Apparently we’re not the only animals who could benefit from reading glasses; primatologists now report that older bonobos groom their kin from a distance, like a person holding a restaurant menu at arm’s length. Their study, published in the journal Current Biology, confirms that bonobos become farsighted as they age.

Along with the chimpanzee, the bonobo (Pan paniscus) is the closest living relative of humans; our three species share nearly 99 percent of our DNA. But unlike humans or chimpanzees, bonobos have a reputation as the hippies of the animal kingdom, resolving conflicts with sex rather than violence. They put a high value on group harmony, which they maintain through the aforementioned love-ins and by a near-constant social grooming regimen. 

It was during one of these grooming sessions that experts observed a very familiar behavior: An older male named Ten (abbreviated TN) was grooming a younger male, Jeudi (JD), from a somewhat ungainly distance. “TN had to stretch his arm to groom JD,” study co-author Heungjin Ryu of Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute said in a statement, “and only when he found something on JD’s body would he come close to remove it using his mouth.”

Here’s TN grooming JD:

Compare that with this photo of 17-year-old Fuku grooming her friend Hoshi: 

Ryu and his colleagues suspected that TN was grooming at arm’s length to accommodate for presbyopia, or farsightedness. To find out if that was true, and if the strategy was widespread, they spent four months in 2015 monitoring wild bonobos in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Each time they spotted the animals grooming, they snapped a photo, eventually capturing pictures of 14 different bonobos between the ages of 11 and 45. 

The researchers then measured the distance in each photograph between groomer and groom-ee. They compared each animal’s grooming proximity with his or her age and, sure enough, a trend emerged. Whether male or female, each bonobo’s preferred grooming distance increased exponentially as he or she got older, especially after age 40. 

The straightforwardness of the results was “very surprising even for us,” Ryu said. Bonobos have no corrective lenses, no reading glasses. When their vision fails, it fails—a dangerous proposition for animals who spend their lives in the forest canopy. 

Ryu says his team’s findings also have some interesting implications for humans. If our bonobo cousins also lose their visual edge as they age, maybe our tech-centric lifestyle is less to blame for our midlife squinting than we previously believed. 

After a year and a half of televised shouting matches and incessant attack ads, it’s easy to forget that a civilized political discourse is possible. Doing your best to rise above the fray? Nineteenth century etiquette experts were full of (surprisingly) timeless pieces of advice for discussing issues with friends, colleagues, and family members. Keep this list handy while you wait for the returns, and remember: Politics can get ugly, but the drawing room conversation doesn’t have to.

1. EDUCATE YOURSELF BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH.

“It is very needful for one who desires to talk well, not only to be well acquainted with the current news, and modern and ancient literature of his language, but also with the historical events of the past and present of all countries. He must not have a confused idea of dates and history, but be able to give a clear account, not only of the chief events of the recent Rebellion, but also of those of the Revolutions of the past century, and of the period of the Roman Empire, its rise and fall, and of the various important events which have occurred in England, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, and Russia.”

— From Daisy Eyebright’s A Manual of Etiquette With Hints on Politeness and Good Breeding, 1873

2. KNOW WHERE YOU STAND …

“Retain, if you will, a fixed political opinion, yet do not parade it upon all occasions, and, above all, do not endeavor to force others to agree with you. Listen calmly to their ideas upon the same subjects, and if you cannot agree, differ politely, and while your opponent may set you down as a bad politician, let him be obliged to admit that you are a gentleman.”

— From Cecil B. Hartley’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Etiquette, 1875

3. … BUT DON’T BE A KNOW-IT-ALL.

“Never, when advancing an opinion, assert positively that a thing ‘is so,’ but give your opinion as an opinion. Say, ‘I think this is so,’ or, ‘these are my views,’ but remember that your companion may be better informed upon the subject under discussion, or, where it is a mere matter of taste or feeling, do not expect that all the world will feel exactly as you do.”

— From Florence Hartley’s The Ladies’ Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness, 1860

4. ESPECIALLY NOT AT PARTIES.

“A man is sure to show his good or bad breeding the instant he opens his mouth to talk in company … The ground is common to all, and no one has a right to monopolize any part of it for his own particular opinions, in politics or religion. No one is there to make proselytes, but every one has been invited, to be agreeable and to please.”

