If you've heard the buzz about the "superfood" health benefits of matcha, a type of powdered green tea, you might want to read on.

China is known to produce knockoffs for almost every kind of popular product imaginable, and they do it so well that sometimes even the employees at the knockoff stores believe it's the real deal.

So it's no surprise that when Japanese matcha tea grew in popularity, China began to export its own version as Chinese "matcha" green tea powder. However, the Chinese version, while cheaper and more accessible, is not the perfect substitute for Japanese matcha. 

What makes Japanese matcha tea popular — as well as its knockoff versions — are its alleged health benefits. Like traditional green tea, matcha contains a compound called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). But its levels are typically much higher in match than in traditional tea. A 2003 study, for example, found that matcha had three times more EGCG than most traditional green teas. 

A series of preliminary Mayo Clinic studies showed promise for the potential use of EGCG in reducing the number of cancer cells in patients with a specific type of cancer: chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Research on green tea in people with other forms of cancer has been too limited to say for sure how beneficial it is. Other studies have suggested EGCG may play a role in maintaining heart and metabolic health, and still others— though limited and typically in cells, not people — suggest its anti-inflammatory properties could be beneficial for people with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.

How is matcha made?

"Matcha" translates into "powdered tea" and is exactly that — steamed and air-dried green tea leaves that are stone-ground into super-fine powder. Traditionally, tea is made by steeping tea leaves in hot or boiling water for a few minutes and then discarding them. With matcha tea, however, the fine powder is stirred into hot, not boiling, water until it froths. Then the entire beverage — ground leaves and all — is consumed.

While tea-powdering is believed to have originated in China with a Buddhist monk in around 1191 CE, the farming techniques for matcha were refined and perfected over several centuries in Japan. Preparing Japanese matcha is an intricate process which has been part of Japanese culture for nearly 800 years. In Japan, tea leaves are grown in the shade to preserve its green color, and dried quickly to prevent them from long exposure with oxygen, which can dull the earthy flavor.

Chinese "matcha" only approximates these farming techniques: Chinese tea leaves are not generally grown in the shade, and are "pan-fried" to stop oxidation.  As a result, Chinese "matcha" does not froth as much and its texture is more sandy.

Additionally, the soil in Japan, specifically Ise and Uji, and South West China are have different characteristics, which are also believed have an impact on the tea.

Chinese teas have also come under fire for their potential toxicity. In 2013, the environmental organization Greenpeace randomly tested 18 Chinese green tea samples, and found that 12 of them contained banned pesticides. Japanese matcha tea, on the other hand, abide by more stringent standards on use of pesticides.

As a result of these differences, Japanese matcha tea can be pricier than the Chinese versions. An ounce of Japanese matcha can range from $26-$32, whereas Chinese "matcha" tea can cost as little as $7/ounce. 

The process of growing and harvesting the tea is what makes Japanese matcha. So it may be worth the extra cash, to reap the full benefits of matcha's flavor, history, and quality. 

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Craftsman and Wolves is a contemporary pâtisserie and cafe with two locations in San Francisco. The bakery is famed for Chef William Werner's creation, "The Rebel Within." This muffin is stuffed with asiago cheese, sausage, scallions, crème fraîche and, best of all, a soft-boiled egg that oozes from the center.

Story by Eloise Kirn and editing by Alana Yzola

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Anthony Bourdain is a master storyteller.

In 2000, at 44, he was propelled into stardom by his bestselling memoir, "Kitchen Confidential." It's the tell-all of a Manhattan chef unafraid to talk about the grittier side of the restaurant industry, as well as his own past struggles with drug addiction.

Its success led to another book deal, with an accompanying Food Network show, both called "A Cook's Tour." He left his role as executive chef of the Manhattan French restaurant Les Halles and became a television personality who traveled the world, next with the Travel Channel shows "No Reservations" and "The Layover," and then the CNN series "Parts Unknown."

Over the past 16 years, Bourdain, now 59, has explored the cultures and cuisines in locales across 80 countries, and he's won three Emmys and a Peabody award.

Bourdain has intentionally avoided leading any food projects since leaving the restaurant industry, but next year his name will be attached to a 155,000-square-foot (think three football fields), $60 million international market in New York City's Pier 57.

