With the year coming to a close, we think that it’s the right time for listing all the highlights we had in the year. While we can talk about pop culture and other topics that went on the news, there’s also another thing that we should highlight for 2022: exploration and discovery. 

It may seem that we’re pandering to academia more, but we believe that it’s always nice to acknowledge what mankind found out this year about our past or the very planet we’re living on. From random discoveries of rings, while using a metal detector, to discovering a Byzantine-era mosaic artwork on somebody’s farm, CNN has compiled its list of the top art and archaeological discoveries in 2022. 

One of the most bizarre and unexpected discoveries featured in the list was experts finding a secret tunnel that leads to what potentially could be Cleopatra’s tomb. You know, the one place that eluded archaeologists for decades. 

If you’re intrigued to learn more, check CNN’s full piece here.

Image credit: Wikimedia commons

Here’s something to warm your hearts in the cold months! 

A new animal video posted on the Internet has gone viral for how adorable it is. With over 5 million views on the content-sharing platform, Twitter user Buitengebieden has successfully gained traction (and a bit of popularity) for how adorable their pupper is.

The video features a tiny pup slowly crawling toward a man (whom we assume to be the original poster). From the look on its face, the animal wants a lot of affection and kisses from its dad. As it crawls towards the man, he finally gets to kiss the animal, and viewers can see how happy it is– in fact, the pupper looks unsatisfied and asks for more! 

It’s always lovely seeing videos of how close an animal is to its human companion. Additional cuteness and goodness in the world are always a welcome sight. 

Image credit:  Buitengebieden

Sneaking in for kisses.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/pBnAqQ8d1y

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) December 4, 2022

If you've got some free time between holidays, you might want to read, or at least skim through, a list of some things we learned in 2022 on a wide-ranging number of subjects, like animals, artificial intelligence, art, archaeology (wait, is this list in alphabetical order?), music, space, celebrities, health (I guess not), pets, chemistry, food, history, and more. You need to know about how a new Guinness World record was set for a mass gathering of vampires, how monkeys use tools for masturbation, and how a poll to name a Uranus probe didn't result in "Uranus Probe."    

Mental Floss has put together a mega-list recapping the tidbits of knowledge that crawled across the internet in 2022. You can listen to it the Mental Floss List Show video, but it's 52 minutes long. Lucky for us, they also give us the text version, so you can skip the stuff you already know, if that's what you prefer.   

A bristlecone pine in California is the oldest living thing on earth. The tree named Methuselah is estimated to be around 5,000 years old! How in the world does a tree last that long? It comes down to adaptation to environmental stresses, plus luck in the extremity of those environmental stresses. Minute Earth explains how Methuselah is perfectly adapted to deal with the things that normally kill trees. Then there are humans, like the one who killed Methuselah's neighbor Prometheus. In that case, Methuselah was defenseless, but also just plain lucky. This video is only two and a half minutes long, the rest is a promotion.   

There are plenty of lists detailing the events of 2022, and ranking the movies, albums, celebrities, and other things that made a splash during the year. If you happen to cover, or be an expert in, something that's a bit off the beaten path, there's no reason you can't make your own year-end list of what you know. And so we have a list of 2022's most memorable public latrines offered by Canada's national parks and historic sites. The federal agency Parks Canada puts in a lot of work to make sure visitors are able to go when they need to go. The facilities are designed to serve while blending in with the natural world.  

Canadian travel writer Jennifer Bain has visited all the parks, which are large and natural, meaning there isn't modern plumbing available everywhere. The particular benefits of each outhouse is honestly described. They are all functional, which is most important, but they all have something that makes them interesting, like a clever design, a wonderful view, or surprising features like motion-sensor lights. The roundup is a lot more interesting than you would imagine, and it may even entice you to visit some of these parks. -via Metafilter

(Image credit: Jennifer Bain)

These feline creatures are honestly, amazing. They express beauty, grace, and elegance. In cartoons and other forms of media, cats are usually associated with extravagance and opulence as well. Additionally, they are also portrayed as being sneaky, witty, and capable of hunting swiftly– for example, in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, cat races (the Tabaxi) are known for being agile and fast. Their claws are also capable of dealing a lot of damage. 

