It has been claimed (by Michelle Obama and Jamie Oliver, among others) that the current generation of children will have a shorter lifespan than that of their parents due to the increase in childhood obesity. So is there any truth in that? No. Over the last four decades life expectancy globally has risen by 11…
On July 28, 1976, flying out of Beale Air Force Base in California, a two-man crew comprising Capt. Eldon W. Joersz and Maj. George T. Morgan took off in a Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird”. On this flight, they reached speeds of 2,194 mph (3,529.56 km/h) which to this day is still an airspeed record. But around…
It seems staggering, but based on the most recent figures from Marine Policy, who say 100million sharks are being killed every year, it would appear that this daily rate of slaughter is indeed the case. The recent Marine Policy report stated that the exact number of sharks killed could actually be anywhere between 63 million…
In short, this is a technology that could potentially replace all roads, parking lots, sidewalks, bike paths, recreational areas and anywhere that currently uses standard tarmac. It could even create a system of sustainable energy for entire countries. In reality, it’s more likely to be used — at least for now — by private individuals…
Does playing Tomb Raider really improve your IQ? It’s not as daft as it sounds. We may be in an era where we constantly bemoan the dumbing down of culture, but there is strong evidence to suggest that the huge increase in our daily exposure to technology — from using the Internet and smartphones to…
Is it true that in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones plays no real role in the outcome? This was posited by the character Amy in an episode of The Big Bang Theory. She claimed that: “Indiana Jones plays no role in the outcome of the story. If he weren’t in the film it would…
[For Esquire Magazine, November 2013] It appears so. It’s an utterly staggering fact, but it represents an escalation in the ongoing land-grab for food resources. Two Chinese state-owned firms will take over Ukrainian land in the eastern Dniepropetrovsk region and use it to grow crops (and raise pigs) for use back in China. The deal…
The above picture from the 1923 English FA Cup Final (between West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers) shows all but one man wearing a hat. And the hatless man had probably just removed his to scratch his head as the photo was being taken. So why did the vast majority of men stop wearing hats…
Is it true that for every Enzo Ferrari that gets destroyed, all the remaining Enzos go up in value by $100,000? We’ve read and heard this a few times now and wondered if this could be the ultimate example of supply and demand affecting market price. Only 400 Enzo Ferraris were made, between 2002 and…
The truth is, we don’t know. At least, not to any great degree of accuracy, which is odd given how it plays a big part in the global economy. Thomson Reuters GFMS (Gold Fields Mineral Services) produces an annual gold survey that is used by global investors to gauge such things. The GFMS says there…
Matt Pomroy 