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California has been trying to ban the delicacy foie gras for quite some time. The French dish is well-known in fine dining, but it is made from the liver of a duck or goose that has been force-fed to increase the fat content. Many have said the process constitutes animal cruelty.

According to CNN, in late 2019, a small piece of birch pitch (pictured above) was found by archeologists on Lolland, the fourth largest island of Denmark. A study uncovered a 5,700-year-old girl's entire genome and oral microbiome, marking the first time human genetic material has successfully been extracted from something besides human bones.

Electronic waste is a huge problem. There's an estimated 51,000 tonnes of it globally per year, says the European Union. But a new law could put an end to one part of it.

The E.U. has passed a law that as of 2024, all phones will have a standard USB-C charger. Having a single type of smartphone charging port will make cables interchangeable and more reusable. This standard charger would also improve the customer experience. 

Recently on Twitter, an advertisement went viral. In it, the long-time mascot Mr. Peanut (pictured above) nobly sacrificed himself to save his two travel companions. Mr. Peanut can be recognized the world over for his eccentric top hat, cane and monocle. He was 104, and by all accounts, in amazing shape considering his age. 

The Italian football world is again experiencing racism within its ranks. A series of players have been subject to racist abuse by fans, with little or no response from clubs, officials, or the media. Hard-core fans claim they have the right to abuse players any way they want, and certain clubs deny that racism even exists.

Until now pocket translators have all followed the same steps: 1) you say something in your language; 2) the device turns your speech into text; 3) it translates the text to the other language; and finally, 4) the text-to-speech voice says it in the new language. A long process that makes for a frustrating conversation.

The idea of universal basic income (UBI) has been gaining steam around the world. A Japanese billionaire and an American presidential candidate, among others, have both thrown their weight behind it.

The concept is simple: the government provides unconditional money to their citizens. The theory is that in order to provide basic services for all citizens and to stimulate the economy, a small amount of money can be given to each person, equally. 

The year 2020 has served as a benchmark for many predictions, from business markets to technological advances to climate change. In 2015, Factor magazine published a list of ten predictions for 2020, most of which have come true.

1. Same-day cancer treatment: YES

2. Self-driving cars on the road: YES

3. Cannabis market legalized and booming: YES

4. 4 billion internet users: YES (almost 4.5 billion)

For many restaurants, receiving a Michelin star (or two, or three) is one of the best ways to gain world-class status in the culinary world. It is also guaranteed to attract international media attention and bring in new business.

If there is one train ride that will rid you of your comfort zone, then that is the journey on Train 61, from Yangon to Bagan in Myanmar. Myanmar is an impoverished country that has been reeling from civil conflict for nearly 70 years. It only opened itself up to the rest of the world in 2014.

On New Year's Eve, people all over the world have celebrations and customs to ensure a good year to come. Each country has its own unique traditions which may seem pretty strange to other people. For a taste of what your neighbors may be doing, check these out!

I’m from Canada, where Christmas is a big deal. The minute Halloween is finished, the Santa decorations go up in stores, Christmas songs start playing on the radio, and the fuss of holiday shopping starts in earnest. For me, one of the most nostalgic parts of Christmas is the food. I love a plate of roast turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce with some pumpkin pie, all with a frosty glass of eggnog to drink.

Japan is a culinary delight. There are many restaurants with Michelin stars. It's a country where ramen shops can command hours-long waits, and where entire floors of department stores are devoted to specialty food. If you take a domestic trip, you are expected to return to your office with omiyage—souvenir treats specific to a region. So one might expect Christmastime to be a season of decadent food. But actually, Christmas is when you get a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken [KFC]. 

In 2014, there were just six gun deaths in Japan (≈0.00000004% of the population), compared to 33,599 (≈1.0% of the population) in the US.

Buying a gun in Japan takes patience and perseverance. First, you need to attend an all-day class, then sit a written exam and pass a shooting-range test with a mark of at least 95%. There are also mental health and drugs tests to pass.

CNN and multiple other news agencies around the world have reported that Microsoft introduced a program this summer in Japan called the "Work Life Choice Challenge." Microsoft shut down its offices every Friday in August. Managers also urged staff to cut down on the time spent in meetings, suggesting that these last no longer than 30 minutes.

The Japan Times reported that most world leaders chose to fly to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, but Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg made headlines for deciding to sail instead.

The BBC reports that a new way of editing DNA could correct 89% of the errors in DNA that cause disease. The technology, called prime editing, has been used to correct damaging DNA mutations in the lab, including those that cause sickle cell anaemia. It is the latest advance in gene editing, which is developing at a rapid pace.

The 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry has been awarded to three scientists who played a large role in developing lithium-ion batteries: Stanley Whittingham of the U.K., American John Goodenough (at 97, the oldest Nobel laureate ever), and Japan’s Akira Yoshino. Whittingham created the first functional lithium-ion battery in the 1970s, then Goodenough increased its capacity two-fold over the next 10 years. Finally, Yoshino removed the pure lithium, making it much safer to use.

The ageing of Japan is thought to outweigh that of all other nations, with Japan said to have the highest proportion of elderly citizens both in rural and urban areas. According to 2014 estimates, 33.0% of the Japanese population is above the age of 60, 25.9% are aged 65 or above, and 12.5% are aged 75 or above. 

Car rental companies in Japan have figured out why some customers are returning their vehicles with barely a mile on the clock. Rather than travel from point A to B, as many as one in eight “drivers” are using their rental cars to take a nap, catch up on work or even brush up their language skills, according to industry surveys.