We recently spoke to Bourdain about the seventh season of "Parts Unknown," premiering on April 24, Bourdain Market, his favorite place in the world to eat, and his extraordinary career.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Richard Feloni: What about your experiences from your travels in this upcoming season surprised you?

Anthony Bourdain: I knew a little of the Philippines already, but this was a chance to learn about the Filipino character, and why so many of them end up as caregivers, essentially, looking after kids, looking after sick people — that instinct to give. There's also a musical aspect that seems ubiquitous. We're trying to tell a very personal Philippines story, and that was a highlight.

Senegal was a surprise. It's unlike any country I've been [to] before. It's a slice of Islam that I think most people haven't seen, with a very different colonial history than a lot of people have seen. I think that's going to be a real eye-opener.

The situation in the Greek isles, where we shot, is very different from the mainland. They're doing fairly well in Naxos, mostly off predatory tourism, people looking for cheap prices in a buyer's market. They're doing pretty well compared to the mainland. So it's sort of an off-center perspective. And there is a shadow looming, however paradoxical it might seem, from the refugee crisis that has become an increasingly big factor in the country.

Feloni: You're now shooting an episode in Rome based on its dark fascist past.

Bourdain: It's not so much that it's a historical show. I think primarily I'm always looking to look at a place from a different perspective, and everybody's seen classic Rome, and the Coliseum, and the buildings of antiquity.

So I said let's look at a completely different side of Rome, the EUR [Esposizione universale Roma, the district Mussolini intended to be Rome's new center], fascist-era architecture, early [film director] Pier Paolo Pasolini, Brutalist architecture— I deliberately tried to stay away from antiquity and monuments. But from that, I certainly think it is obvious that — once I made that stylistic decision, I started to read a lot of history of when these structures were built and why.

I've been boning up on Mussolini-era Italy and there are a shocking number of similarities to current-day America, unfortunately.

I think it's worth remembering that Mussolini was elected. He was very, very popular, and basically could say anything he wanted on any given day of the week, completely reverse himself from his opinion yesterday and yet no one minded. I think that apparent need for a man on a horse, we might be in a similar time. I mean, I hope not.

Feloni: Are you getting at Trump specifically?

Bourdain: It won't appear in the show at all, but I hope it hangs in the air.

I mean, Mussolini served his country in combat and did a credible job, and I don't think you could say that about, you know ... this guy.

Feloni: Moving to some brighter news. When did the idea for this Pier 57 market first start? When did it move forward in a real way?

Bourdain: We've been working on it for about four, five years. I've always loved those Southeast Asian hawker centers and the big wet market of Hong Kong and São Paulo and Barcelona, and I was sort of bitterly resentful as a New Yorker that we didn't have that. We should. We're a big international city, our diversity is our strength, we have millions of people from all over the world, why don't we have a big market with democratically available, diversely priced food?

It's something we're missing, and given the opportunity to be part of a project that brings that to New York — I led that, and I don't know when it started to become something serious that looked like it was going to happen, I really couldn't speak to that.

This was an opportunity that arose in New York, and I'm a New Yorker. If I was thinking if this is an extension of me, I would have had little eateries in airports years ago.

This is not a supermarket or a food center, a food hall, or any of that. This is a market that will sell produce and fish, and there will be butchers and bakers. But it will also have one-chef, one-dish specialized, independently owned and operated stalls.

And we're doing absolutely zero Italian, no Italian anything. I mean, Mario Batali does that very well with Eataly, and I don't see any need to duplicate efforts. So we'll assiduously stay away from that. It's not of any interest or expertise in any case.

Feloni: How much time will you spend working on it once it's launched?

Bourdain: There will certainly be no business within the market that I didn't say yes or no to. Will I be driving a forklift? Probably not.

Feloni: What does it mean to you to have this giant project with your name attached to it?

Bourdain: I wish my name wasn't on it! [laughs] I think this is a great idea whether my name's on it or not. Personally, I would have been happy to live without my name on it. But wiser minds than me apparently thought it was a really important thing. I could live without that. I don't know. I've never done anything like this.

Artist's rendering of a portion of Bourdain Market, from Roman and Williams.

Feloni: Speaking of New York, I saw that you shared your favorite restaurants with The Daily Beast ...

Bourdain: Well, somehow it morphed from "What New York restaurants do you eat at when you come home from a long trip abroad" to "What are your favorite New York restaurants of all time"?

