New DNA evidence rewrites Caribbean history

Two new studies shed light on who first inhabited the islands, who replaced them, and how few people lived there.

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  • A pair of new studies has finally managed to analyze the DNA of early residents of the Caribbean.
  • The DNA indicated that many residents were closely related, despite hundreds of miles of distance between them.
  • The findings dramatically alter our understanding of the residents of the Caribbean before Europeans arrived.
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Nicaragua is the most triangular country in the world

Underperforming, the U.S. comes in only 157th out of 196 in global triangularity ranking.

Credit: Cacahuate, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Sierra Leone is the world's roundest country and Egypt the squarest. But you knew that.
  • Bet you didn't know which is the world's most triangle-shaped country.
  • That is until now, because someone's figured out that it's... Nicaragua!
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Want a company that lasts? Start a bank or a brewery

Maps show the oldest company in (nearly) every country – and a few interesting corporate trends.

Image: Business Finance, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • A Japanese company has been building Buddhist temples for almost a millennium and a half.
  • It's the oldest continuously operating company in the world, but quite atypical.
  • If you want to build a business that lasts, banks, breweries, and postal services are a good bet – but there are intriguing exceptions.
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DMT drug study investigates the ‘entities’ people meet while tripping

Why do so many people encounter beings after smoking large doses of DMT?

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  • DMT is arguably the most powerful psychedelic drug on the planet, capable of producing intense hallucinations.
  • Researchers recently surveyed more than 2,000 DMT users about their encounters with 'entities' while tripping, finding that respondents often considered these strange encounters to be positive and meaningful.
  • The majority of respondents believed the beings they encountered were not hallucinations.
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No end in sight: Mass exodus of Venezuelan refugees flood into neighboring countries

A review of Latin America's growing crisis.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons
  • Millions of Venezuelan refugees are taxing their destination countries' infrastructures.
  • About 4 million Venezuelans have already fled from their home country.
  • Countries such as Peru and Ecuador are trying to stem the flow, while Colombia welcomes more in.
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