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SETI, or the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, discovered 72 unexplained signals from an “alien galaxy” over three billion light years away from earth. The signals were found within 400 terabytes of data, and consisted of fast radio bursts, which are bright and fast pulses. In a statement, SETI noted that “[t]here are many theories” about what fast radio bursts are, “including that they could be the signatures of technology developed by extraterrestrial intelligent life.”

The Zambian government is about to default on loans it took out from the Chinese government. As a result, China is moving to take over the Zambian utility company called Zesco. This confirms one of the United States’ greatest fears, since China owns much of their debt

Talking to strangers is hard, intimidating, and can make one feel, how shall we say, a bit weird. That’s especially true if you live in a big city, where you’re expected to avoid talking to strangers. But if you want to make friends, challenge yourself, push yourself beyond your comfort zone, or just try to be a nicer person, this video offers some tips. First, you can try just saying a simple “hi” to people. You can also comment on an interesting phenomenon. 

Ebola is a terrifying disease. It starts out feeling like a flu. It ends with internal bleeding, sometimes accompanied by coughing or vomiting blood. And for some unfortunate souls––about 50% of the people who contract it––it ends in death. That’s what makes the appearance of ebola in Beni, a city of 1.4 million people in the Congo, so scary. The World Health Organization is working on a vaccination campaign, but rebel attacks are complicating matters. 

Recently, a study came out demonstrating that “taking and posting selfies on social media causes adverse psychological effects for women.” After posting selfies, women reported feeling “more anxious, less confident, and less physically attractive.” If that isn’t enough to make you question selfie culture, take the case of Tomer Frankfurter, who fell nearly 1,000 feet at Yosemite while trying to take a selfie. So next time you want a picture of yourself, how about just asking someone to take it for you? Maybe you’ll even make a friend. 

Slytherin has the second worst reputation of any group in Harry Potter, second only to the Death Eaters themselves. But what if we take into account the unfortunate fact that history is often written by the winners? In this case, a whole gaggle of Gryffindors. This video argues that the Slytherin get a serious bad reputation for no good reason. The characteristics of the house share a lot in common with many of the greatest characters in literature. 

Kaylee Foster isn’t your average high school student––or your average teenage girl. She doesn’t worry about stereotypes of femininity or masculinity. Instead, she does the things she wants to do. One of the things she wants to do, for example, is to play football. And she’s quite good. As an extra kicker, she scored the majority of her team’s points in the homecoming game. She was also crowned homecoming queen. Kaylee Foster shows that you needn’t be worried about what “girly girls” or “manly men” do. Just do the things you like. 

Nearly two decades ago, when the Twin Towers fell, a heavily trafficked subway station was destroyed. The Cortlandt Street station was located right below the Twin Towers, so naturally it did not survive the attacks. Despite the fact that the area has been rebuilt for some time now, the subway stop has only just reopened. From the article: “The new station is fully accessible and is air-tempered to keep subway riders cooler on hot days, the MTA says. It also features a new piece of art, which incorporates text from the Declaration of Independence and the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

If you think Hollywood has a dangerous obsession with plastic surgery, then wait until you see this short documentary about the plastic surgery culture in South Korea. There, going under the knife is a common way to make oneself more beautiful, because being more beautiful is seen as an important part of succeeding in society. As a result, graduating students are sometimes gifted with surgery––what a way to welcome them into the world of adulthood, huh?

Doctors and mommy bloggers alike love probiotics. Allegedly, probiotics are great for gut health, which according to said bloggers is the key to basically every aspect of your life. Want to get rid of that belly fat or depression? Probiotics. System wiped out by a course of antibiotics? Probiotics will sort you right out

In the aftermath of the #MeToo movement, lovers of art, music, movie, comedy and other kinds of fans have had to come to grips with a serious incongruity. What happens when the artist you love turns out to have done terrible things? What to make of Kevin Spacey, for example, whose oeuvre is filled with beautiful work but who turned out to be something of a predator? This video explores that question through an examination of fine art. 

Lots of people have tried to figure out why Trump lies and lies and lies, and then lies some more. I have my own theory, which is published here, and can be summed up as: “A chaotic and unceasing hodgepodge of lies and exaggerations, however, will simply drown out the opposing narrative.” This video adds a bit more detail this hypothesis, explaining how Trump’s lies are partly a power maneuver and partly as a way of eliminating the importance of truth altogether.