— From Arthur Martine’s Martine’s Hand-Book of Etiquette and Guide to True Politeness, 1866

5. KNOW WHEN TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT.

“Whenever the lady or gentleman with whom you are discussing a point, whether of love, war, science or politics, begins to sophisticate, drop the subject instantly. Your adversary either wants the ability to maintain his opinion … or he wants the still more useful ability to yield the point with unaffected grace and good humor; or what is also possible, his vanity is in some way engaged in defending views on which he may probably have acted, so that to demolish his opinions is perhaps to reprove his conduct, and no well-bred man goes into society for the purpose of sermonizing.”

— From Martine’s Hand-Book of Etiquette and Guide to True Politeness

6. KEEP YOUR COOL, TOO.

“Even if convinced that your opponent is utterly wrong, yield gracefully, decline further discussion, or dexterously turn the conversation, but do not obstinately defend your own opinion until you become angry … Many there are who, giving their opinion, not as an opinion but as a law, will defend their position by such phrases, as: ‘Well, if I were president or governor, I would,’ — and while by the warmth of their argument they prove that they are utterly unable to govern their own temper, they will endeavor to persuade you that they are perfectly competent to take charge of the government of the nation.”

— From A Gentleman’s Guide to Etiquette

7. AND DEFINITELY DON’T TAKE SIDES.

“In a dispute, if you cannot reconcile the parties, withdraw from them. You will surely make one enemy, perhaps two, by taking either side, in an argument when the speakers have lost their temper.”

— From A Gentleman’s Guide to Etiquette

8. TRY NOT TO CRITICIZE POLITICIANS … IF THERE ARE POLITICIANS PRESENT.

“It is bad manners to satirize lawyers in the presence of lawyers, or doctors in the presence of one of that calling, and so of all the professions. Nor should you rail against bribery and corruption in the presence of politicians … or members of Congress, as they will have good reason to suppose that you are hinting at them.”

— From Martine’s Hand-Book of Etiquette and Guide to True Politeness

While sorting through junk mail and coupons destined for the shredder, a cashier at an Asda supermarket in England made an extraordinary discovery. Shuffled in with the papers in the store’s lost and found bin was an envelope date-stamped 1945. Stacie Adamson saved the parcel when she realized it had been written during World War II, and now she’s on a mission to return it to the original owner, Manchester Evening News reports.

The love letter was sent by a British woman named Dorothy to her sweetheart, Harry Hughes, while he was stationed in what is now Sri Lanka as a pilot for the Royal Air Force. In the message, Dorothy writes of voting in the General Election earlier that day and about her dreams of marrying Harry when he returns home.

Jump forward 71 years later, and the romantic memento somehow ended up in the lost property bin of the Greater Manchester Asda. The store workers aren’t sure how it got there, but they’ve since turned to Facebook to spread the story.

Thanks to some online sleuthing, Adamson was able to track down old footage of the same Harry Hughes mentioned in the letter. The video belongs to a series titled Calling Blighty, which was filmed in India and Southeast Asia during the war. You can visit this link to watch Harry give a shout-out to his mom, dad, and his girl Dorothy back home.

Adamson reached out to the website that posted the video and they’ve agreed to join her search for Harry or someone close to him. She said in a news statement from Asda, “My ultimate goal is to hand the letter back in person to Harry—that would be absolutely amazing. If that isn’t possible, giving it to a member of his family would be the next best thing.”

[h/t Manchester Evening News]

Lots of surprising things wash up on the world’s beaches—including snowballs. As NPR reports, a beach in northwest Siberia, on the Gulf of Ob, is covered in frozen spheres that have drifted ashore. According to experts, the rare phenomenon occurs when pieces of ice form, and are rolled into balls by wind and water.

The frosty orbs began accumulating along the Siberian coast around two weeks ago, according to the BBC. Currently, they cover around 11 miles of beach. Some are the size of a tennis ball; others are nearly 3 feet across.

Sergei Lisenkov, press secretary of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, provided Russian media outlets with an explanation. “As a rule, first there is a primary natural phenomenon—sludge ice, slob ice,” he said. (NPR defines “slob ice” as a Canadian term used to describe “sludgy masses of floating ice.”)

“Then comes a combination of the effects of the wind, the lay of the coastline, and the temperature and wind conditions,” Lisenkov continued. “It can be such an original combination that it results in the formation of balls like these.”

