11 Things We Didn't Know Last Week

News, discoveries and ... fun

1. A flycatcher first glimpsed in 1997 and then collected in 2012 has been confirmed as a new bird species. (Learn more at Futurity)

2. Remarriage is on the rise for Americans ages 55 and older. (Learn more at Pew Research Center)

>> Ageless Hollywood Celebs — No Way They're 70-Plus!

3. A British man lived with a tapeworm moving around in his brain for four years. (Learn more at Mashable)

4. A spoon developed by Google helps people with tremors eat without spilling. (Learn more at ABCNews)

http://vimeo.com/73969274

5. When it comes to memory, babies accentuate the positive. (Learn more from Brigham Young University)

Getty Images

6. Nine out of 10 people who drink too much are not alcoholics. (Learn more at NY Times)

7. Manufacturers are increasing the prices of some generic drugs by 1,000 percent or more. (Learn more at AARP)

 

8. The  biggest nutcracker in the world — 41 feet tall — can crack coconuts. (Learn more at NRToday.com)

9. Montana's Glacier National Park lost more than 80 percent of its signature ice fields in the past century. (Learn more at NY Times)

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10. Only half of patients take their medications as prescribed. (Learn more at McMaster University via Eureka Alert)

11. Green-bean casserole will appear on 30 million Thanksgiving tables this year. (Learn more from Yahoo! Travel)

 

Bonus video: While you're enjoying your holiday meal, hamsters all over America are enjoying theirs

 

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:

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Images — Flycatcher: Adapted from original paintings by Teo Nam Siang in Harris, et al. (2014) A New Species of Muscicapa Flycatcher from Sulawesi, Indonesia. PLoS ONE 9(11): e112657. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0112657; Tapeworm gif: New Scientist/Nagui Antoun; Daughter and mother: iStock/lifesizeimages; Liquor bottles: Flickr/SakshiSharma; Pills: iStock/ajt; Glacier National Park: iStock/hvillarrea; Green Bean Casserole: iStock/Anne G; Tiny Hamster: from Tiny Hamster Thanksgiving Ep. 4 via YouTube;

 

Music – Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra plays Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra – Blue Blazes by Sy Oliver, Creative Commons, courtesy of Smithsonian Remix project

Also of Interest

• Avatars for Custom Clothes and Other Things We Didn't Know Last Week
• 7 Things You Should Never Say to Customer Service
• Get Involved: Learn How You Can Give Back
• Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being

See the  AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more.