In any case, look, it's a respectable list and it accurately represents some aspects of my favorite places.

Anyways, date night is Korean barbecue. Also I love Tori Shin, I love to go for yakitori. That's sort of a go-to for me.

Feloni: What do you think of the New York restaurant scene right now?

Bourdain: I think it's good. I mean, it's come so, so, so, so far in just my lifetime. I mean, it would have been unthinkable, so much of what we have now would have been unthinkable 20 years ago, 25 years ago when I was still in the business.

You've got, like, tattooed young people all over the city and all over the country making their own sausages and curing their own meat and rotting things in their cellars and acutely aware of the seasons and aping obscure subgenres of Basque-specific restaurants. It is a wonderful thing. And chefs are themselves empowered by this admittedly bizarre and frequently hilarious celebrity-chef phenomenon.

But what it's done is it's allowed them to cook as well as they know how, because people are interested in their best game now, they're not showing up at their restaurant saying I'd like the chicken. They come in wanting to try Eric Ripert's food or Daniel Boulud's food, they don't go in there with a specific menu item in mind, and I think that's a really important change in the landscape over the last 20 years.

Feloni: Why do you think that's happened?

Bourdain: I think the celebrity chef thing. People started to put a face to the person in the kitchen, and they started to care about their opinion. And there are a lot of other factors as well, but I think that's an important one.

Feloni: How do you consider your influence? Xi'an Famous Foods, for example, blew up after you featured it on your show.

Bourdain: Look, I try not to f--- places up. You know what I mean? I'm aware of the fact that sometimes if we put this wonderful little neighborhood bar that's beloved by locals and no one else knows about it, if we put that on TV, that we could change its character forever, or that the owner might be happy for the additional money, but the other customers will be miserable and angry and I've basically ruined an important part of their lives.

I think about that a lot, and there have been occasions where we won't even give the name of the establishment that we put on camera. And there have been times where we deliberately shoot in such a way that you'll never find it.

I don't want to hurt people. I don't want to change the world in a bad way, if I can avoid it.

Feloni: In your book "Medium Raw," you start off by saying how your perspective has changed since writing "Kitchen Confidential." That was six years ago. When you look back at each of those versions of yourself, what do you see?

Bourdain: I know the guy who wrote "Kitchen Confidential" very well. He's not me anymore. I'm not boiling with rage. I don't live in this tiny tunnel-vision world. I had such a limited view of what reality was like outside of the kitchen doors, I had no clue! I never lived with normal people. I lived in the restaurant universe for my entire adult life.

I'm no longer the star of the movie. At all. That's it!

It's a huge relief in a lot of ways. And it's such an understatement to say that having a kid changes your life. You're just no longer the first person you think about or care about. You're not the most important person in the room. It's not your film. The music doesn't play for you — it's all about the girl. And that changes everything.

Feloni: And in those past six years, do you see a change in your relationship to celebrity food culture, or cooking competitions, or branding?

Bourdain: I work really hard to not ever think about my place in the world.

I'm aware of my good fortune. I'm very aware of it, and I'm very aware that, because of it, people offer me things. Opportunities to do extraordinary things. The ones that are interesting to me are collaborations. I get to work with people who 10 years [ago] I wouldn't have dreamed to have been able to work with. And that's a big change professionally, and it's something that I think about a lot. How can I creatively have fun, do some interesting stuff, not repeat myself? Have fun. Play in a creative way. I like making things.

Feloni: Are there any aspects of food culture, on the Food Network or elsewhere, that still bother you? Everyone likes to talk about the tension between you and Guy Fieri, for example.

Bourdain: No. I keep saying it's fodder for comedy, but I basically do a stand-up act in 10 or 12 cities a year. I stand up in front of an audience at a theater and I'm expected to talk for an hour. If you're sitting there in front of a couple thousand people who paid a lot of money to see you, they don't really want to talk about sustainable agriculture for an hour and a half. They would like the occasional dick joke. And the dick jokes better be funny!

So if you're a middle-aged dude walking around in a flame jacket, there will be the occasional joke about you.

Feloni: Was it about the personality, or the level of food, as well? In your own show, you visited Waffle House with chef Sean Brock.

