In this 20-minute video, two mathematicians play Monopoly and work out how to win at it…using math.

The mathematicians are Dr. Hannah Fry and Matt Parker. They each simulated the game using computer programs they wrote. The programs play pseudo-Monopoly games, keeping track of how the dice rolls come out (including how common doubles are), which properties are commonly landed on, and how the Chance and Community Chest decks are used.

With all this data, the two work out how to win money and infuriate your relatives. Enjoy:

If you’re curious about Fry’s book including Monopoly bits—or the “finite money” goof in the video—check the YouTube video description for links and explanation. American viewers may want to consult this Monopoly U.K. game board (the property names differ from the U.S. version). If you want a snappier set of tips without all the theoretical background, check out Math Hacks That Will Give You An Edge in Monopoly.

Scents have the power to transport us to specific places or times. Some candles can remind you of specific locations, while others can stir up nostalgic memories of home. If you find yourself longing for the great outdoors, a series of candles from Uncommon Goods promise to make it feel like you’re really in one of the U.S. national parks—so long as you close your eyes.

The Great Outdoors National Park Candles are inspired by key tourist spots in Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Redwood National. Creator Laura Reid visited the three national parks and researched the distinct scents in an attempt to fully recreate what each place smells like. The result: Yellowstone’s Old Faithful smells of subalpine fir, thermal moss, and wild strawberry; Yosemite’s Firefall is reimagined with brisk granite, fresh cedar, and black sage; Redwood National’s Avenue of the Giants has notes of coastal redwood, bay laurel, and sea salt. Each of the layered scents are made with essential oils in hand-poured coconut wax.

You can grab one of these scenic candles from UncommonGoods for $40.

Here are some things Russians think other Russians who are preparing to visit the U.S. should know.

1. Don’t Worry About Bringing Gifts to Americans …

Gift giving isn’t a big deal to Americans. In fact, according to the site Деловой этикет по-американски, “Americans do not expect them. On the contrary, an unexpected gift while conducting business can put an American in an awkward position. Such things for Americans suggest reciprocity.” But not all gifts will make Americans feel awful. They love gifts that are “purely Russian,” with some caveats:

If you do gift, it is desirable to bring something purely Russian when you visit the United States. But make it ‘purely Russian’ for modern America—not nesting dolls and samovar. Instead bring a good book about Moscow or Russian history, art and culture. Americans appreciate a good education and have great respect for cognitive literature.

2. … And definitely don’t bring business gifts.

“Business gifts in the U.S. are not acceptable,” the site Национальные особенности этикета в США cautions. “[T]hey often cause suspicion. Americans fear that they could be construed as a bribe, and in the United States that is strictly punishable by law.”

3. If you’re a man, be careful when dealing with American ladies.

According to the Russian site Этикет США, “U.S. etiquette prohibits flirting with a woman who is not your girlfriend or wife. If you are not acquainted with a woman, whether she be in a restaurant, on the street, or on the subway, do not look at her legs, etc. Americans could easily call the police on you, even for just ogling her.”

When it comes to introducing yourself to a woman, the site Национальные особенности этикета в США advises caution. You shouldn’t kiss her, not even her hand:

Welcome and introductions: men and women tend to shake hands. Mutual kissing and kissing ladies’ hands is not accepted. Also, women play a greater role in business. Often they insist to be treated exactly as an equal and not as a lady. In this regard, it is not acceptable to be excessively gallant, and you should avoid personal questions (do not find out whether she is married).

See Also: 10 Japanese Travel Tips for Visiting America

4. They’d prefer it if you got to the point …

“Americans generally do not like long intros and prefer to go directly to the subject matter, especially if it’s a phone conversation,” says the site Американский речевой этикет. “In Russia we talk about general topics before moving on to the reason for the call.”

That said, once you’re having a phone conversation, Americans won’t be thrilled if you just hang up on them. “Americans are often surprised by the Russian habit of quickly breaking off a conversation and hanging up,” the site notes. “Phone etiquette in America usually involves the gradual end of the conversation, confirmation agreements and standard closing remarks. By the way, ‘see you later’ should not be taken literally. That is a courtesy, and no more.”

5. … But would like you to avoid pointed statements.