Residents of the nearby village of Nyda are amazed. “Even old-timers say they see this phenomenon for the first time,” village administrator Valery Akulov told The Siberian Times.

But as other media outlets point out, this isn’t the first time that waves have washed spherical ice formations onto land: Similar events have been reported in the U.S. around Lake Michigan, and in the Gulf of Finland in Europe.

In short, the unusual weather surprise is rare, but perfectly natural. Hopefully, the people of Nyda love a good snowball fight—especially one that comes complete with ready-made ammo. Watch a video of the wintry occurrence below.

[h/t NPR]

If the Twitter photos of lines snaking around city blocks are any indication, people are showing up to vote in droves. And while the high voter turnout is a great example of democracy in action, it spells bad news for voter wait times. So, what do you do if you’re stuck at the back of the line when your polling place closes? You stay right where you are.

If you didn’t take advantage of your state’s voting time-off laws to cast your ballot during the workday, there’s a good chance you’ll be caught in an after-work crush. But don’t despair! As long as you are in line at closing time, you have a legal right to vote—so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. In fact, if someone does attempt to force you to leave, you are encouraged to call a voter protection hotline (such as 1-866-OUR-VOTE) or submit a complaint to the Department of Justice (1-800-253-3931).

These hotlines are also available to help you if you witness acts of voter intimidation or discrimination. As they say, if you see something, say something!

In Milan, the public is getting a chance to weigh in on the authenticity of a disputed painting by a Renaissance master. The Caravaggio painting, called Judith Beheading Holofernes, will be on display at Milan’s public art gallery, the Pinacoteca di Brera, according to The Art Newspaper.

As part of an exhibit called “Caravaggio: A Question of Attribution,” the painting will be placed next to the Caravaggio painting Supper at Emmaus, and a copy of his Magdalen in Ecstasy. Three paintings by Caravaggio’s follower Louis Finson, who some experts hold is the true author of the disputed painting, will also be shown. The exhibit has caused controversy among art experts, some of whom contend that it’s irresponsible for a gallery to display a work of disputed origins, thereby conferring a certain degree of authenticity simply by hanging in an authoritative art institution. However, the painting will have a disclaimer that the owner of the work has declared it a Caravaggio, not the gallery itself.

The painting in question was discovered in a French attic in 2014, and was presented to the public in April after cleaning and analysis. It had been hidden for at least 150 years. Regardless of its origins, France has declared it a national treasure.

The exhibit will run from November 10 to February 5, 2017.

[h/t The Art Newspaper]

In the age of Square payments and online food delivery apps, it’s easier than ever to click a button and tip your barista or delivery guy. But those aren’t the only people you should  give a little extra. Here are a few tips for tipping, lest you start being known around town as a total Scrooge.

1. WAIT STAFF

Tipping 15 percent of the pre-tax bill (20 percent for good service) at restaurants is standard, but depending on where you live, a larger tip might be in order. In some states, tipped workers make less than minimum wage—even in expensive regions like Washington D.C.—so it’s always better to tip on the generous side. The federal tipped minimum wage is a horrifying $2.13 per hour, so keep that in mind before you stiff someone.

Plus, you should keep in mind that tips often don’t go solely to your waiter or waitress—tips are pooled between wait staff and back-of-the-house workers, and usually there are restaurant rules governing who wait staff should be tipping out. Bartenders, bussers, and runners usually get a cut, since they also play a big role in making sure your food and drink gets to the table in a timely manner.

2. BARTENDERS

At least a dollar per drink is the minimum, but if you’re on a tab, you can do the usual 15 to 20 percent. If you’re taking up bar space for hours but not drinking much, or if your bartender comps you a free drink, throw them a little extra. The same goes for complicated cocktails.

3. FAST FOOD AND COFFEE SHOP TIP JARS

The Emily Post Institute’s official policy is that there’s no obligation to put a dollar in the tip jar, but if you’re a regular or you’re asking for a complicated order, please be generous. While baristas generally make minimum wage, chances are they’re not getting paid much more than that. The Washington Post reports that at one D.C. coffee shop, tips account for around an extra $3 per hour for workers, while at a local La Colombe, baristas get about $50 a day from tips. When you’re slinging lattes to pay your bills in an expensive city, that kind of extra money can make a big difference.

