Teen birthrate drops, and more

Teen birthrate drops

The U.S. teen birthrate dropped 6 percent between 2011 and 2012, and is now the lowest it’s been in the 73 years the government has been tracking it. Health experts attribute the decline to sex education and the increased availability of contraception.

Slate.com

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Sexual abuse in Asia

A United Nations study of sexual abuse found that nearly one in four men in six Asian nations—Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Papua New Guinea—admits to having raped a woman or girl. Half admit having used violence against a female partner.

BBCNews.com

Voyager 1 reaches interstellar space

The Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977 for a grand photographic tour of Jupiter and Saturn, has now reached interstellar space, 11.66 billion miles from the sun, NASA announced last week. The spacecraft, which is still sending back faint signals via a 23-watt transmitter, is hurtling through the void at 38,000 mph, but will not reach another star for 40,000 years.

Space.com

Electricity: Cowboys Stadium vs Liberia

On game day, Cowboys Stadium consumes more electricity with its air conditioning, massive scoreboard, and other power-sucking amenities than Liberia, a nation of 3.7 million people.

The Wall Street Journal

The price of rhino horns

Poachers kill hundreds of endangered African rhinoceroses a year for their horns, which are prized in Asia as a (bogus) fever reducer, cancer cure, and hangover remedy. A kilogram of rhino horn—made of keratin, just like fingernails—sells for about $60,000, making it far more valuable than gold.

CSMonitor.com