Bourdain: I think Waffle House is such an important part of Sean Brock's career and life. And he just was so overwhelmingly enthusiastic about it in an earnest way. And I appreciate the mechanics of what they do. By the way, the way Waffle House works, the whole system is really interesting, and the fact that they're so completely forgiving of outrageously disgusting drunken behavior. Which is, of course, the only way to really appreciate the Waffle House. [laughs] I gather the food tastes really good because you're drunk. But if you're drunk and at the Waffle House, it's pretty awesome.

I could think of a couple of times I ended up in the Fieri Zone. Sean Brock took me to a place that he loved and that was important in his life. And David Choe took me to Sizzler, which was genuinely important to his life.

Ordinarily, these are not establishments I would have thought of going to. I'd never been to a Waffle House, I felt kind of stupid. I wish I had known more.

Feloni: What do you think the worst thing in food culture right now is?

Bourdain: I mean, there's always snobbery, of course.

A couple years ago, I'm holding my daughter's hand and I walk into the supermarket in my neighborhood — I live in the Upper East Side. We're there to buy oranges and lemons, right? And there's the organic produce and the nonorganic sections. And I automatically head over to the nonorganic and I look around and there are all these Upper East Side housewives looking at me like I'm a f---ing war criminal and they're about to call child-protective services. It was so bad that I slump over to the organic section just so these ladies wouldn't hate me.

Feloni: So it's just snobbery over nonsense?

Bourdain: I don't need a 10-minute description of my food. Look, it's annoying but not the worst thing in the world. At least people are interested enough to want to know the details. You'll hear the name of the farm, the name of the farmer, what my cattle was fed — I don't need to know all of that.

But I'm glad that people are aware and think about these things, and I'm glad when waiters and servers know. And I'm glad that chefs are making the real effort to get the best quality ingredients and that the public is more and more likely to appreciate it and even understand it. So I mean, it's good.

I just think that the great food writers, the great enthusiasts — like A.J. Liebling— is that they're not snobs. You can't be a great food writer and a snob about food and just want fancy, expensive ingredients. You have to appreciate the qualities of a properly greasy fast-food burger. Or a short-order burger, at least.

Feloni: How do you determine how your trips will unfold? Are there ever times on a shoot when you just get vicious food poisoning — do you still abide by that early philosophy that if you eat something and get sick, it might be worth it just for the experience?

Bourdain: I've found that you're not going to have the really great travel experiences if you're not willing to experience the bad ones. If you don't leave yourself open for things to happen to you, nothing really is going to happen to you, good or bad.

The great travel epiphanies seem to sneak up on you because you kind of f---ed up, you took a wrong turn, and you ended up in a place where you permitted events to unfold. That means you're going to eat some bad meals in your life.

Because I'm with a camera crew, people are being nice to us, they're giving us their hospitality, and often a lot of their self-image or their image in the neighborhood counts on that. I try very hard to be polite — meaning, I may end up at grandma's house and I may not like grandma's turkey, but I'm sure as hell going to clean my plate and compliment her on it because it's her house. And that's a really important part of being a guest. You eat what's offered wherever you are. That's ... [why] the show works the way it does, because not just me but my whole crew take that attitude, that we're happy and grateful to be there and we're willing to try anything that's offered in good faith.

I get ill very infrequently.

Feloni: So you just have to be up for things you normally wouldn't be?

Bourdain: It depends what you're looking for. I had a very good idea when I went to Libya and eastern Congo, I had a pretty good idea what the risks were, and what it was going to be like, and I made a calculated decision. In some cases, it was worse than we anticipated, or more difficult. In others, it ended up working out pretty well.

I try not to travel stupidly. I'm not looking to go full Geraldo [Rivera] out there in my flack jacket and sticking my head out of the foxhole just for a good shot. I have the responsibility to try to stay alive for my daughter, and to not get my camera people killed on some narcissistic television show.

Feloni: And when you are back home in New York and aren't going out, do you still cook?

Bourdain: Yes. Oh, I cook a lot. I cook for my daughter every day. I prepare my daughter's school lunch every day and I'll cook dinner every night I'm home.

I have some go-to dishes. But if my daughter doesn't like the idea of something, we're sure as hell not having it. I do Christmas and Thanksgiving and often New Year's at home and invite friends and family. Then all summer long I take an inordinate amount of pleasure in being a super-normal dad, like standing in the backyard with an apron and grilling cheeseburgers and hot dogs. Though I'm a little more organized than the average dad!

