global urban settlement area growth fertile cropland 1992 2015

The world's urban area more than doubled in 23 years

33 → 71 million hectares

From 1992 to 2015, land covered by towns and cities grew from 33 million to 71 million hectares worldwide. The expansion used up 24 million hectares of some of the world's most fertile farmland.

Some early televisions were designed for faces, not movies

Early television inventors imagined different uses for moving pictures. Systems intended for personal communication sometimes used tall, portrait-shaped images that framed a single face. As television became a mass entertainment medium, wider formats suited to scenes and groups became more practical. The shape of a screen reflects what its designers expect people to watch.

Century eggs are preserved by making them strongly alkaline

Century eggs are kept in an alkaline mixture that raises their pH. The high pH preserves the egg and breaks some proteins and fats into smaller compounds, producing its unusual texture, color, and flavor.

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global urban settlement area growth fertile cropland 1992 2015

The world's urban area more than doubled in 23 years

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