4. DELIVERY DRIVERS

According to the food experts at Eater, the minimum tip for any delivery order, no matter how small, should be $5. On a larger order, go with 15 to 20 percent standard. That means if a 15 percent tip is less than $5, don’t default to the cheaper option! The same goes if you get groceries delivered. Remember, drivers don’t get a penny of that delivery fee, so don’t be stingy. And if you’re not sure why you need to pay a little extra for the pleasure of eating restaurant food in your pajamas, Groupon’s interview with a former pizza delivery driver is worth a glance.

5. PARKING ATTENDANTS

If a valet brings your car around for you, you should fork over at least $2 before driving away. That driver is the one keeping your nice car from getting dinged.

6. BATHROOM ATTENDANTS

Yes, you should give someone a buck for handing you paper towels and providing some lotion. But if the attendant is just there to make sure no funny business goes on in the restrooms, the Etiquette Scholar says you don’t need to tip.

7. SALON AND SPA WORKERS

A good rule of thumb is, if someone’s touching your body, tip generously. For one thing, that person has to deal with your gross toenails or back pimples. Give at least 15 to 20 percent to your manicurist, massage therapist, and waxing specialist. Keep in mind that in some salons with especially cheap services, your manicurist could be working for illegally low wages. And in the case of massages, working out those muscle knots for 60 to 90 minutes is hard, physical work. Tip accordingly.

8. HOTEL WORKERS

You need to tip the hotel staff, and the American Hotel and Lodging Association has a helpful tip guide you can consult [PDF] to figure out who gets how much. Tip a dollar or two to your shuttle driver, the bellhops who carry your luggage, and the door staff that hail your taxis. Housekeepers should get between $1 and $5 per night, left daily with a note specifying that it’s for them. Tip a dollar if the staff has to bring you something extra, like a cot or an extra blanket, and tip your concierge $5 to $10 depending on whether you’re getting restaurant recommendations or a hard-to-get theater ticket.

9. TAXI DRIVERS

In addition to the 15 to 20 percent tip, you should give your driver at least $2 for any bags carried. Maybe more if your suitcase is as heavy as a small whale.

A massive earthworm discovered by an English gardener has wriggled its way into the United Kingdom’s record books. As National Geographic reports, the 16-inch worm—nicknamed Dave—bears the proud distinction of being the longest annelid ever recorded in the UK. 

Meet Dave, the world’s heaviest earthworm, who weighs about the size of a small chocolate bar https://t.co/kFGq16KsaI

— National Geographic (@NatGeo) November 6, 2016

A man named Paul Rees, who lives in England’s Cheshire County, found the record-breaking worm in his vegetable plot. European earthworms typically range from around eight to 10 inches in length, but this one was truly exceptional. In addition to being around half a foot longer than your average annelid, it weighed almost an ounce—nearly twice the weight of any other recorded wild earthworm. (Prior to Rees’s find, the world’s largest known earthworm was a Scottish worm found in 2015 that tipped the scales at half an ounce.)

Rees’s stepson, George, christened the worm “Dave,” and it was sent to experts at the Natural History Museum. Emma Sherlock, a Life Sciences curator who chairs the Earthworm Society of Britain, “was bowled over by the size of the worm when I opened the plastic box they sent it in,” she said in a press release.

According to Sherlock, Dave weighed the same as a small chocolate bar, which begs the question: How did this particular earthworm get to be so big? Dave may have had time on his side. Nobody knows quite how long earthworms live (some have survived up to six years in captivity), but they have so many natural predators that they typically don’t survive long enough in the great outdoors to reach Dave’s enormous proportions.

Dave may have beaten the survival odds, but that didn’t stop him from being sacrificed in the name of science. The record-breaking annelid was killed and preserved, and will go on display as part of the museum’s worm collection. (Social media users have expressed their sorrow by creating a Twitter account, @PoorDaveTheWorm, and using the hashtag  #davetheworm.) 

That being said, a few of Dave’s large cousins might still be lurking in Rees’s garden, improving the soil with every wriggle. “With worms this size, Paul [Rees] must have an incredibly fertile and well-drained vegetable plot with decaying matter quickly recycled back into the soil,” Sherlock said.

[h/t National Geographic]

Regardless of what political party you support, there’s no question the 2016 election cycle has been full of sensational headlines and alarming accusations. You may even feel as though our system has slipped into something approaching self-parody, with candidates weathering—and lobbing—a laundry list of alleged indiscretions and improper conduct that would seem outrageous in fiction.