However, in real life, these animals aren’t so serious all the time. They’re also not graceful or elegant. Just like us, humble and clumsy humans, they can be goofballs and make people laugh at how adorable they are. Cuteness compiles a list of different instances where these felines can be weirdly adorable. From sitting oddly on a couch to making silly but cute faces in front of a fan, these images can be a good healing moment for our souls! 

Check more odd-orable cat moments here.

Image credit: Marko Blazevic

The city of Hampi, India, is a Unesco World Heritage site. It is mostly known for the terrain of granite rocks in grey, ocher, and pink. Also, tourists go to the area for the many ruins of temples and palaces that have existed for centuries. 

The area is filled to brim with history and archaeological wonder, as the city started as the capital of the South Indian Hindu Vijayanagara kingdom from the 14th to 16th century. The kings during that time period focused and spent a lot on culture, religion, and the arts, which in turn produced the temples and palaces we see today. 

One of them is the Vijaya Vithala temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. This location is an architectural marvel, with its highly-intricate and detailed columns, gateways, and walls. Aside from that, the temple features stone pillars that produce music. "These were the only musical instruments used here," Manjunath, a guide for the temple shared with BBC’s Malavika Bhattacharya.

These pillars have baffled people for centuries. How in the world were these pillars capable of producing music? The guide explains that musicians in the olden days play the columns with sandalwood sticks or their fingers. When struck, these structures can create different musical notes as well as the sounds of various Indian instruments like the ghanta (a bell), the damaru (a small handheld drum), and the mrindangam (an oblong double-sided drum).

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Society has different standards for men and women. From what they should wear to how they should look like, these qualities are implemented in pop culture, such as younger girls and boys being taught that looking suitable means they should dream of looking like actors, singers, and influencers that follow modern standards (eg. skinny, straight hair, etc.). 

Another way how these societal norms are implemented is through consumption. Brands do their best to sell a specific body type or image so that you will use their products. 

Illustrator Lainey Molnar gives her take on gender norms by showing how our society treats men and women differently. In a series of images that went viral on Instagram, the artist shows how we deem it “normal” when men don’t shave, but for women, it is “unhygienic” or “disgusting.” 

One of the images in the series had a caption from Molnar, stating “the math is not mathing,” with the hashtag “you do you.” 

Here’s our take on all of this: what’s best is that you do what makes you happy and comfortable. Also, remember: different people have varying choices in how they present themselves to the world. Try to understand them a little bit!

Image credit: Azra Tuba Demir

So dishwasher pods actually exist. Forget the Tide pods that people joke around putting in their mouths because there’s a new pod discourse in town. Fortunately enough, it’s less about the eating and more about where you should put them inside the dishwashing machine. 

This discourse started with a TikTok video posted by an appliance repair tech Renae (@renduh on TikTok) initially stating that since these pods were covered by a type of PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) gel casing, they would be best placed in the machine’s silverware caddy. This is because PVA casing can dissolve prematurely and can gunk up people’s dishwashers. 

After an email and a tour of their factory from Cascade, a dishwasher pod manufacturer, the TikTok creator went back on the platform to share what she learned about dishwasher pods and their proper placement in general. 

According to the company, the PVA coating can cause clogs if they get wet before the washing starts. However, they insist that the pods should go into the detergent compartment of the dishwasher. To account for the gel coating in these products, Cascade advised keeping them as dry as possible before you start the washing process.

Make sure to handle the pods with dry hands and make sure that the detergent compartment in your dishwasher is dry. Part of ensuring that the coating will not dissolve prematurely is to store them in a cool, dry place.

Image credit: Castorly Stock

It seems that this gigantic attraction exploded under pressure. 

A popular attraction in the Radisson Collection Hotel in Berlin has just exploded right in front of guests. The attraction, called the AquaDom, is a massive aquarium that is around 82 feet high. The 265,000-gallon aquarium holds over 1,500 tropical fish from more than 100 various species. 

Meant to be for the Radisson’s guests and outsiders as well, the new installation was created to also offer visitors the view of the big fish tank from its center via a glass elevator that travels through that small space. Unfortunately, the AquaDom exploded during the early morning hours and was able to flood the hotel lobby and nearby streets. While no one died from the incident, two people were reported to be injured by the glass shards from the aquarium. 

The cause of the explosion remains unknown, and an investigation will be launched into this incident. 