I do clambakes, steamer clams and lobster. Basically the greatest hits from my summer vacations as a kid. I try to inflict them on my family. Pasta, spaghetti and meatballs, I make a decent meatball. I love making meatloaf. I cook home food. I'm not doing anything too fancy. Even when I have friends over it's pretty straight-ahead. My daughter's birthday's coming up, I'm doing roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, gravy, succotash — and, oh yeah, my daughter asked for foie gras! This is a bad sign!

Feloni: After traveling the world several times over, is there a cuisine or part of the world that continually draws you in and surprises you?

Bourdain: Japan is endlessly, endlessly interesting to me. I just returned from shooting yet another episode there with Masa Takayama and, oh, it was just amazing. I've made more shows there than any other country and I don't think I've even scratched the surface and I don't think I ever will.

Feloni: Do you have a particular favorite Japanese dish?

Bourdain: Oh, God. Give me some good uni, a really good soba with duck dipping sauce — duck dipping dressing is really amazing — and I adore good yakitori.

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A new report from two major research groups just linked processed meat — including everyone's favorite, bacon — to cancer.

If this story sounds familiar, then that's because it is.

Just last October, the World Health Organization published a paper concluding that eating processed meats was linked with a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer, a specific type of the disease that begins in the colon or rectum.

This new report looks even worse for America's favorite breakfast meat.

In it, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) find links between eating processed meat and developing cancer of the lower stomach.

The links are creepily similar to those found in the previous WHO report on colorectal cancer and processed meat.

In fact, the researchers found the same risk factor — down to the gram and percentage — for eating processed meat and developing lower-stomach cancer as the WHO had found for eating processed meat and developing colorectal cancer.

Here's a quote from the new AICR and WCRF report on stomach cancer:

For every 1.8 ounces (50 grams) of processed meat eaten per day, every day — the equivalent of one hot dog — the risk of cancers of the lower stomach ... increases by 18%.

And here's the older WHO report and press release on colorectal cancer:

The experts concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%.

According to Dr. Susan Higginbotham, AICR's vice president of research, that's purely coincidental, as both reports used different publications and did different analyses. And we need to keep in mind that, at the end of the day, these estimates are just ballpark figures. They don't tell us precisely what is causing disease or how it happens in the body.

"Cancer is complicated. It's kind of showing there's an increase in risk and we have ideas about why it might be happening, but we're not sure. And the fact that it's happening in more than one cancer is definitely interesting," Higginbotham told Business Insider.

In other words, this is bad news for bacon.

Still, Higginbotham warns, you shouldn't go banning the ingredient just yet. While these numbers are certainly scary, the situation is probably nowhere near as bad as you think. It doesn't mean, for example, that for every piece of bacon you consume you're drastically jacking up your chances of getting colorectal or lower-stomach cancer.

OK, so how bad is it, really?

Let's try comparing theoretical you with two of your theoretical friends: Susie and Fred.

Susie is practically vegetarian. She's completely sworn off hot dogs and smoked ham, but she maybe indulges in a few pieces of bacon every month. You, on the other hand, make a mean Saturday-afternoon BLT and have been known to occasionally indulge in a hot dog at a baseball game.

Then there's Fred. He fries up a few pieces of bacon for breakfast every day, eats a pastrami sandwich for lunch a few times a week, and typically has ham for dinner.

Genetics and environmental factors aside, you and Susie are at a pretty low risk of developing colorectal or lower-stomach cancer as a strict result of your eating habits, at least according to these two reports. Neither of you is indulging in the equivalent of a hot dog or a serving of pastrami each day. Reminder: One daily hot dog or its equivalent was the amount of processed meat the study found to be linked with an 18% increased risk of the two cancers.

For Fred, it's a different story. He's eating plenty more than the equivalent of a single hot dog each day, and, based on this research, is more likely to develop one of these two cancer types over his lifetime than you or Susie.

Is eating bacon as bad for you as smoking?

Lest you begin having flashbacks to the terrifying headlines of last year which compared noshing on a few strips of delicious bacon with smoking cigarettes, the two are not equally unhealthy.

The Global Burden of Disease project, an international research group, estimates that roughly 34,000 cancer deaths per year across the globe can be attributed to diets high in processed meats like bacon.