According to Американский речевой этикет, “Russian conversational patterns often sound harsh to Americans. Statements such as, ‘You’re wrong,’ can be offensive. This can be interpreted as ‘You are telling lies!'” Instead, soften it up: “[I]t is better to say, ‘I do not think I can agree with this.'”

6. You Can Only Talk About Health in Certain Situations.

And that situation is when your friend is in the hospital. Otherwise, according to the site Американский речевой этикет, “What seems caring can be regarded as an invasion of privacy, lack of tact. You have to have some justification to show interest in their health.” Finally, the site notes, “Do not ask the effect of a magnetic storm (not many Americans know what that is) on their well-being.”

7. When your American friend invites you to a picnic, bring something sporty (and maybe a flask).

The site Деловой этикет по-американски discusses a hypothetical situation in which a Russian visitor to the United States is invited on the most American of outings: The Picnic. (This will only happen “if you’ve known each other for several years and are social outside the office,” though, so probably won’t be an option for the novice traveler.) According to the site, “As a rule, the invitation will be only on a weekend, and you don’t have to prepare for something extravagant. Everything is the same as ours, only with far less booze. Bring something sporty—ball, badminton, Americans are certainly fervent fans of these things.” Our tip: Russians concerned about the dearth of booze should bring their own in a flask.

8. Don’t be weirded out if Americans put their feet up on stuff.

“When Americans are talking, they might put their foot on a nearby chair, or even a table,” says the site Национальные особенности этикета в США. “They might cross their legs so that one foot rests on the opposite knee. In American culture, it is considered an acceptable norm, but often causes irritation in other countries.”

See Also: 11 French Travel Tips for Visiting America

9. Americans are very optimistic …

“Americans and Russians say different things when faced with the same situation,” notes the site Американский речевой этикет. “Seeing the man who had fallen in the street, an American asks, ‘Are you all right?’ Russians will inquire: ‘Are you ill?’ We see a victim of the incident; they see survivors. Survivors are perceived as heroes. Where we ‘aren’t sick,’ they ‘stay well.’ We discuss the problem. They discuss issues and items on the agenda.”

10. … And you should keep it positive, too. The Americans demand it.

It all starts with a smile. “U.S. etiquette requires that you smile in each and every situation,” says the site Этикет США. “If you want to travel to America, be prepared to give a smile not only to friends and acquaintances, but also to all passers-by, in shops, to the staff at the hotel, police on the streets, etc.” Don’t whine about your problems or the troubles in your life, either: “Sharing in this country can only be positive emotions—sorrows and frustrations are impermissible. In the U.S. you only complain to acquaintances in the most extreme cases. Serious problems are for close friends and relatives only.”

This cheerfulness isn’t a put-on, the site notes. “Americans: they are a nation that truly feels happy. These people get used to smiling from the cradle onwards, so they do not pretend to be cheerful. The desire for a successful happy life is inculcated from childhood.”

11. Americans are very competitive …

According to an academic essay about the ethics of American etiquette at Bibliofond, “Americans love competition. They appreciate achievement records, and are constantly competing with each other. Although this behavior is natural for them, to us it may seem overbearing and intrusive. They are autonomous and independent. From early childhood, the Americans are accustomed to ‘stand on their own feet’ that is, rely only on themselves.”

A writer on the commercial export site Экспортеры России agrees: “A resident of this country will never complain and talk about their failures. Regardless of the situation, the American will always look confident, healthy, radiating success.”

12. … And are taught from a young age that they’re awesome.

If you’re a Russian visiting the U.S. and notice that Americans seem to have an overwhelming sense of superiority, know that that’s been ingrained in them since they were little, according to Экспортеры России: “The Americans have a strong sense of independence, self-reliance; they are able to compete and win anywhere, anytime. This is due to perceptions of citizens about the dominant position of the U.S. in the world, which is laid at an early age and is at the heart of the education system.”

13. Formality isn’t necessary.

Formality and overt classicism of any kind makes Americans uncomfortable. According to Экспортеры России, “The Americans, having a friendly nature, always seek to establish an informal atmosphere. So they prefer to communicate with people by first name, regardless of their age and position.”

Adds Bibliofond, “The Americans are straight people who appreciate honesty and candor, quickly move to the point of conversation and do not spend time on formalities. Americans do not like stiffness, and prefer comfortable, casual clothes. They refer to each other simply, informally, even if between the interlocutors there is a big difference in age and social position.”

