sorry for putting that picture in your heads.
India Has A Problem With People Shitting In Public So They Made This PSA
Over half the population of India just defecates right out in the open and we're pretty sure a video of dancing poop isn't going to help.