On the other hand, close to as much as 29 times that amount — 1 million people — die of cancer every year from smoking tobacco. Another 600,000 people die each year as a result of alcohol consumption, and about 200,000 die each year as a result to air pollution, according to the project.

So keep that in mind before opting to ban processed meat from your diet altogether. Instead, just cut back a bit.

"I think that this just adds more support to the advice we've already given to avoid processed meat," said Higginbotham. "It doesn't change our advice because we already saw this for colon cancer, but it strengthens it. It's just another way to look at things."

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Between staying in touch with friends and family, trying to be a superstar at work, and keeping up with household chores, life can get pretty complicated. 

But a recent Quora threat called "How can I make my life simpler?" suggested that life doesn't always have to be as complicated as we make it.

Several users provided helpful suggestions on ways to streamline our day-to-day lives. Here are nine of our favorite ideas for how you can make every day a little bit simpler.

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Just say no.

While it might not be easy, saying no to anything that adds clutter to your life leaves room for what's most important to you.

"You need to say no to everything that doesn't matter," says Oliver Emberton. "Practice saying no to everything by default, and making rare, precious exceptions."

Once you start, your priorities will become clearer.

Move abroad.

Quora user Mark Pan suggests moving to another country for a couple of years. The transition will force you to let go of big complications such as an unfulfilling job or a messy relationship, as well as force you to pare down your belongings.

"Once you come back, you'll have much less baggage, both tangible and intangible, and be able to start fresh in many aspects," he says.

Make up your mind.

Shrugging off decisions with a flip "I don't know" will only make choosing harder in the long run.

Radhika Devidas explains: "This 'I don't know' feeling that you get from time to time only means that you have to ponder some more to arrive at something solid. When you leave things at this stage, they tend to become huge and often cancerous when they catch your attention the second time."

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The Marathon des Sables, a six-day race through the Sahara desert, has a hard-won reputation as "The Toughest Footrace on Earth."

The 31st edition of the race, the longest yet at 159 miles, ended Saturday, April 16, and I was among the 973 who crossed the finish line.

The race is not for the faint-hearted.

The route takes in towering sand dunes, airless oueds (dried-up riverbeds), and scrambled jebel (rocky hill) ascents.

The distance comes in at almost a marathon a day, with the longest stage this year a punishing double marathon.

Competitors run or walk through 104-degree plus temperatures, carrying their food for the week. Water is rationed. Salt tablets are essential.

Competitors sleep in bivouac tents, which do little to retain warmth when the temperature drops overnight and offer limited resistance to sandstorms.

It is no surprise then that a lot of competitors don't make it to the finish. There were 18 participants who didn't make it past day one, according to the provisional results, and nearly 60 more dropped out on day two.

In all, around 130 were forced to drop out, often through no fault of their own. The desert is relentless, and there is a large slice of luck involved in surviving what it has to throw at you.

This is what "The Toughest Footrace on Earth" is like:

The event required quite a bit of kit. We had to carry at least 2,000 calories a day for seven days, with the bulk of this made up by caloric freeze-dried meals. We also had to pack survival kit with items ranging from a venom pump to a signaling mirror.

We flew in to Ouarzazate in Morocco on Friday, April 8, before boarding coaches for the six-hour drive to the first bivoauc.

The bivouac camp has around 170 tents, each sleeping a maximum of eight competitors. The tents are organized by nationality, with large British and French contingents dominating camp. I stayed with three friends and a British runner named Dave who we met on the bus.

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Though a significant amount of our overall happiness is genetic, there are certain external influences that can keep us ina good mood. Here are the best, scientifically proven ways to stay happy.

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Jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math are booming in the US — and average salaries for STEM jobs are nearly twice the national average.

It's no surprise, then, that high schools across the country are ramping up their emphasis on teaching STEM skills.

U.S. News & World Report recently released its list of the best high schools in America, gathering data on more than 21,000 public schools across the country. It also separately highlighted the best STEM high schools.

The overall ranking measures high schools by graduation rates, college readiness, and how well students at each school performed statistically compared to others in their state. The college readiness score — out of a possible 100 — measures which schools produce the best college-level achievement for the highest percentages of students, using AP and IB scores as benchmarks. You can read the full breakdown of the methodology here.

The U.S. News STEM index, which awards a score out of 100 to the top 500 high schools in the country, is determined by the percentage of students who took and passed Advanced Placement tests in STEM subjects.