14. Be very careful not to sound snooty.

Экспортеры России advises Russians visiting the U.S. to “Insert jokes into the conversations, it is considered a sign of good taste. And remember they speak American English. They consider London pronunciation an arrogant version of their language.”

15. Follow the Rules.

The travel site tonkosti knows that to many a Russian tourist, an American’s dedication to following rules will appear almost childish:

There is too much law-abiding in Americans. It makes them seem naïve to Russians. But it is due to the fact that almost everywhere is installed hidden cameras; in the shops, on the streets, in restaurants, hotels and so on. Hence, any offense cannot go unnoticed. It is better to stick to the letter of U.S. law than to escape from its clutches and reduce to zero the probability of re-visiting the American continent.

Walking against the light? Littering? Taking up two parking spaces? All against the rules. And you better make sure you recycle, too:

Modern cowboys do not smoke in public, i.e. restaurants, bars and other places where a zone is not provided for smokers. For smoking in the wrong place you could be fined, as well as for incorrect disposal of waste: for each type of waste (glass, plastic, paper) in the United States, there are separate boxes.

16. Don’t joke about being a terrorist. Americans will not laugh.

Tonkosti prepares would-be travelers for the ordeal of arriving at an American airport, which will likely involve a search of the traveler and his belongings and questions about terrorism:

You will be asked about the purpose of your visit to the United States (business travel, tourism, etc.), and—do not be surprised—airport employees may ask whether you have any relation to terrorist groups. In no case do you joke on the topic of terrorism—for the Americans it is a serious issue. If the person asking you questions on your arrival does not like your responses, you will be invited to the office of the security services at the airport. This is serious: you could be sent home, and never set foot on American soil.

17. Don’t call people ugly.

This should probably be filed under “commonsense things to avoid,” but Bibliofond warns travelers anyway:

At the table is better to avoid talking about politics and religion, as the United States is a country of Puritan values. In the straight-line American culture there is a taboo forbidding calling out the physical defects of another person. This is probably due to the constant desire of Americans to always be in great shape and look young.

Yeah. That’s probably the reason.

A version of this post appeared in 2014.

It’s a simple story: boy is rude to girl, girl dislikes boy. Boy proposes to girl and she refuses him. Later, she discovers that he’s stinking rich. Hijinks ensue. In the end, they are married in an ideal 19^th-century wedding of both love and money. Today, over 200 years later, Pride and Prejudice remains Jane Austen’s most beloved novel.

1. Like her characters, Austen was rejected for not being rich enough.

Pride and Prejudice is about young women of gentile poverty trying to find good marriage matches. This issue must have been fresh on the young author’s mind when she wrote the book. At age 20, she had a flirtation with a young man named Tom Lefroy. Like a scene out of one of her novels, she flirted scandalously with him at a ball. “Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together,” she wrote to her sister Cassandra. “He is a very gentlemanlike, good-looking, pleasant young man, I assure you.” But Austen’s social status wasn’t high enough and Lefroy’s family separated the two lovebirds. Lefroy was soon engaged to a woman with a large fortune. Austen wrote her sister: “At length the day is come on which I am to flirt my last with Tom Lefroy … My tears flow as I write this, at this melancholy idea.” 

2. Mr. Darcy is extremely rich.

The characters in Pride and Prejudice constantly exclaim over Mr. Darcy’s $10,000 pounds a year, but how rich is that exactly? In 2013, The Telegraph calculated that adjusting for financial changes, a decent estimate might be 12 million pounds, or $18.7 million U.S. dollars a year. And that’s just interest on top of a much larger fortune. It’s no wonder Mrs. Bennet gushed about Elizabeth’s engagement—”How rich and how great you will be! What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have!” Marrying Darcy would be like marrying a Rockefeller or a Vanderbilt. 

3. Lydia elopes to the Las Vegas of her day.

In the book, the Bennet family is almost ruined when Lydia elopes with the nefarious soldier George Wickham to Scotland. “I am going to Gretna Green,” Lydia writes her sister, “and if you cannot guess with who, I shall think you a simpleton.” Unlike England, Scotland allowed people under 21 to get married without parental consent, and without the same legal and religious bureaucracy. Gretna Green was the first town over the Scottish border. There, a young couple could be joined with “marriage by declaration,” which often occurred in a blacksmith shop.

