Cheese Changed The Course Of Western Civilization And Other Facts

Cheese Changed The Course Of Western Civilization

As most milk-haters are wont to point out, early humans did not — or more accurately could not — drink milk. It wasn't until 8,500 years ago that a combination of over-farming, the invention of pottery, and one lazy goat herder inadvertently created a proto-cheese. Early man ate it, and found that it was good. Eventually, the regular consumption of cheese over the course of a millennia promoted lactose tolerance within those early cultures, and was then carried over to the western world as early man began the migration to Europe. Today, that same migration is still happening in the form of cheese shops¹ in gentrifying neighborhoods.

Everyone's Favorite Time Of Day Is 7:00 P.M.

It's Friday. For most of us that means the start of a restful holiday weekend. Right now you're probably reading this at your desk instead of working, but: What else are you thinking about? Picture yourself, tonight, at 7 p.m. You're probably feeling pretty relaxed — maybe two drinks deep at a familiar watering hole, or comfily laid up on the couch watching Netflix. And according to a recent, wide-ranging study you wouldn't be alone. After surveying over 4,000 people, researchers found this love of 7 p.m. is reflected around the world. It may be 5 o'clock somewhere, but the real fun is two hours from now.²

You Can Remove A Wasp Infestation With A Shop Vac

In the video game, bug-type Pokémon are weak to flying-type Pokémon, so it makes sense that a shop vac, which utilizes the properties of the air, would be super effective in decimating a wasp nest. Just set it up near the nest, turn it on, and let it suck that angry wing'd nuisance away. The only downside is that, depending on the magnitude of the infestation, you'll need to run the vac for at least three hours — pissing off both the wasps and any nearby neighbors.

Glowing Tampons Help Detect Sewage Leaks

Despite their intended purpose — or perhaps because of — tampons are an ideal water-testing device³: they're cheap, readily available, and are fantastic at absorbing liquid, especially the Optical Brighteners (OBs) found in laundry detergent. As a result, one UK scientist is dipping them in streams to find traces of contamination known as "grey water" — seepage of dirty water from sinks, dishwashers and washing machines into ponds and streams. The process is simple: drop tampon in the stream, let it absorb some water, then run it under a black light. If it glows like a Jackson Pollock, you've got OBs in the stream, a telltale sign of grey water contamination.  In fact, it's so easy that even you, fair reader, can do it yourself.⁴

The Internet Is Incredibly Efficient At Ruining Someone

There are a few constants found on the Internet: anonymity breeds assholes, moms like every single Facebook post, and rule 34 to name a few. But now, author Jon Ronson — who was once on the winning side of an online witch-hunt — puts forth another, new constant of the Internet: the repercussions of online shaming vastly outweigh the transgressions. In his book So You've Been Publicly Shamed, Ronson uses victims' stories of mass online shaming to demonstrate that the ubiquity of social media makes it all-too-easy for large swaths of the web to come down on a single person. And due to the permanence of the Internet, ruin their life.

Ants Handle Zero-Gravity Surprisingly Well

As advanced as the International Space Station may be, a majority of the science being done on humanity's only space station boils down to "What happens if we bring this thing to space?" The breadth of human knowledge is expansive, but how ants react to zero-gravity was not one of those things. So scientists brought some ants with them to the ISS, and then watched them. Much to their surprise, they found that the ants could, for the most part, move around sans gravity, and even use teamwork to search their new environments introduced by the researchers. And before you get upset over the fact that your taxes are funding glorified ant farms⁵, just know that researchers plan to use their observations to help improve search algorithms found in robots. 

Life Is Hard When You're Allergic To Wi-Fi

As a condition, electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) has been largely shunned by the medical community. But in an interview with New York Magazine, EHS victim Dafna Tachover details just how debilitating it can be. Not only is she unable to use a cell phone, a computer, or just about any electronic device, but she's so sensitive to electromagnetic radiation that even finding a place to live that didn't leave her totally pain-stricken is nigh-impossible.

To Escape A Tow Truck, Just Put You Foot On The Accelerator

Granted, you have to be in the car being towed, and that car needs at least rear-wheel-drive, and there's a good chance whatever damage you sustain to your car will be far more expensive than the tow itself — but at least you'll save yourself a trip to the impound lot.​