Designer Creates Innovative Card-Like Lipstick

The humble lipstick tube seems like it's been around forever. Though it hasn’t, it's become widely accepted as the only way to apply lipstick. One designer who wants that to change has come up with an ingenious design for lipstick that looks nothing like the good old tube Maurice Levi invented back in 1915. Designer Yuru Zhang has come up with a slick, card-like design inspired by the sheets of pigment-infused paper that Chinese women used to apply lip makeup centuries ago. Called Yanzhi, after the red facial balm once used to do lip makeup in imperial China, the innovative lipstick has a rectangular design and features a simple way to push the lipstick paper out. All the user has to do is push on the back of the container gently, and simply press their lips against the paper to apply the lipstick. After the makeup is done, the lipstick can be pulled back into the container. It’s unclear whether the Yanzhi lipstick will ever be commercially available, but even as a prototype, it’s a fresh take on a century-old invention in need of a refresh.

 

 

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Chicago Cat Makes Death-Defying Leap

Whether myth, miracle or marvel of physics, the idea of a cat always landing on his feet is firmly embedded in feline lore. It's as if cats possess invisible landing gear, and no matter their size, they can turn a tumble into a right-side-up touchdown. From overshooting windowsills in quest of passing birds to miscalculating fences as they run from barking dogs, cats appear to regain perfect balance seemingly without effort. One Chicago cat recently proved that when it made a death-defying leap from the fifth floor of a burning building. A video posted to social media by the Chicago Fire Department shows just how true the idea of cats always landing on their feet really is.

 

 

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If You're a Picky Eater, You Can Blame Your Genes

While children are more likely to turn up their noses at certain foods, they usually grow out of it. However, there are some children who go on to become adult picky eaters. It’s long been known that environment and experience play major roles in shaping an individual’s tastes. Science, however, tells us that many people are genetically predisposed to being picky, long before they confront their first plate of broccoli. In many cases, Mom and Dad have only themselves to blame for unwittingly passing on the genes that can govern finicky tastes. Those genes also predict the strength of sweet-tooth cravings among children. While picky eating has been around as long as children and vegetables, it has only recently been recognized as a clinical disorder. Like other psychiatric disorders, picky eating isn't generally recognized medically until it becomes a big problem. If someone only eats 10 different foods, but they’re perfectly happy and healthy, they don’t fit the diagnosis. In more extreme cases, the impacts of the disorder can be serious. There's no one-size-fits-all advice for overcoming picky eating, and there's not much research on it when it comes to adults.

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The Amazing Michael Kearney

Michael Kearney is a former child prodigy, known for setting several world records, and teaching college at the age of 16. Born in 1984, he spoke his first words at four months old. At the age of six months, he said to his pediatrician, “I have a left ear infection.” He learned to read at 10 months of age, and when he was just four, he was given multiple-choice diagnostic tests for the Johns Hopkins precocious math program. Without having studied for the exam, Michael achieved a perfect score. He finished high school at age six, enrolled in Santa Rosa Junior College seven months later, and graduated at the age of eight with an Associate degree in Geology. He is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s youngest university graduate at the age of 10, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of South Alabama. Michael’s 118-page Master’s thesis was entitled "Kinetic Isotope Effects of Thymidine Phosphorylase." His research focused on an enzyme that could potentially slow or stop the growth of cancer cells without harming health. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Master's degree in biochemistry at the age of 14, and taught at Vanderbilt University at 16. He received a second Master's degree in Computer Science from Vanderbilt when he was 17. At age 22, he received his Ph.D in Chemistry from Middle Tennessee University, and as if that’s not enough, he has won well over $1 million participating in game shows, including Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. So, what did Kearney end up doing with all his education? Today he is 37, but he’s not curing cancer or solving world problems. He’s running an improv comedy company in Nashville. Go figure.

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