In 1958, a scientist began filling flasks with air. The samples showed the Earth was ‘breathing.’

Charles David Keeling’s painstaking work offered a better understanding of our planet, along with undeniable evidence of climate change.

By Evan Porter

One of the longest-running scientific studies of its kind might not sound all that interesting on its surface. For more than 60 years, scientists on the flank of Mauna Loa, an active volcano in Hawaii, have been collecting air. Yes, air.

The work, while repetitive and tedious at times, is surprisingly among the most important scientific research ever conducted.

In the early 1900s, a handful of scientists had captured similar air samples from around the globe. An engineer named Guy Stewart Callendar was one of the first to compare these datasets and conclude that the human burning of fossil fuels was causing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere to rise.

Happiness researcher shares 4 ‘big habits’ the world’s happiest people engage in daily

Dr. Brooks calls it “the happiness pension plan.”

By Annie Reneau

The pursuit of happiness is seen as such an inseparable element of being human that the founders of the United States put it in the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence. Everyone wants to be happy. And yet, so many find happiness elusive.

Harvard University social scientist Dr. Arthur C. Brooks has made human happiness (and the pursuit of it) the central focus of his research. In his studies, he has identified four habits that the happiest people practice each day.

Co-parenting with your bestie. 🤝

15 things tourists notice in the U.S. that Americans totally miss

“I’ve lived in the US my whole life. Somehow, I’ve never noticed this before.”

By Emily Shiffer

Tourists see new places with fresh eyes and fresh observations. In 2024, 72.4 million tourists visited the United States, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office. (That’s a lot of eyes seeing America in a new light.)

Tourists to the States have pointed out that Americans really do like to put ranch dressing on everything. They’ve also noted that in the U.S., squirrels seem to run rampant.

While these are insightful observations, most Americans would say they already know them to be true. On Reddit, Americans shared the shocking realizations they had about the U.S. that were only revealed to them by tourists.

Italian exchange student ‘forced’ to try Olive Garden for the first time. His reaction has people rolling.

“I feel like I am betraying Italy right now.”

By Heather Wake

Oh, Olive Garden. The hold you have on our American souls. We know it’s about as authentic to Italian food as Taco Bell is to Mexican food, but does that make the breadsticks and Alfredo sauce any less addictive? No, certainly not.

Still, one cannot expect an actual Italian person to hold the same fondness. And yet, one American host mom insisted on introducing her Italian exchange student to it anyway.

In a hilarious three-part series, we see Rhonda, an American, tell Alessandro, an Italian, “Today’s your lucky day! We are taking you to dinner at a very special place!” She then does her best to coax Alessandro out of the car and into the Olive Garden where they’re currently parked.