If it’s any consolation, this isn’t the first time our political system has resembled a Black Mirror episode. While voters have long written in “protest” names like Mickey Mouse, there have been a handful of times where imaginary candidates managed to run a real campaign. Check out seven instances where exasperated voters could find comfort in a fictional alternative.

1. MR. PEANUT

The salty, dapper legume of Planters Peanuts fame threw his top hat into the Vancouver mayoral race in 1974, advocating sensible measures like hiring freezes for government jobs until the city’s population grew while simultaneously championing fluff like a lending library for umbrellas and rain boots. The man inside the makeshift peanut costume was Vincent Trasov, a performance artist who decided to use the character to explore his interests in anthropomorphism and “contemporary mythology.”

For 20 days, Trasov roamed the city, attracting news cameras and performing impromptu tap dance routines while a campaign manager detailed his peanut platform. When author William S. Burroughs visited, he became captivated by the Peanut party and threw his support behind the candidate. After the ballots were tallied, Trasov had grabbed 2685 votes, a 3.4 percent share. Though Planters probably appreciated all the free publicity, they had nothing to do with the campaign.

2. SANTA CLAUS

If children had been allowed to vote, the 2012 election could have turned out very differently. Nevada resident Thomas O’Connor, a bishop who legally changed his name to Santa Claus and who has an uncanny likeness to that red-suited avatar for holiday cheer, ran for presidential office that year as well as 2008. Claus used his pulpit to advocate streamlining the adoption system and even met with governors across the country from 2005 to 2007 to raise awareness about how their political influence could improve the lives of kids. As a write-in candidate, Claus has no idea how many votes he received that year—the election commissions typically won’t count names that are uncertified.

3. EMPEROR PALPATINE

The 2015 city council elections in Ukraine didn’t appear to have any restrictions when it came to galaxy of origin. A 25-year-old man won an Odessa city seat despite dressing in the flowing robes of Sith lord Emperor Palpatine and listing his job occupation as “emperor” of the “Palpatine Finance Group.” The coup is believed to be the result of an upstart “Internet Party” winning over voters with their absurdist commentary on the local political scene; a man dressed as Chewbacca was also arrested for causing a disruption at a polling station.

4. SUPER BARRIO

An amalgamation of super hero and professional luchador, or Mexican wrestler, Super Barrio was a constant presence in Mexico’s low-income areas in the late 1980s, acting as an arbitrator for tenants who faced eviction or substandard housing conditions. The masked man decided to run for president in 1988 before withdrawing and supporting the National Democratic Front. He is potentially the only masked candidate to ever be allowed to testify in front of Mexico’s Congress of the Union.

5. ZAHRA

In male-dominated Iran, a graphic novel character named Zahra attempted to shake up the status quo by running for president in 2013. Backed by her creators, artists Khalil and Amir, Zahra became the first woman, real or fictional, to run for office in the country. The two said they intended to use Zahra as a way to raise awareness about human rights and to rally against restrictions on free speech. She received over 2000 virtual votes.

6. POGO

The possum hero of Walt Kelly’s classic comic strip became a representative for a generation of young voters dissatisfied with Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson in 1952. Rebellious Harvard students incited by the Harvard Crimson pinned “I Go Pogo” buttons to their shirts and lobbied for Pogo’s legitimacy as a third-party candidate. The joke became slightly less amusing when a rally at the school turned violent: As 1600 restless spectators waited for Kelly to make an appearance endorsing his character’s candidacy, they began to disconnect trolley lines, prompting police to wade in and begin swinging nightsticks. Twenty-eight pro-Pogo students were arrested.

7. CTHULHU

For voters unhappy with both major candidates in 2016, a tentacle-faced demagogue may have seemed like a reasonable alternative. Introduced in a 1928 H.P. Lovecraft story as a power-hungry beast lurking in the sunken city of R’lyeh, Cthulhu has allegedly been waiting for his opportunity to rule civilization by electoral vote. While he promises “unmentionable horror” will rain down upon his subjects, he’s also very anti-corporation and vows to promote free education in the dark arts for all. His campaign advisors, who maintain a meticulously-detailed website promoting his effort, prefer to remain semi-anonymous.