AARP Eye Center
11 Things We Didn't Know Last Week
By Steve Mencher, January 21, 2015 05:07 PM
News, discoveries and ... fun
![Davos](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/c1/06/35d7464726cbb696fdaf75482f63/davos-istock-000009946439small.jpg)
1. The world's richest 1 percent will likely control half of global wealth by next year. (Learn more at NY Times)
2. A cup of blueberries a day can help lower blood pressure. (Learn more at AARP)
![Blueberries in a cup on a wooden table.](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/93/59/96fbb19deda6026e18b628a9d143/istock-000055214764small.jpg)
3. Four in ten people report at least one incident of "sleep paralysis" — waking up and being unable to move. (Learn more at Discovery)
4. The golden orb-web spider can count. (Learn more at WIRED)
![golden-orb-web-spider](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/50/83/f8ea14f2fe999a4070e2692c4fea/golden-orb-web-spider.jpg)
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5. Your tongue does not have specific areas that can be mapped to tastes — like "salty" or "bitter." (Learn more at National Geographic)
![Tongue Map for Special Tastes](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/3b/db/a12bb39bc26284995323d69dd6a7/tonguemap.jpg)
6. Up to 40 percent of people will hear voices at some point in their lives. (Learn more at Newsweek)
7. Orangutans can learn to make sounds like human speech. (Learn more at NPR)
![Orangutan family at Singapore Zoo](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/31/81/246740fbec169d2f9e2f015b7cdd/orangutan-family.jpg)
8. There seems to be a sweet spot for healthy salt consumption — not too much, but not as little as doctors have suggested. (Learn more at AARP)
![Spilled salt from shaker](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/c5/c1/128bb385dce950b7f8f471c04d63/istock-000022072188medium-300x199.jpg)
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9. Millennials will replace boomers as America's most populous generation this year. (Learn more at Time)
![College Grad Millennials](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/5c/a9/fd0e102c0cb9dcdabdfededdc1bd/millennials-collegegrad-istock-000056411760small.jpg)
10. Your Facebook "likes" can provide a key to your personality. (Learn more at NY Times)
![Facebook Like Thumb](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/f2/32/99500619faf99ca9d04c2d0d3712/7698151054-756afa96c3-z.jpg)
11. Workers who put in a lot of overtime tend to drink more after work. (Learn more at Global.ca)
And here's our Bonus Video: You don't have to be a football fan to enjoy this Seattle man's extended selfie — he films himself as his beloved Seattle Seahawks come from behind to win a miraculous victory over the Green Bay Packers. The whole thing is so 2015.
Let us read 11 Things We Didn’t Know Last Week to you:
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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.
Images – Davos, Switzerland: swisshippo/iStock; Blueberries: iStock/Artpritsadee; Golden orb-web spider: adam/Flickr; Tongue: AARP illus. inspired by National Geographic; Orangutan: paVan/Flickr; Salt: leventkonuk/iStock; Graduation selfie: PeopleImages/iStock.
Music – DLDN Instrumental by timberman
Also of Interest
- Wearable 'Airbags' and Other Things We Didn't Know Last Week
- 3 Classic Cruise Ship Rip-Offs to Avoid
- AARP Foundation Tax-Aide: Get free help preparing and filing your taxes
- Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being
See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more.