Read on for the 25 best high schools in the country for learning science, technology, engineering, and math:

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No. 25. Pine View School

Location: Osprey, Florida

Enrollment: 2,180

STEM index: 85.9

College readiness: 100

Graduation rate: 100%

No. 24. Solon High School

Location:Solon, Ohio

Enrollment: 1,705

STEM index: 86

College readiness: 60.9

Graduation rate: 98%

No. 23. Darien High School

Location: Darien, Connecticut

Enrollment: 1,354

STEM index: 86.3

College readiness: 56.3

Graduation rate: 98%

Your parents may have been onto something when they stuck you in middle school cotillion class.

It turns out, the wealthiest, most successful people use simple etiquette habits to get ahead.

A five-minute phone call, for instance, could result in huge payoffs.  

"You have to know how to act and how to do certain things when you're around people," writes Thomas C. Corley in his book "Change Your Habits, Change Your Life." "Self-made millionaires have mastered certain rules of etiquette that help them in social settings."

Corley would know — he spent five years researching the daily habits of 177 self-made millionaires and segmenting out what he calls "rich habits" and "poverty habits."

What are the basic etiquette rules you should start with?

1. Send thank you cards. Don't send an email or Facebook message, Corley emphasizes, but a physical, handwritten card.

2. Bring your manners to the dinner table. "Believe it or not, most people don't know how to eat," Corley writes. But, "In the adult world of the high achievers, you need to know how to eat in social settings."

3. Introduce yourself properly. This means giving a proper handshake, smiling, making eye contact, and asking plenty of questions about the other person, Corley says.

At the end of the day, "relationship are critical to financial success," he emphasizes— and building relationships all begins with proper etiquette.

SEE ALSO: 5 simple etiquette habits that help the rich get ahead, according to a man who spent 5 years studying millionaires

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The most unforgettable trips are the ones that take you beyond the tourist sites. 

In the Know Experiences is a travel company that focuses on providing young and savvy travelers with once-in-a-lifetime experiences based on their personal interests. Each trip is based on the traveler's personal passions, whether they be food, art, sports, shopping, or design.

Those who love watches can be taken on personalized tours of high-end watch factories, while art lovers can be paired with curators for private tours and events. 

Founders Lia Batkin and Seth Kaplan were inspired to start the company in 2007, when they took a trip to Argentina and found that the recommendations they found through research or from friends were completely disappointing. 

The two felt there should be a travel company that goes beyond hotels, flights, and attractions to offer travelers off-the-beaten-path experiences that relate to their tastes and preferences. 

"Affluent travelers are looking for experiences that can make them connoisseurs in areas they're interested in," Batkin told Business Insider. 

So they started In the Know Experiences, initially tapping into their personal contacts to expand into a network of more than 100,000 contacts in the hospitality, retail, restaurant, and nightlife industries. 

The experiences they've put together include a mini Grand Prix for a client's birthday, where vintage Porsches, Ferraris, Ford Mustangs, and Aston Martins were brought in from Europe for a rally that included stops at the client's favorite places along the way. 

They've also planned a honeymoon that they say ended up costing more than $1 million, during which the lucky couple were surprised with luxurious experiences in Paris, New York, Orlando, the Bahamas, and London.

The couple was treated to a greeting of one million roses, a personalized dress from a famous bridal designer, a private shopping experience, gifts from Disney cast members in Orlando, and a fireworks presentation in the Bahamas.

During trips, travelers have 24/7 access to staff in case of emergencies. They'll also be treated to perks like hotel discounts ranging from 10 to 40% and amenities like complimentary breakfast, upgrades at booking, spa credits, and airport transfers. 

Costs for each trip vary depending on what they include, but they can range anywhere from the low thousands to millions of dollars in some cases. 

The company has a service fee of $300 per person (for trips within the US) and $350 per person (for outside of the US) for vacations that are up to two weeks, though longer trips can be arranged with custom prices. 

SEE ALSO: This app creates incredibly detailed maps that travelers can access even when they don't have an internet connection

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Most of us have closets overflowing with items we don't want anymore.

The good news is, reselling your clothes, shoes, and accessories is easier than ever. Long gone are the days of schlepping them to the nearest consignment store or listing them on eBay — today, you have several apps and websites to choose from.

If you're looking to declutter your closet, and earn some money while you're at it, consider these eight outlets.