Image credit: The Straits Times

Through most of the history of the United States, the Supreme Court has kept a low profile compared to the other branches of the federal government. With lifetime appointments, the justices do not have to make a public spectacle of themselves to be re-elected, nor do they have to please constituents. The individual justices can be as private as they want. If you look into their backgrounds, you may find some reasons they wanted to stay private. After all, Supreme Court Justices are people just like the rest of us, with all the messiness that comes with that.

One justice actually went to prison while he was on the Supreme Court. Another had a nervous breakdown over a case. Two justices actually dated each other, although that was long before they served together on the court. One was almost framed for drug possession while another was targeted for murder. Read five stories of weird happenings involving Supreme Court Justices from history at Cracked.

Miss Ukraine has turned up to the Miss Universe competition as a Sister of Battle pic.twitter.com/UtCkCGzaFe

— Ben Sledge (@BenSledge) December 23, 2022

It's not often that a national costume at the Miss Universe pageant can be described as "badass." The Sisters of Battle in the Tweet refers to a religious order in the lore of the video game Warhammer. It's an apt reference. The actual name of the costume is "Warrior of Light," worn by Miss Ukraine 2022 Viktoria Apanasenko.

Lesia Patoka designed the costume, which was built over a four-month period, sometimes by candlelight, with sirens wailing in the background. Ukraine is in the eleventh month of full-on war since Russia attacked Kyiv on February 24.

"It is the personification of inner strength, courage, determination and will flowing in our veins. War cannot break our strength and will not discolor our hearts. Ukraine will bloom like a phoenix even in a fire. It shines with bright rays of kindness and faith," Viktoria shared on social media.

The Miss Universe 2022 pageant will be held in New Orleans on January 14th. -via Fark

TRUE ANGEL IN BUFFALO 💯 A THREAD: A local woman received a call on Christmas Eve, “Hi, you don't know me but I have your brother.” The woman’s brother’s name is Joey. He is 64 years old and mentally disabled. pic.twitter.com/iAVQTsf2xH

— Kimberly LaRussa (@KimberlyLaRussa) December 26, 2022

The horrific winter storm last weekend brought nearly four feet of snow to parts of western New York state. The death toll in the Buffalo area stands at 27, but it would have been higher if people hadn't opened their doors to strangers. Among the many stories of rescue and hospitality, that of Sha'Kyra Aughtry stands out. She heard a man crying outside, and her boyfriend Trent brought him into their house. They believe he may have been trying to walk home from his workplace. Joey was suffering from frostbite. Besides taking care of him, Aughtry was able to contact Joey's family and eventually arranged transport to a hospital. She even accompanied him so he wouldn't be frightened. We don't know Joey's prognosis, but he is being cared for in the hospital's burn unit. You can read the story at the Twitter thread or the Threadreader version. -via Metafilter, where you'll find links to more stories about people stepping up to help those stranded by the weather.

Pioneers in 3D printing are always looking for ways that it can be used to make life better or easier for the rest of us. One innovation is to recreate a realistic but artificial human body, or a partial body, as an exact copy of a particular surgical patient. A medical scanner maps out the size, shape, and positions of organs, and then a copy is manufactured, as demonstrated here by the company Lazarus 3D. That's for surgeons to practice on, to avoid that moment when they cut a person open and find surprises. It's a sort of dress rehearsal for the actual surgery. The robotic surgery part is not really crucial to the rest of the story, but it's pretty neat anyway. Tom Scott volunteered his body for the demonstration, and the scan revealed he luckily didn't need surgery, so they added a cyst just so we could watch them remove it.

I made it. Merry Christmas. pic.twitter.com/NI85iDhDNw

— Gävlebocken (@Gavlebocken) December 25, 2022

The Gävle Goat (previously at Neatorama) is an annual tradition in the town of Gävle, Sweden. It is a giant sculpture of a goat made of straw, erected early in December every year since 1966. In 38 of those years, someone has burned it down which is a 67% arson rate! In some years, it burned almost immediately after the goat was erected. But this year's goat has beaten the odds and survived through Christmas. Protecting the goat is not easy- there are security guards and a live webcam, plus serious consequences for arsonists who are caught. Last year's arsonist was sentenced to six months in jail, although most perpetrators were never caught. While getting through Christmas without being roasted is a good sign, the Gävle Goat is not considered a historic "survivor" until December 31st. The Herald Scotland has the goat's story and a timeline of the goat's fate for each year so far. This story may be updated within a few days.

Update 1/1/23: The goat has survived!