With nearly 3 million international tourists visiting every year, the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South America.

And despite recent coverage of Olympic sized-troubles, Rio de Janeiro is still known the world over for its beautiful beaches, breathtaking scenery, and raucous Carnival celebration. Now, with the world watching, Rio de Janeiro is hosting the 2016 Olympic Games and is the first South American city to do so.

Catch a glimpse of this magnificent city and its famous landmarks in the aerial photos below.

SEE ALSO: Photos of the Brazilian village where they are making 9 million condoms for the Olympics

ALSO READ: 11 days before the Rio Olympics, athletes are refusing to move into the 'uninhabitable' Olympic Village

The city is nestled on the mountainous shores of Guanabara Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. The entrance of the bay is guarded by the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain.

Over 6 million people live in Rio, making it Brazil's second largest city. Many Cariocas live in favelas, or slums.

Boating is extremely popular in Rio, and there are numerous boat and yacht clubs dotting the coastline.

As soon as the word "cheap" is attached to the word "airline," people get nervous.

It's understandable — America's budget airline companies tend to get horrible reviews for everything from last-minute cancellations to relentless nickle-and-diming.

So when I tell friends and relatives that I regularly fly cheap airlines when I travel around Europe, I am prepared for their immediate concern. "What do you mean that your round-trip flight from Edinburgh to Rome only cost you $100?" they ask, terrified at the thought of all of the shortcuts the airline must be making to keep prices so low. "Is that even safe?" 

In all of my experiences flying with low-cost European providers — notably, Ryanair and EasyJet — I have (usually) been pleasantly surprised. Here are some of the things that shocked me the most. 

SEE ALSO: Here are the differences between attendees of the DNC and RNC, according to their Yelp searches

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Many international European flights cost less than domestic US flights.

The distance from New York to Miami is about the same as the distance from London to Madrid, but, in my experience, tickets for the latter trip on Europe's budget airlines will almost always be cheaper. For comparison's sake, I looked up round-trip flights to both places on the same dates in August.

According to my searches on Google Flights, the trip from New York to Miami cost around $230 at the cheapest, while the flight from London to Madrid was only $121 — almost half the price. The difference in airfare makes even less sense when you think of the fact that London and Madrid are in two different countries, while New York and Miami are both in the US.

Europe's cheap airlines aren't just for the budget-conscious.

You really see a diverse crowd on Ryanair and Easyjet planes — I was surprised to notice a fair amount of well-dressed businessmen and families among the groups of traveling students that I was anticipating. I guess that if the flights are reliable and cheap, why would you go with anyone else?

They're much more reliable than I anticipated.

I've taken more than 10 trips with budget European airlines, and I can confidently say that I have not run into a single delay or cancellation. I have always arrived at my destinations with spectacular punctuality, which is pretty impressive.

Of course, unexpected situations do arise— Ryanair's cancellation policy allows you to change flights up to 4 hours before flight departure time (with a pretty standard fee that varies depending on the circumstances), and a cancellation or significant delay on their part guarantees the passenger a full refund.

So far, though, I've gotten pretty lucky, and haven't had to deal with any travel hangups that weren't my own fault. When I have missed an occasional flight or had to change plans, Ryanair and EasyJet staff have always been helpful and attentive.  

If you're like us, then "sell by" dates on your favorite foods may often leave you feeling skeptical and uneasy.

Using the website StillTasty, which collects data from the USDA, the FDA, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and food manufacturers, we created the graphic below to help assuage your shelf-life fears:

Mallory Schlossberg contributed to this article.

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NOW WATCH: McDonald's is changing its burgers to make them tastier

A new hotel has opened in Paris. It might be more appropriate to say it's been launched, since the Off Paris Seine isn't a structure built on dry land, but a floating barge anchored in the middle of Paris' River Seine.

That might sound anxiety-inducing — the exact opposite of what you want in your Paris vacation.

But not to worry — the boat never undocks from its 13th-arrondissement neighborhood, and it's packed with cocktails by renowned mixologist Nicolas Munoz, a plunge pool, and every modern amenity you can imagine.

Take a look around this new kind of hotel, which opened to guests and visitors on June 23.

SEE ALSO: No one wants to buy this bizarre house in a wealthy San Francisco suburb

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The Off Paris Seine is a hotel like Paris has never seen before.

Situated on a barge in the Seine, it is quite literally a floating hotel.

The poolside bar area is unique in that it is completely open-air, and has the feeling of a roof deck. It will be enclosed with glass in the winter.

A massive crowd descended upon the "Number One Bathing Beach" in Qingdao City, China on Saturday. An official for the public beach estimated around 130,000 people visited the popular beach on that day.

The size of the crowds has put parents on high alert to prevent losing track of their kids. Officials said that there are between 20 to 30 reports of lost children every day. 

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New York City boasts one of the most expensive costs of living in the country, making it the ultimate challenge to find a place to live.

Where you want to live — and where you can afford to live — depends on many factors. Neighborhoods vary in their perks and downfalls when it comes to price, commute distance, transportation access, nightlife, and other lifestyle amenities.