4. Like Elizabeth and Jane, Austen was close to her sister.

In Pride and Prejudice, the relationship between the two sisters is central to the novel. In real life, Jane was very close to her sister Cassandra. They wrote each other almost every day when they were apart and would voluntarily share a bedroom, even when they could sleep separately. When Jane died, Cassandra wrote her niece: “She was the sun of my life, the gilder of every pleasure, the soother of every sorrow.” It’s no wonder that close sisters appear in so many of Austen’s novels. 

5. A publisher rejected the novel without even reading it.

Austen finished the book, then titled First Impressions, when she was 21 years old. In 1797, her father sent it to the publisher Thomas Cadell, writing that he had “a Manuscript Novel comprised in three Vols., about the length of Miss [Fanny] Burney’s Evelina.” He asked how much it would cost him to publish the book and what Cadell would pay for copyright. In response, Cadell scrawled “Declined by Return of Post” on the letter and sent it back with insulting speed. The novel languished for 14 years until, flush with the success of Sense and Sensibility, Austen revised the manuscript. It was published in 1813 when she was 37 years old. 

6. The title came from a Fanny Burney novel.

Austen probably got the title Pride and Prejudice from Cecilia by Fanny Burney, where the phrase is repeated several times—and in block capitals, no less. “The whole of this unfortunate business,” said Dr. Lyster, “has been the result of PRIDE and PREJUDICE. … If to PRIDE and PREJUDICE you owe your miseries, so wonderfully is good and evil balanced, that to PRIDE and PREJUDICE you will also owe their termination.” 

7. Pride and Prejudice was published anonymously.

Austen didn’t put her name on her novels, and would only say they were “By a Lady.” The title page of Pride and Prejudice said, “by the author of Sense and Sensibility.” It wasn’t until after her death that her brother revealed her name to the public. 

8. Austen worried the novel was too frivolous.

Because Pride and Prejudice humorously deals with women getting married, it’s often described as “chick lit,” a label some fans find reductionist. But Austen herself worried the book wasn’t serious enough. “The work is rather too light, and bright, and sparkling,” she wrote. “It wants shade; it wants to be stretched out here and there with a long chapter of sense, if it could be had.” Overall, though, Austen was “well satisfied enough” with the novel, especially with the character of Elizabeth. In another letter, she said, “I must confess that I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least I do not know.”  

9. She sold her copyright for 110 pounds—but wanted 150.

Austen sold the copyright for Pride and Prejudice to her publishers for 110 pounds, even though she said in a letter that she wanted 150 pounds. She chose this one-time payment, forfeiting any risk or reward connected to the future of the book. It was a bad gamble. The book was a best seller, and was on its third printing by 1817. It has been in print ever since. 

10. Pride and Prejudice has been adapted hundreds of times.

The adaptations of Pride and Prejudice seem endless (and sometimes bizarre). There have been at least 11 film and TV versions of the book, including the 1995 TV movie starring Colin Firth as a memorable Darcy. Other adaptations include Bridget Jones Diaries, the Bollywood movie Bride and Prejudice, the mystery novel Death Comes to Pemberley, and the web series “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.” And Austen fever never stops—the movie version of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is set to come out in February. 

The chemistry set is an icon in the toy world. It’s ignited entire generations of aspiring scientists, and more than a few experiments gone awry, but it wasn’t an instant classic. In its 100 years on the scene, the toy chemistry set has seen its share of ups and downs on the long journey into the hearts and gift boxes of consumers.

The toy actually has purely practical roots. In the 1800s, portable kits containing chemicals, glassware, and various tools were sold for use in the academic world. Stores steadily cranked out the kits for students and professors until the distribution was largely halted by the outbreak of World War I (the kits were mostly assembled in England with chemicals supplied by Germany).

Meanwhile, two American brothers found inspiration in the chemistry kits and the rising popularity of a brand new toy, the Erector Set, which made its debut in 1913. John J. and Harold Mitchell Porter, owners of The Porter Chemical Company in Maryland, took a cue from the DIY spirit of the Erector Set and began manufacturing Chemcraft sets, similar to the English chemistry kits (they contained chemicals, a gas lamp, labware, and instructions), but marketed as a toy. Soon after the Porter Chemcraft set hit store shelves, the company found its first competitor. Alfred Carlton Gilbert, inventor of the Erector Set, caught wind of the brothers’ idea and, in 1920, decided to debut a chemistry set of his own.

