11 Things We Didn't Know Last Week

News, discoveries and ... fun

1. Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, wrote about the same characters in an earlier book, which will be published in 2015. (Learn more at AARP)

2. Some common medications might be connected with a higher risk of dementia. (Learn more at AARP)

3. "Light" jogging helps you live longer, while running strenuously might not be better than no exercise at all. (Learn more at Discovery)

4. People over 65 might need a little less sleep than slightly younger people. (Learn more at AARP)

5. Money doesn't make you happy, but it does make you less sad. (Learn more at Huffington Post)

6. A recent investigation found that 4 out of 5 herbal supplements had none of the ingredient promised on the label. (Learn more at Christian Science Monitor)

7. Researchers are hard at work on a pill that may reverse the most common kind of hearing loss. (Learn more at AARP)

8. Global sales of Asian fast food have grown by the same amount as the next four fast food categories — Middle Eastern, chicken, pizza and burgers — combined. (Learn more at Washington Post)

 

>> Looking for a fun gift idea? AARP can help you celebrate that special birthday. Shop now

9. Creating a baby with DNA from two mothers and a father will soon be legal in England. (Learn more at Discovery)

10. As you age, your sense of touch is  less responsive to things like pain and temperature. (Learn more at Vox)

11. There's a connection between your personality and whether you love spicy food, and it's different for men and women. (Learn more at NPR)

Bonus Video: Meet the 102-year-old golfer, with the keys to the course...

Let us read  11 Things We Didn’t Know Last Week to you:

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/189511599" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

 

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 – Harper Lee: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Runner: cielodlp/Flickr; Sleeping man: Gling Glomo/Flickr; Ginkgo biloba: Wikimedia; Washington Post graphic: embedded from Washington Post; Old and young hands: Jelena83/iStock; Hot sauce: courtesy of Original Juan.com;

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

• Toilet Paper Is Shrinking — and Other Things We Didn't Know Last Week
• Best U.S. Cities to Visit in 2015
• 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.