60% of the US Military branches have Starship Troopers on their reading list!

Starship Troopers, is an incredibly popular science fiction novel, and it's legacy has stretched into the depths of modern militaries. Over fifty years after it was first publicized, Starship Troopers can be found on the reading lists of the United States Marine Corps, the United States Navy, and the United States Air Force. It is the first science fiction novel recommended on three out of five military branches.

Some of the policies that the military has adopted straight from the book, is the idea that the military should be an all volunteer, high tech strike force. When the book was publicized, military forces were almost all conscripted, and Starship Troopers changed that.

In fact, the book is so influential on the United States military that in 2002, a marine General described the future of marine corps uniforms and equipment as "needing to emulate the Mobile Infantry", the soldiers from the novel!

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Astronomers have recently discovered 18 planets the size of Jupiter!

Astronomers added 18 planets to their list of massive planets revolving massive stars, increasing the known number of planets like this by 50%. This 2011 discovery is a huge milestone for researchers trying to figure out how planets form and grow in alien solar systems.

The massive planet haul came only a few months after another team of researchers found 50 planets, including one rocky one that could be a good candidate for life. For the alien enthusiasts out there, you should know that the number of known planets is now well over 700 and rapidly climbing.

The discovery of these planets are a result of astronomers and researchers observing 'retired' stars. These stars are much more massive than our sun, and our on the declining part of their lives.

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Oral sex can help lower blood pressure!

It is unclear whether sexual activity makes us healthier or if healthier people have more sexual activity. None the less, research is showing that sex has great health benefits, when in the context of healthy, monogamous relationships.

Sex can ease depression and stress. Orgasms can be a great pain reliever, because they release oxytocin into the body. It can boost cardio health and fight aging. Remember, though, this does not count in risky sexual behavior, but in monogamous and stable relationships.

A surprising stat found was that women who perform oral sex, and swallow, are at lower risk of developing preeclampsia. Not just that, researchers also found that it can help lower blood pressure. 

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Google Maps helped a kidnapped boy find his home 23 years later!

Luo Gang was just 5 when he abducted from the Fuijan province in China 23 years ago, and taken almost 1000 miles away. During his absence, he says he forced himself to re-live the life he spent in his old home so he wouldn't forget.

However, being only 5 when he was taken away, he didn't remember much. In fact, the only thing he remembered about his hometown were 2 bridges. He drew a map of what he remembered and posted it to a website called "Bring Lost Babies Home."

People there helped him narrow down his search to a town that looked familiar to him. However, he used Google Maps to confirm his suspicions: That was his old hometown. He was finally reunited with his birth family, 23 years after he was taken from them.

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Baked potatoes in foil can be deadly!

If you bake a potato in aluminum foil and you leave it at room temperature, you can create an environment ripe for a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, which causes the deadly disease known as botulism.

The reason for this is that C. Botulinum can easily contaminate potatoes and other crop that comes in contact with the soil. Usually, cooking kills the spores, but a foil-wrapped potato holds in moisture, and sometimes prevents the temperature from being high enough to kill all of them.

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