By the ’30s, chemistry sets were being sold at major retailers like Woolworths, with advertisements emblazoned with “How to be a Boy Chemist!” and “Master the Mysteries of Modern Chemistry!” encouraging kids—mostly  boys—to explore the exciting world of science. Parents were on board, too. These chemistry sets were one of the first widely distributed toys whose advertisements appealed to fresh-from-the-Depression parents, playing on the belief that a chemistry set was not merely a toy, but a valuable first step toward a career in science.

Rosie Cook of the Chemical Heritage Foundation told Smithsonian magazine: “Coming out of the Depression, that was a message that would resonate with a lot of parents who wanted their children to not only have a job that would make them money but to have a career that was stable. And if they could make the world a better place along the way, then even better.”

Chemistry sets remained popular throughout the following decades, as new editions were released often to adapt to the changing attitudes toward different scientific disciplines. With the dawn of television came an entertainment-focused set that included a guide to putting on a magic show with chemistry. After World War II and the Manhattan Project, many new chemistry sets had a nuclear tilt. With the Space Race and moon landing around the corner, scientists were becoming a kind of superstar. The field of science was experiencing an unprecedented bump in coolness, and chemistry sets—finally giving kids access to science, actual science—became all the rage.

But the sets weren’t necessarily aimed at making science accessible for everyone—they were largely marketed toward white males. From advertisements to their packaging, the target market was clear.

Kristin Frederick-Frost, curator and collections manager at the Chemical Heritage Museum told WIRED, “The typical historical narrative goes that after the war and after Sputnik there’s this huge push to get more scientists in the field. If it was purely about mobilizing as many scientists as possible, the sets would have been made to be attractive to far more flavors of people than just white boys.”

It wasn’t just a narrow focus when it came to the intended user, the intended field was also zeroed in on defense and industrial use. Still, the kits did influence the lives of many. Robert F. Curl, Jr., recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, wrote in his Nobel autobiography: “When I was 9 years old, my parents gave me a chemistry set. Within a week, I had decided to become a chemist and never wavered from that choice.”

That golden era gave way to the ’70s and ’80s, when the public developed a growing mistrust of chemistry and its industries. In the years of Agent Orange, Three Mile Island, and Silent Spring, the American public’s shiny, futuristic perception of science was replaced with suspicion and a fear that chemistry could not only win wars for America, but wage war on its own citizens. Science was no longer exciting and cool, but scary, and chemistry sets declined in popularity. Chemistry sets now came with an emphasis on safety and many changes were inarguably for the better, as the kits of old were fraught with potential dangers. For example, glassblowing kits supplied children with a blowtorch, and some nuclear-focused kits of the ’50s contained radioactive uranium ore. A string of consumer protection laws in the 1970s did away with acid in chemistry sets, among several other limitations in the sets’ contents. Chemistry sets never quite reclaimed their mojo—for the most part, today’s sets are tamer, containing smaller amounts of chemicals, and, in some cases, none at all.

Some people are still championing the chemistry set’s cause, however. A recent Kickstarter campaign aimed at assembling and distributing old-school chemistry sets racked up more than 500 backers and nearly $150,000. The set is designed to match the one sold by the A.C. Gilbert company from the ’20s through the ’40s, chemicals and all. Taking a more futuristic approach, the Chemical Heritage Foundation released a free app called ChemCrafter, which enables iPad users to “create surprising color changes, encounter fire and smoke, release various gases, and shatter equipment,” all from the safety of the screen. It might not compare to the real thing, but these efforts might just be priming the old-school chemistry set for a comeback. 

You may think of your body as home to only one organism: you. But you actually host trillions of microbes, mainly bacteria, fungi and viruses, comprising their own individual microbiomes—ecosystems—too small to be seen with the naked eye.

Before you rush off to take a shower, consider that these living colonies in your body work in synergy with you to keep you healthy. Studying them can reveal imbalances in health, and offer avenues of treatment for a wide range of physical and mental health problems. Your microbiome is so unique to you, it could one day replace the fingerprint ID. And when artists interpret this amazing world, the results can be simply beautiful. Here are 10 mysteries revealed about the human microbiome.