Antonia Farzan contributed to an earlier version of this post.

SEE ALSO: 15 things you're better off buying used

For social shoppers: Poshmark

Poshmark, an app which looks and feels like Instagram, allows you to buy and sell clothing just like you would on eBay. The app has an enthusiastic community of shoppers and sellers who "follow" each other, comment on photos, and star their favorite items.

Brands like Tory Burch and Michael Kors tend to be the most popular, but you can also find lower-priced items from Forever 21 and H&M, as well as high-end labels like Chanel and Balenciaga.

For Alexandra Marquez, a 23-year old living in Arkansas, reselling thrift store finds on the app has become a full-time job. "I look at my phone from the time that I wake up until the time that I go to bed … and sometimes also when I get up in the middle of the night," she told Business Insider.

It's paid off: She earns $5,000 a month and was able to quit her corporate marketing job.

Business Insider's Caroline Moss tried using Poshmark, and made $700 in less than two months.

Many of the app's users are on the younger side, like Marquez, but co-founder Tracy Sun told Business Insider she sees people of all ages reselling their preowned clothes. "Everyone from teens, college students, professionals, celebrities, stay-at-home moms and even grandmothers are using the app," she says.

For busy parents: ThredUP

With ThredUP, all you have to do is put your unwanted clothing and accessories in the mail. The company provides you with a shipping bag and label, and will make you an offer after it receives and sorts your items.

Originally for kids' clothes, it's expanded its mail-in resale service to include women's clothing and accessories.

Many of the site's two million users are busy moms who can't keep up with how quickly their kids are outgrowing their clothes, and don't have time to take photos, place listings on sites like eBay, and make extra trips to the post office themselves.

Anthropologie, J. Crew, and Free People are big sellers, and Moxie, Merrell, and Jacadi are popular for kids. However, the site will also accept items from less expensive stores like Old Navy. On average, items are listed for 70% of their original retail price, and anything that can't be sold gets donated to charity.

Laurie Palau, who runs the organizing business SimplyBOrganized, says she gives ThredUP's shipping bags to clients who need help decluttering their homes. "I deal with a lot of clients who feel guilty donating high-end clothes that they have spent a lot of money on," she explains." Taking time to go to a consignment store isn't always realistic for them."

To streamline her own life, she always keeps one of the bags in her closet. "Last time I checked, I had over $700 in my thredUP account."

For label fanatics: SnobSwap

On the high end of the resale spectrum, there's SnobSwap, where clothing and accessories from brands like Chanel, Christian Louboutin, Tory Burch, and Coach typically sell for $250 to $370.

(You can also skip the waitlist and get a Hermès Birkin bag for $90,000.)

Co-founder Emily Dang describes the average user as a professional woman between the ages of 20 and 45 years old who is fashionable but budget conscious, and loves a good deal.

Lydia, a seller who didn't want her last name used, fits that definition: She's made over $4,000 selling gently used pieces from her wardrobe, like Louis Vuitton and Prada bags.

SnobSwap authenticates every single item that it sells, which builds trust with buyers and makes it easier to get high prices for previously owned luxury goods. As Lydia puts it, "No one wants to spend $2,500 on a handbag that was actually a $25 replica from China."

According to a recent study, marrying a person with psychopathic traits might be worse for you than you think.

Produced by Emma Fierberg

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Tasik Cermin, which translates to "Mirror Lake," is an oasis hidden inside a working quarry in Malaysia. Visitors must venture through a long, dark tunnel to find it. 

Story by Chloe Miller and editing by David Fang, footage courtesy of  RefeRr Motion Pictures

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Check out the sliding glass door that can turn around corners »

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NOW WATCH: A designer made a prototype of the simplest sofa bed possible

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Not all airport food has to be bland. 

Knowing the best places to grab a bite at the airport you're in can help you enjoy a quality meal before you need to catch your flight. 

That's why car service company Embarque put together a graphic that details the best dining options at the 10 busiest airports in the US.

To put together the graphic, the team looked to Yelp to find the highest-rated restaurants and bars in each of those airports, as well as which items are known as their signature dishes.

From prime rib at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to a brisket sandwich at Denver International Airport, here's where to dine and enjoy a drink the next time you're traveling within the US. 

SEE ALSO: The 10 strangest things that have been used as money around the world

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