Since the 1990s, Brussels sprouts have undergone intentional breeding to improve their taste by reducing their bitterness. Plant breeders selected the most promising varieties and crossbred them with newer ones that boasted other beneficial features, such as increased yields and robust disease resistance. This strategic breeding resulted in Brussels sprout...
Author: Ilya
Worry as a Buffer: Minimizing Emotional Contrasts after Negative Events
Research indicates that the primary reason behind worry might be to mitigate the impact of negative emotional shifts following adverse events. In essence, if we’re already in a state of worry or anxiety, the emotional downfall experienced after a negative event is less severe compared to when we’re in a...
Olympic Triumph to Survival: Rulon Gardner’s Lake Powell Ordeal
In 2007, three years after securing a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics, wrestler Rulon Gardner and two of his friends miraculously survived a plane crash in Lake Powell, Utah. After the accident, they swam for an hour through water at a chilly 44F (7C) to reach the shore. They...
Vortex I: The State-Sponsored Festival
The Vortex I festival, a unique occurrence in U.S. history as the only state-sponsored rock concert, was held in Oregon. This event was strategically planned to coincide with President Nixon’s visit to showcase the peaceful aspects of the anti-War Movement and to deter any potential violent protests during the President’s...
Caribbean Delight: The Allure of Jamaican Peanut Punch
Peanut punch, a favored beverage in the Caribbean, is concocted with ingredients like peanut butter, milk, and sugar. Some even regard it as an aphrodisiac. To give it a more robust twist, in Jamaica, this popular drink is often infused with white rum or stout beer.
Ingenious Fluid Mechanisms in Vintage Cars
During the 1960s, Volkswagen Beetles weren’t equipped with a pump for dispensing windshield washer fluid. Rather, they ingeniously utilized air pressure from the spare tire to perform this task. Vintage FIAT models, such as the 500 and 126, incorporated a rubber bulb on the dashboard, serving a similar function for...
Urban Boom and Housing Crunch: The Dramatic Rise of U.S. City Home Prices
Between 1980 and 2020, the population of urban areas in the United States saw a surge of nearly 50%. Concurrently, most of these urban regions implemented strict regulations on the construction of new, denser housing. As a result of this combination – the escalating demand due to population growth and...
Inventing the Iconic: Robert C. Baker and the Birth of Chicken Nuggets
Robert C. Baker, a professor of food science at Cornell University, devised the concept of the chicken nugget in the 1950s. He referred to this new food item as the “Chicken Crispie,” which was a small chunk of chicken enveloped in batter and subsequently deep-fried. Rather than seeking a patent...
Unconscious Driving: The Phenomenon of Highway Hypnosis
Highway hypnosis, often referred to as white line fever, describes a psychological condition where an individual can navigate a vehicle – be it a car, truck, or any other form of automobile – across vast distances. Despite responding appropriately and safely to their surroundings, these individuals exhibit no conscious memory...
College Majors and Marriage Rates by Age 30
A research study examined the influence of one’s college major on the likelihood of being married by the age of 30. Education, Plant Science, and Microbiology majors had the highest marriage rates, with 70-80% of them being married by age 30. Conversely, majors in Geography, Theater Arts, Music, Philosophy, and...