1. YOU ARE MORE BACTERIA THAN HUMAN. 

Bacterial cells are so prolific in our bodies, that they outnumber our human cells 10 to 1. It’s only because they’re so microscopically tiny that we don’t notice their presence.

2. YOUR THROAT MICROBIOME MIGHT REVEAL IF YOU ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP SCHIZOPHRENIA.

A recent study done at George Washington University found a notable difference in the throat microbiomes of schizophrenics as compared to healthy controls. In particular, they found high levels of lactic-acid bacteria and “an increased number of metabolic pathways related to metabolite transport systems including glutamate, and vitamin B12.” While there is much more research to be done, this information has potential applications for biomarkers that could detect and diagnose schizophrenia with a simple swab test, possibly before symptoms occur.

3. YOUR GUT MICROBIOME AFFECTS YOUR MOOD. 

Several studies have tested the effects of bacteria lactobacillus and bifidobacterium on mice and humans. In one study, mice fed these bacteria showed less anxiety or despair (measured by how willing mice are to rescue themselves when dropped into jars of water), which they compared to how mice behaved when given the anti-depressant drug Prozac. In another study, mice treated with the probiotics performed better on cognitive tests, including navigating mazes, and object recognition tests. And in the biggest known human study, a group of 25 healthy women ate yogurt with live bacteria every day for four weeks. Compared to the control group, the yogurt eaters had “calmer” reactions to images of facial expressions. Researchers are still trying to pinpoint how these good bacteria improve the mood; theories include activating compounds like serotonin, stimulating the vagus nerve, which releases the natural calming agent acetylcholine, and simply sending calming signals to the immune and nervous systems. Researchers hope that one day common psychiatric disorders could be treated with probiotics as well as drugs.

4. THE MICROBIOTA OF YOUR SKIN HELP PROTECT AGAINST INVADERS. 

The exterior surface of human skin is home to as many as 300 strains of bacteria. These microbes are intricately linked to your immune system, helping you defend against invading pathogens. While their intentions aren’t selfless—they are, after all, protecting their home—you receive multiple benefits: helping you heal wounds, control skin inflammation, and modulate T cells and interleukin-1, key compounds that fight infection, according to the National Human Genome Institute.

5. GREATER BACTERIAL BIODIVERSITY IS LINKED TO LOWER ALLERGIES.

If you’re looking for another reason to clean your house less often, more research points to allowing for more bacterial diversity in your home, and connects a reduction in bacterial biodiversity to an increase in allergies. Chemicals that clean floors and toilets also kill good bacteria—better to use “natural” agents like baking soda and vinegar, or to stress less over a slightly dirty floor, the dog sleeping on your bed, or using hand sanitizer for dirty hands. Other research suggests that reduced interaction with the natural world is also responsible for a rise in allergies. So go for a hike, and get dirty.

6. YOU HAVE BACTERIA DNA IN YOUR GENES. 

According to a study done by the University of Cambridge, as many as 145 of the genes in your human genome are bacteria genes that have used a process known as horizontal gene transfer to “jump” into human DNA over the course of our evolution.

7. YOUR DOMINANT HAND HOSTS DIFFERENT BACTERIA THAN YOUR NON-DOMINANT HAND.

Though you have approximately the same number of bacteria on each of your hands, research done at George Washington University has found that the colonies are different from hand to hand, suggesting that your dominant hand, with which you are likely to do more things, comes in contact with a different set of bacteria than the other hand.

8. BACTERIA HAVE GENDER PREFERENCES.

Men always take heat for being dirtier than women, but it might be true, in a way. At the very least, the bacteria Corynebacterium—usually found in the armpit and responsible for the pungent odor—prefers male chemistry. It’s 80 percent more abundant on male skin than on female skin, according to a study published in the journal PNAS.  But Enterobacteriales is 400 percent more abundant on women, and Lactobacillaceae (primarily found in the mouth and the vagina) is 340 percent more abundant. In general, the palms of women were found to have greater bacterial diversity than the palms of men. Some explanations for this diversity may have to do with the slightly different Ph balance between male and female skin, differences in sweat and sebum (oil) production, and the frequency of moisturizer or cosmetics use.

