11 Things We Didn't Know Last Week

By Steve Mencher, October 23, 2013 03:27 PM

News, discoveries and fun ...

1. Gummi Bears used to have frowns rather than smiles. (Learn more at AARP)

2. The Abominable Snowman, also called the Yeti, may be a hybrid bear that roams the Himalayas. (Learn more at The Telegraph)

3. If 10 percent of vehicles on the road were self-driving, there would be 1,000 fewer traffic deaths each year. (Learn more at AARP)

4. Dogs outfitted with high-tech collars may someday take the place of grannycams. (Learn more at AARP)

5. There's a toilet-themed restaurant in Los Angeles. (Learn more at Huffington Post)

6. Only 12 percent of women age 50+ are satisfied with their bodies. (Learn more at AARP)

7. Spending more on Meals on Wheels programs would actually save money in most states. (Learn more at AARP)

8. Many more women than men made cave art in prehistoric France and Spain. (Learn more at Futurity.org)

9. Among online users age 50-plus, 9 of 10 think they're more savvy than their peers. (Learn more at AARP)

10. America's saintliest city is the one you'd least expect, and its most sinful is named for a saint. (Learn more at MainStreet.com)

11. The brain goes wilder for Oreos than for drugs, and the two are equally addictive - at least in rats. (Learn more at Christian Science Monitor)

Our bonus video tackles the age-old battle of dogs vs. cats. Cats Stealing Dog Beds is a web sensation.

Learn something this week? Mail your ideas to 11things@aarp.org, and we'll try to include your story next time.

On Twitter, we're using the hashtag #11things.

Let us read "11 Things" to you:

https://soundcloud.com/aarp-social-sounds/11-things-we-didnt-know

Images - Gummi Bears: arbyreed/Flickr; Car crash: Jean Henrique Wichinoski/Flickr; Terrier: tanakawho/Wikimedia; Toilet restaurant (Taiwan): riNux/Wikimedia; Cave painting: Wikimedia; Oreo: Mihoda/Flickr

Music - Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra plays Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra - Blue Blazes by Sy Oliver, Creative Commons, courtesy of Smithsonian Remix project. SFX: Oneirophile and Jace via Freesound

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