-
Your cat is a killer. According to biologists, when they’re not curling up in your lap, cats are off killing other animals — billions of ‘em. Scientists from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the Fish and Wildlife Service estimate that each year, apparently bloodthirsty felines are preying on billions of birds and small mammals like indigenous chipmunks, shrews, and meadow voles. “When we ran the model, we didn’t know what to expect,” researcher Dr. Peter Marra told theNew York Times. “We were absolutely stunned by the results.”
4 to 18 — Birds killed by a typical house cat every year
8 to 21 — Small mammals killed by a typical house cat every year
1.4 billion to 3.7 billion — Total birds killed by America’s cats every year -
3.63 billion people lived in cities in 2011. By 2030, 5 billion people are projected to be living in cities.
Infographic: Our growing cities
(Source: theweek.com)
-
33 percent of Americans feel pressured to go to work even when they’re sick. But you can transmit the flu from up to 6 feet away.
Maybe you should think about staying home next time?(Source: theweek.com)
-
In 2007, 116 troops were dismissed for being out of shape. In the first 10 months of this year, that figure was a rather massive 1,625.
The Army’s obesity problem: By the numbers
PHOTO: Spencer Platt/Getty Image(Source: theweek.com)
-
The nation’s total student debt load is growing by $2,853 per second.
(Source: theweek.com)
-
America has a pet obsession
(Source: theweek.com)
-
Odds of death by vending machine: 1 in 112 million
Odds of death by fireworks: 1 in 340,733
Odds of winning the $500 million jackpot tonight: 1 in 176 million7 things that will kill you before you win the Powerball jackpot
(Source: theweek.com)
-
The Powerball jackpot has reached a record $500 million, causing people in 42 states to flock to their nearest convenience stores to snatch up what could be the winning ticket. A numerical guide to the contest, by the numbers:
$2 — Price of a ticket
6 — Numbers that must be matched — five whites and one red — to win the jackpot. (Five what balls are drawn from a drum of 59, and one red is drawn from a drum of 35.)
1 in 176 million — Odds of winning the jackpot
1 in 5,000 — Odds of being struck by lightning
$327 million — Immediate lump-sum payout option, before taxes, if you win the jackpot
25 — Percent the federal government keeps in taxes
5 to 7 — Percent of the jackpot held by most states in taxes
29 — Years winners have to wait to receive the entire jackpot under an annual payment plan
$365 million — Previous largest Powerball jackpot, in 2006
(Source: theweek.com)
-
Our newest infographic features some pretty shocking facts about our plastic surgery obsession. For example, teenage plastic surgery is on the rise. There were 14,000 procedures performed on teens in 1996, compared to 77,000 in 2011.
(Source: theweek.com)
-
Americans are woefully unprepared for retirement…
-
$42,918 — Average salary for men one year after graduating from college in 2009
$35,296 — Average salary for women one year after graduating
$26,600 — Average student loan debt for 2011 graduatesMore stats of our lives
(Source: theweek.com)
-
In 2008, 79.8 percent of Americans making $100,000 or more voted, vs. just 51.9 percent of people making less than $20,000.
Here, a deeper look at How America Votes.
(By the way, we’ll be doing infographics like this one every week from now on!)
-
A new Pew poll says just 23 percent of Americans now read a print newspaper, that’s declined by 18 percentage points in the last 10 years.