9. YOUR BELLY BUTTON HAS ITS OWN MICROBIOME.

There are more than 1400 strains of bacteria that call your “inny” home, with as many as 662 of those not previously identified by science until the Belly Button Biodiversity Project analyzed them. And in case you were wondering, “outies” are the same.

10. YOUR FIRST MICROBIOME CONTACT WAS IN UTERO. 

For years, science considered the uterus of a pregnant woman a sterile environment, but new research published in Science Translational Medicine revealed that placentas have a unique microbiome that is different from any other part of the body (though most similar to the microbiome of the mouth). Contact with their mothers’ placentas, and the umbilical cord that attaches them, offers babies their first exposure to the bacteria that will soon colonize and support their own small bodies. Understanding this particular microbiome may also help researchers learn more to treat in utero infections and preterm births.

With the cold weather, you’re probably going to be drinking a lot of hot cocoa. Get your drink on in style with these mugs that change when filled with hot liquids.

1. CONNECT THE STARS

What seems like a normal night sky is actually filled with constellations. Some hot water will reveal them to you—since constellations never look like anything without the drawn lines.

Buy on Amazon.

2. MASS EXTINCTION

Some hot coffee turns these dinosaurs into fossils, just like that comet did.

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3. WAKE UP

This cup will mirror your own face as you drink your morning coffee.

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4. WE’RE ALL MAD HERE (ABOUT THIS MUG)

Pour in your drink, and the feline from Alice in Wonderland disappears to just a grin, in typical Cheshire Cat fashion. 

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5. RECHARGE YOUR MUG

This mug tells you when you need to recharge (reheat) your drink.

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6. FULL HEALTH

Video game lovers will be soothed by the appearance of a full red heart. Just don’t get injured sipping on that hot cocoa.

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7. PAC-MAN

Filling up this mug is a lot like putting a quarter in the classic arcade game.

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8. TETRIS

Perfect for video game lovers who have a hard time looking away from their console. 

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9. TRAVEL THE GALAXY

The TARDIS never stays in one place for long—as you’ll soon discover with this mug. Add hot liquid and your time machine will transport it from an English street to deep space.

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10. PICK A BEAR

Empty, this sleepy bear is all black. Full, it becomes an alert panda.

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11. SWITCH TO PROTESTANTISM

Once you fill this cup, Henry VIII’s wives fade away, leaving only their cause of death.

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12. WINTER IS COMING

The Starks know cold, but they also know how to keep warm. Cuddle up with your mug and the Stark’s house words of warning.

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13. CAPED MUG CRUSADER

What seems like an unassuming black mug is actually a super cool Batman mug in disguise.

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14. SAVE CHRISTMAS

Santa can’t navigate his sleigh until you’ve had your morning coffee.

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15. THE NORTHERN LIGHTS 

The aurora borealis can be elusive in real life, but it just takes some hot coffee to make the lights appear on your mug. 

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The concept of a book town first came into being in the 1960s, when the fortunes of Hay-on-Wye, a small market town on the Welsh/English border, were transformed by the power of books. The opportunity to regenerate struggling villages and towns by opening up secondhand bookstores and welcoming literary events has since been embraced by many other locations around the world, creating a network of fascinating places to visit, all with books at their heart.

1. HAY-ON-WYE, WALES

In 1961 entrepreneur Richard Booth opened a secondhand bookshop in the small market town of Hay-on-Wye (population: c. 1600). The shop proved very popular and before long had grown to become one of Europe’s largest. Soon many more specialist and secondhand bookshops popped up in the town, transforming the local economy and raising its bibliophile credentials. To crown Hay’s status as the world’s first book town, a literary festival was set up in 1987 and is now the foremost literary event in the UK, tempting in 250,000 book-loving visitors each year.

2. BREDEVOORT, NETHERLANDS

Bredevoort (population: c.1525), a small medieval town in the Netherlands, was designated a book town in 1993 because of its more than 20 secondhand and antiquarian bookshops. Every third Saturday of the month, the town square hosts a book market, attracting book dealers from all over the country to sell English, German, and Dutch books. Bredevoort is one of the founding members of the International Organisation of Book Towns, and hosts many literary events to support the local book economy.

