February 6, 2014
- Scientists discover entirely new way to reprogram animal cells into stem cells, with no genetic manipulation.
- CVS to stop selling tobacco in 2015—an important move, though 75% of all cigarettes are purchased in convenience stores.
- In France, hamburgers overtake baguette sandwiches in popularity; the French are also the second biggest consumers of pizza.
- Caffeine impersonates the neurochemical that makes you sleepy—so your nervous system can't tell the difference, until it can.
- The Oregon chub becomes the first fish to be taken off the U.S. endangered species list—its population has increased 150-fold in 15 years.
- Bullshit-sounding-but-true facts.
- The internet travels across the globe through undersea cables.
- Snow formations on Philadelphia streets show where traffic interventions could be installed.
- Auto-rickshaw drivers in Bangalore feel the brunt of the Polar Vortex, as it has nearly tripled the cost of propane.
- The man who rediscovered the world’s oldest subway tunnel, in Brooklyn, has been kicked out by the city after leading tours for nearly 30 years.
- Ice-T on recording a Dungeons & Dragons audiobook.
- How the U.S. military may have violated its rules around alcohol by pairing with Budweiser for a Super Bowl commercial.
- Related: After decades of commercials degrading women, the 2013 NFL season was the battle of mama-friendly beer spots.
- The best and worst Super Bowl ads of 2014: fewer bikinis, only one fart joke.
- New fiction from Zadie Smith.
- Videos of children saying "I love you" to their parents go viral in China; parents are mostly baffled.