The Tradition Of The Christmas Tree Originated In Eastern Europe More Than 500 Years Ago. Today, It Has

The tradition of the Christmas tree originated in eastern Europe more than 500 years ago. Today, it has become a thriving industry, employing nearly 100,000 people and generating almost $2 billion in revenue annually. Approximately 25-30 million natural Christmas trees are harvested each year, with about 30 percent coming from the Pacific Northwest. Sales of real Christmas trees have increased by nearly 20 percent since 2020, and artificial trees are also popular.

While artificial trees have faced criticism for the chemicals used in their production and their environmental impact, live trees also have their drawbacks.

via The Toxic Truth About Your Christmas Tree

Could a Cockroach Survive a Fall From Space?

The results are bad news, at least for those of us who aren’t too fond of cockroaches. 

A note from 2014 but still interesting:

Before the Communists came to power in 1949, China had only 22 dams of any significant size. Now the country has more than half of the world’s roughly 50,000 large dams, defined as having a height of at least 15 meters, or a storage capacity of more than three million cubic meters. Thus, China has completed, on average, at least one large dam per day since 1949. If dams of all sizes are counted, China’s total surpasses 85,000. - marginal revolution

*Photo | The Three Gorges Dam spanning the Yangtze River

Tesla is recalling nearly all vehicles sold in US to fix an autopilot fault

Your age in years is merely a numerical value, as it appears that the crucial factor in understanding the risk of diseases lies in the biological age of your individual organs.

In the 1870s, 37 cats were tasked to deliver mail to local villages in Germany. However, the cats were not disciplined enough so it was quickly dropped