"A bottle of whisky is on sale in Singapore for $200,000."

Johnnie Walker only made 60 bottles of Diamond Jubilee, a whisky intended to celebrate the 60-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The whisky was distilled in 1952, the year of the queen's coronation, and comes in a decanter that features a half-caret diamond and the royal coat of arms. The bottles were initially sold by invitation only and were priced at 100,000 pounds in Britain (about $160,000). The Singapore bottle is part of a larger show (called Master of Spirits II) whose collected offerings total over a million dollars, including a bottle of Glenfiddich 1973 Cask No. 9899 and a Hennessy liquor chest topped with glass Murano pearls.
 

"Using lighter-colored plates can make you eat less."

A study in the journal Health Affairs set out to investigate the effect of apparent portion size on the amount people eat. Researchers found that up to one-third of diners at a Chinese restaurant were willing to eat a lower-calorie meal with half as much rice, even if the meal cost the same as the version with a full serving of rice (and weighing leftovers determined that regardless of which meal people opted for, they all wound up throwing away the same amount). Researcher Brian Wansink argued that the appearance of a full meal is more important to consumers than how much food is actually there, and his previous research has determined that people will serve 18% more pasta onto a red plate than a white one (the stark contrast makes them more aware of the volume of food). But if the pasta is an alfredo dish, the reverse is true.
 

"Competition against daunting opponents makes your own performance worse."

A study by Northwestern University appearing in the Journal of Political Economy investigated 11 years of Tiger Woods' records against various PGA opponents, and found that the simple fact that they were facing Woods made them worse golfers. His opponents tended to play more conservatively when competing directly against him, taking shorter, safer shots. The economist Jennifer Brown estimates that the influence of this effect made Woods an extra $6 million overall.

 

"Walking speed can predict overall health."

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center analyzed data from over 35,000 people over the age of 65 and found that walking speed was one of the most accurate predictors of longevity. The participating seniors typically moved at around speeds of 2.2 miles per hour. For every 0.1 meters per second they moved faster than that, they were 12 percent more likely to be alive a decade later. Only age and gender were better predictors -- making it potentially even more accurate than metrics like weight and blood pressure.
 

"The purpose of yawning may be to cool down the brain."

A study published in the journal Medical Hypotheses suggested that yawning -- something that has always baffled scientists -- may serve to move air through the maxillary sinuses (under and behind the eyes) and up to the brain thereby lowering its temperature. This theory would also tidily explain the function of sinuses, another curious anatomical feature. Researchers tested the theory by measuring the temperatures in rats' brains and found that temperatures tended to spike before a yawn before dipping back down, indicating that the yawns themselves were precipitated by a brain in need of cooling.

'One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime.'

The 1960 Winter Olympics were the first to feature instant replay. '

Squaw Valley, California, is now home to some of the world's finest ski slopes, but in 1960 it was a modest, little-known region that hosted the VIII Winter Olympic games. These games became the first Olympics not only to feature instant replay on TV but also to be covered exclusively by one network (CBS). It was at these games that the U.S. men's hockey team won their first gold medal by beating the Russians and the Czechs, an incredible achievement overshadowed -- but not outmatched -- by the fabled 1980 team.