12 Random Bits of News and Trivia That Are Not Quite Fit To Print, but Perfectly Fine for a Listicle
It’s entirely possible that urine appeared on Earth before there were any urinators to urinate it.
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Robots Are Coming for Your Job (If You’re a Youth Soccer Player)
A robotics company supplied teams of autonomous, child-sized robots to four Chinese universities, who each programmed their teams to play soccer. A tournament was held, and Tsinghua University’s THU Robotics beat China Agricultural University, five to three.
More Robot Athletic Competitions Are on the Way
Beijing will hold the World Humanoid Robot Games in August, which will feature 19 competitions in categories like track and field, gymnastics and... concierge services.
Thousands of Disappointed Norwegians Thought They Won a European Lottery Jackpot
Thousands of Norwegians who won a very small amount in the Eurojackpot lottery received a notification that they’d won some big bucks, due to an error converting Euro cents to Norwegian kroner.
Australia Is Piloting a Program for Climate Refugees
Australia is giving out the world's first “climate visas,” offering 280 spots per year to residents of Tuvalu, an island chain that maxes out at 16 feet above sea level. NASA projections have the country largely underwater by 2050.
Tuvalu Makes 10 Percent of Its Government’s Income From Its Popular Domain Name
The country’s official internet domain is .tv, which can look mouthwateringly trendy to some companies and organizations.
An A.I. Failed to Run an Office Vending Machine
Anthropic tried putting its A.I. in charge of a vending machine, and employees were able to convince it to give a steep discount to all Anthropic employees, and stock bizarre things like tungsten cubes.
Modern-Day Antimony Pills
Caltech engineers have developed a capsule, called PillTrek, that can trek through your whole gastrointestinal tract and monitor your glucose, temperature and serotonin levels on its journey, The Magic School Bus-style.
Americans Are Slicing Off a Record Percentage of Their Paychecks for Retirement
The average amount that American workers are funneling into their 401k accounts has jumped to a record-breaking 7.7 percent.
Which Came First, Pee or Life?
Scientists have observed a previously unknown chemical reaction between ammonia and carbon dioxide, creating urea, which they say may have been central to the creation of Earthly life as we understand it.
The First Sea Mammals Observed Using Tools
A group of killer whales has been seen using kelp to groom each other.
What Are the Most Peaceful Countries in the World?
The Global Peace Index ranks Switzerland, Austria, New Zealand, Ireland and Iceland at the top of their list for 2025. Russia is all the way at the bottom, if you can believe it.
E. Coli Can Turn Plastic Into Tylenol
Scientists genetically engineered a strain of E. coli to break down a plastic bottle into acetaminophen, with a 97 percent efficiency rate over the course of 24 hours.