3. REDU, BELGIUM

In 1979, villager Noel Anselot returned from a trip to Hay-on-Wye inspired and decided to regenerate his own tiny village (pop: c. 500) in the beautiful Ardennes region of Belgium by attracting booksellers. He wrote to many bookdealers across the region, inviting them to set up shop in some of the original village buildings (such as barns, houses, and sheds) to keep the look of the village intact. The project was a success, and now 17 bookshops specializing in secondhand books and comics are based in the village. Redu holds a number of book-related exhibitions and events every year, including a book night when the bookshops stay open all night long. The town was officially declared a book town in 1984 after holding its first book festival. To cement Redu’s reputation as the first book town in continental Europe, it is twinned with Hay-on-Wye.

4. HOBART, NEW YORK

In 1999 this lovely Catskills town (current population: c. 440) was, for all intents and purposes, a ghost town. The only business was a rundown diner. Local resident Don Dales saw an opportunity and began buying up empty stores. After noticing the success of one antiquarian bookshop, Dale himself opened up two more bookstores in 2004. Today there are six bookshops, teeming with books on every subject from cookbooks to rare children’s books, as well as an annual Festival of Women Writers. It’s quickly become a tempting weekend destination for book-loving New Yorkers.

5. FJAERLAND, NORWAY

Fjaerland (population: c. 300) is located amidst the stunning fjords of Norway, making it one of the most remote book towns in the world—prior to 1994 when a road was built, Fjaerland could only be reached by boat. The tiny village hosts its bookshops among abandoned village buildings, including a former stable, grocery store, post office, and ferry waiting room. Because of its isolated location and the vagaries of the Norwegian weather, the book town is only open to visitors from May to September.

6. WIGTOWN, SCOTLAND

Wigtown (population: c. 1000) has been Scotland’s designated national book town since 1998. After the town’s main employers, the creamery and whiskey distillery, closed, this remote Scottish town was in danger of becoming derelict. Fortunately, its regeneration was secured when Wigtown won a national search (beating off stiff competition from five other towns) to create Scotland’s only book town. Booksellers quickly moved in, setting up over twenty bookshops and a very successful literary festival.

Somebody has to terrify America’s children. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that person was Walter McDougall. As part of a series of stories for children, McDougall filled American newspapers with clever but alarming visions of child-eating monsters. 

McDougall began his newspaper career in the 1870s, working as a political cartoonist at the New York Graphic. From there he began selling cartoons to Harper’s Weekly and Puck magazine. His career really took off on May 21, 1893, when one of his drawings became the first color cartoon printed in an American newspaper. One year later, his cheerful story “The Unfortunate Fate of a Well-Intended Dog” became the country’s first color comic strip. His illustrations for a weekly American Press Association editorial column also made him the nation’s first syndicated newspaper artist.

As his career progressed, his fame grew. In his heyday, McDougall was producing dozens of cartoons every week for regional and national newspapers and magazines.

McDougall’s monsters found a regular home in the humbly named cartoon series “McDougall’s Good Stories for Children.” His stories married obscure vocabulary, bizarre creatures, and child endangerment. Needless to say, they were a big success. 

By 1904, word of his weird drawings had reached L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum was about to release a second book and wanted to promote it with a weekly comic strip. The two put their rather strange heads together and came up with “Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz,” which ran from 1904 to 1905.

McDougall worked into his sixties, amassing a portfolio of hundreds and hundreds of comics. There would be no happy ending for his story, however; after retirement, he withdrew into seclusion for years, then committed suicide at the age of 80. You can remember him by seeing more of his monster images on the Monster Brains blog, or viewing his political cartoons at the Ohio State University Libraries.

All images are courtesy of the Library of Congress.

If you’ve watched a movie trailer in the last decade or so, you’ve heard what Mike Rugnetta calls The Braaam™. It’s sometimes referred to as “The Inception Sound,” though variants of this percussive, interrupting, and menacing noise have crept into all sorts of movie trailers.

In this brilliant episode of his podcast Reasonably Sound, Rugnetta discusses the sound itself, as well as its historical origin. I promise, you’ll be surprised at how deep this goes. Tune in for a half-hour audio essay that will change how you listen to movie trailers forever:

If you want a taste of what The Braaam™ is, watch this two-minute supercut of them in recent movie trailers, compiled by Stephen Bruckert: