BAD MEDICINE

If you want a job that rewards you for screwing up, join the health-care profession. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows hospitals actually make more money when surgeries have complications. Hospitals made $39,017 more when a patient with private insurance had complications post-surgery and $1,749 for a Medicare patient, according to researchers. Atul Gawande, author of the study and professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, described the numbers as “eye-popping.” The most common complications: surgical site infection, sepsis, pulmonary embolism, stroke, heart attack and pneumonia.

COLLEGE = POVERTY

Higher education is bringing young people down, according to a new report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For the first time in 10 years, 30-year-olds who did not go to college are more likely to be homeowners than college grads with student loans. Back in the old days (the 1990s), college led to better paying jobs. With the current economy and the rise of education costs, graduates now have far too many student loans to pay off before they can even think about taking out a loan for a house. But don’t fret, college kids—at least you learned how to play beer pong and can teach it to your new roommates (mom and dad).

CINCO DE CHIHUAHUA

Every Cinco de Mayo, residents in Chandler, Ariz., celebrate with a festival and Chihuahua races. The mini Mexican pups compete for the royal crowning of King and Queen and Best Dressed, Best Temperament and Most Fashionable. Winners receive $500 and all money raised goes to the no-kill HALO Animal Rescue.

WEST EGG

Baz Luhrman may have filmed the latest adaptation of The Great Gatsby in his native Australia, but he still turned to Long Island for set design inspiration. He and his wife, designer Catherine Martin, based Gatsby’s mansion on places such as Huntington’s Oheka Castle, Upper Brookville’s La Selva and Sands Point’s Beacon Towers—some of the same Gold Coast mansions that inspired author F. Scott Fitzgerald while writing his classic American novel.

KISSING COUSINS

If you thought dating on Long Island was hard, you’ve never heard about what singles in Iceland go through. With a population of just 320,000, many Icelanders wind up seeing an ex years later—at a family reunion, since everyone’s basically a distant relative. But fear not, kissing cousins. A new smartphone app lets users “bump” phones and sounds an alarm if they’re too closely related. It uses an online database that contains nearly the entire population’s genealogical details stretching back 1,200 years. The slogan for Islendiga-App is: “Bump the app before you bump in bed.” Classy.

NASA recently announced that its Kepler satellite had discovered three Earth-like exoplanets—planets whose main star is not the sun—that could host life. The trio is located within the “habitable zone”—the area around the star where water can exist. It’s referred to as the “Goldilocks Zone” because the planets’ surfaces are not too hot or too cold for living organisms. While scientists can’t tell if there really are aliens living on these planets, they say the discoveries bring us another step closer to finding a world similar to Earth.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, people have only explored 5 percent of the ocean.

BNL’s National Synchrotron Light Source II causes ions to become 250,000 times hotter than the sun.

Yes, this is the rare and expensive Indonesian coffee that can go for $600 a pound and was featured on Oprah. Yes, it is described as having a smooth caramel-like taste. But do you know how it gets that taste? Kopi Luwak comes from coffee berry beans fed to civets, cat-like creatures from Southeast Asia. The animals’ stomach acid enzymes create the beans’ smooth, elite flavor—collected, washed and sold once excreted. To put it bluntly, the expensive coffee is literally crap. If this isn’t enough to make you gag, animal welfare groups have recently reported that the civets used to make the coffee are forced to live in tiny cages and fed a very unhealthy diet. So, if you care about animals and/or don’t care to drink kitty poop, it might be best to just stick with a regular cup of Joe.

ONE FOR THE GIPPER

March Madness had a Third-Place game until 1981. Scheduled to precede the championship game March 30 of that year, both were delayed due to an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. After the president was out of immediate danger, officials resumed the championship game only, and the Third-Place game has been out ever since.

PAIN KILLERS

Redheads are more than twice as likely to skip out on the dentist than blondes or brunettes, according to University of Louisville researchers. It’s not because they hate to brush their teeth, either. The scientists discovered that the genetic variant giving them their ginger locks also makes them resistant to local anesthesia. They can require up to 20 percent more than the general population during procedures.

GOLD BUGS

Bacteria usually get a bad rap, but scientists at McMaster University in Ontario might be able to boost their reputation. They discovered Delftia acidovorans has the ability to turn ions into gold as part of a self-defense mechanism. Gold ions are toxic if dissolved in water, so when identified by the bacteria, it releases delftibactin A, a protein acting as a shield to turn the ions into gold particles that accumulate outside the cells. While this doesn’t mean you can fish a pair of gold earrings out of a stream any time soon, the research could help identify whether or not a waterway carries the mineral and could someday help dissolve gold from water.

SHAPESHIFTER

With the latest advances in cinematography it would be natural to assume the contorted, demon-fueled positions actress Ashley Bell twists herself into throughout the Last Exorcism Part 2 are all done by special effects. Surprisingly, that’s not the case. Bell, its lead character, is double-jointed, and performs all the back-bending, terrifying poses herself. During the film’s first installment she sustained a stress fracture to her back from all her twisting and backwards demon-walking. Now that’s dedication to a role.

Japanese scientists hit the awesome jackpot when they recently snapped a picture of Neon Flying Squid sailing more than 100 feet through the air. A team of researchers from Hokkaido University witnessed the long-rumored but never-documented phenomenon while tracking a shoal of about 100 squid in the Northwest Pacific. The creatures propel themselves by shooting a powerful jet of water out of their funnel-like stems. Once airborne, they assume “a highly developed flying posture” allowing them to glide, report the scientists.

While we’re on the topic of the wonders of H2O, a Swedish study uncovered evidence suggesting anti-anxiety medications flushed into rivers affect the fish population. Scientists found traces of prescription drug Oxazepam in the tissues of the perch population and a corresponding change in their behavior. The fish, which usually stay close together for self-defense, became less sociable and less afraid of venturing out on their own. Experts are concerned that the behavioral change could have serious evolutionary consequences and urge sewage treatment plants to begin filtering out the chemicals.

United Kingdom jails apparently have their own radio station called National Prison Radio, commonly referred to as NPR. That alone, should be a magnificent Sound Smart factoid. But it gets better. The station, which has a captive audience of 84,000 inmates, will play their requests, and it compiled a list of the most popular artists. It turns out the prisoners have excellent tastes. The number-one artist was Tupac. Although the rapper “died” in 1996 (exaggerated wink), he beat out artists like Rihanna, Drake and Lil’ Wayne. And yes, Notorious B.I.G. was on the list. He placed ninth.

Nudiustertian

(nu-di-uhs-TUR-shuhn) is an actual word in the English language that means “of the day before yesterday.” You can also just say two days ago, but that doesn’t sound as cool.

Slippery When Wet

Have you ever wondered why your fingers and toes get all wrinkly after spending too much time in the bathtub or the swimming pool? Well, scientists now know why. Recent research shows it’s because of an evolutionary trait that allows humans to have a better grasp on wet objects. The wrinkles appear because of vasoconstriction, which occurs when blood vessels constrict beneath the skin, creating a consistent pattern that allows “water to sluice away.” Researchers compared the phenomenon to treads on a tire. Back in the day, we probably used this feature for gathering soggy vegetation or food from ponds and streams, and it also helped our feet get better footing in the rain.

You’re So Vein

The ancient Romans believed that the fourth finger of the left hand contained a vein that ran straight to heart. They called the vein the “vena amoris,” which means the “vein of love.” While the theory is incorrect—all fingers have a similar vein structure—many historians consider this belief explains why people in Western cultures wear their wedding bands on that finger.

Reality TV on Mars

Did you grow up idolizing Marvin the Martian? Probably not, but now you have a chance to live on his home planet—and be on reality TV. Mars One, a Dutch-based non-governmental organization, wants to send human colonists to live on Mars. The listed criteria that travelers must have are: resiliency, adaptability, curiosity, ability to trust and creativity/resourcefulness. To make the story even more bizarre, the contestants are picked by other Earthlings, via reality TV. Viewers will watch the show and determine who they think is suitable for becoming one of the first humans on Mars. If you’re interested, the application process begins this year for a launch set for 2023. Also, you have to be really sure you want to go—since there is no return flight scheduled, due to funding.

“PANDAS is an acronym for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections.” [See Fortune52: Marianne Russo: Founder, The Coffee Klatch]

They may shock the nation, but unfortunately, children and violence are two words that are becoming more commonly linked with one another. The American Academy of Pediatrics named firearm-related deaths one of the top three causes of death in American youth, and the rate of violent crimes are higher for people 12 to 24 years of age than any other age group. And even if children aren’t the victims of violence, they’ve been exposed to it. According to the American Psychiatric Association, by the time the average child reaches 18, he or she will have seen an estimated 200,000 acts of violence on television alone.

Hobbit Fuel

During the filming of The Hobbit, producer Peter Jackson spent $1.5 million of the movie’s reported $150-million budget on food and $380,000 on coffee. No word on whether it was Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts.

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Snow Way Out!

For some people, snow days are even worse than slushy roads and shoveling driveways. Chionophobia is the fear of snow, and sufferers feel panic, shortness of breath, impending death and other anxiety symptoms when icy precipitation starts falling. The cause of the phobia is usually a traumatic experience involving snow and, luckily, therapy can help. Sometimes chionophobia is mistaken as a fear of the Chinese, but that malady is actually sinophobia.

That’s Soooo Interesting

Studies have shown that exposure to sarcasm enhances creative problem solving. Being surrounded by sarcastic people also makes you smarter, according to the Smithsonian. Scientists monitoring the electrical activity of the brain found that comprehending a sarcastic opinion as opposed to a sincere statement makes the brain work harder.

Rock Out

British journal BMJ Open found that being a solo singing sensation may not be all it’s cracked up to be. A team of researchers from the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University looked at the mortality rates of 1,489 rock and pop stars who gained fame between 1956 and 2006, and found that solo performers were about twice as likely to die at an earlier age than than members of a band. In North America, 23 percent of solo stars died early in life, while just 10 percent of stars in a band met untimely deaths. They concluded that this may be because solo stars are usually more famous than band members, and have different sets of pressures and temptations. Interesting for anyone considering a career in the music industry.

“Whitney Houston”

was the most Googled search term of 2012. The late singer was followed by “Hurricane Sandy,” “Election 2012,” “Hunger Games,” and “Jeremy Lin.”