Niche, a company that compiles information on cities, recently released its annual ranking of the best neighborhoods in New York City.

The ranking determined the overall livability of a neighborhood by weighing factors such as education, cost of living, crime rates, housing trends, employment statistics, and access to amenities.

From historic to hip, these neighborhoods possess their own identities and can offer residents a sense of home in a city of over 8 million people.

Here are the 15 best New York City neighborhoods to live in:

SEE ALSO: The 25 best cities for millennials in America

DON'T MISS: The 20 best bagel shops in New York City, according to Foursquare

15. Hell's Kitchen

Population: 53,923

Hell's Kitchen, also known as Midtown West, was once a poor and working-class neighborhood that has steadily gentrified over a couple decades. Because of its proximity to many Broadway theaters and the famed Actors Studio, the neighborhood became a popular area for aspiring actors. Hell's Kitchen boasts shorter commute times and offers a lively nightlife scene for its residents.

14. Flatiron District

Population: 13,196

Home to the Flatiron Building, one of the oldest skyscrapers in the city, at the intersection of Broadway and Fifth Avenue, the Flatiron District features a great restaurant scene, upscale real estate, and an impressive stretch of shopping. It is increasingly known as a huge area for fitness clubs. The median rent for the neighborhood is a steep $1,901.

13. Greenwich Village

Population: 30,145

Greenwich Village possesses its own sense of character and charm within the city. The neighborhood has served as a home to the creative community, the LGBT movement, and New York University. The area has become a melting pot of its own, filled with bustling restaurants and venues, while keeping its small community feel.

Apple is replacing the pistol emoji with a squirt gun emoji, the company announced on Monday. 

New emoji icons, including emoji that depict female athletes and professionals, will be included as part of a new beta version of iOS for iPhones and iPads.

But as part of the latest update, Apple actually removed an emoji. Apple has replaced the handgun emoji with a bright green icon that looks like a classic Super Soaker water pistol.  

This appears to be an Apple decision to change its icon — not a decision by Unicode, the body that writes the standards for computer characters, including emoji. 

Earlier this year, Apple started a discussion at a Unicode meeting to remove a proposed rifle emoji from a package of proposed icons meant to commemorate the Summer Olympics.

Activist groups have put pressure on Apple to change its cartoonish gun emoji, given the level of gun violence in the United States. Microsoft's emoji font already interprets the gun emoji as a toy gun. 

Apple has previously introduced emoji of its own, without Unicode's help, in the past, including an eye emoji as part of an anti-bullying campaign. 

Here are some of the new emoji: 

SEE ALSO: Here's everything we know about 'Project Titan,' Apple's electric car

Here's what the gun emoji used to look like:

But starting with this fall's iPhone update, it will soon look like this:

Soon, every emoji on iPhone will have both a male and female gender option.

Imagine not having to say no to a drink anymore because you have to drive home.

That would be great for liquor sales, which have been hit hard by drunk-driving laws in countries like China and Scotland, according to a research note by Morgan Stanley's Adam Jonas and his team.

Drinking and driving should, of course, always be mutually exclusive, but the rise of car-sharing services and the development of driverless cars could shake things up.

Uber, for one, claimed that it has prevented about 1,800 drunk-driving crashes since its launch in California in July 2012, according to a blog post last January. But the evidence is mixed: A study by researchers at the University of Southern California and Oxford University found no effect from Uber on crash rates.

Regardless, the driverless-car and alcohol industries could benefit each other significantly.

Here is Morgan Stanley (emphasis added):

"Shared and autonomous vehicle technology help address the mutual exclusivity of drinking and driving in a way that can significantly enhance the growth rate of the alcohol market and on-trade sales at restaurants. The total addressable market (TAM) of the global alcohol market is ~$1.5tn today (1.14tn drinks x $1.33/drink). As our base case, we believe greater prevalence of shared mobility (i.e. ride-sharing) in the next 10 years can add 80 bps to the annual growth rate of the alcohol market (currently ~2.2%). This assumes that the joint population of drivers and those who drink consume 1 extra alcoholic beverage per week on average. In reality, this is highly dependent on the timing and telemetry of shared models. Would be drivers who reside in cities where shared mobility is well penetrated are likely to consume more than 1 additional drink per week, in our view. Beyond 2025, we believe autonomous technology can unlock an even greater TAM opportunity."

To make their case, the analysts calculated current global alcohol consumption and its monetary value, and compared that with estimated figures under the impact of car-sharing and driverless cars. They found that the booze market could get an extra $98 billion:

In the base case, where the analysts assume that would-be drivers who drink will have one more drink per week by 2025, the annual alcohol-consumption growth rate could increase by 0.8 percentage points relative to the baseline. In the bull case, the 10-year compounded annual growth rate for alcohol consumption could increase by 1.88 points.

Brands that sell premium beer and liquor will benefit the most from these incremental drinks, according to the note, citing examples such as Corona's parent company, Constellation Brands, British whiskey distiller Diageo, and Chinese state-owned company Kweichow Moutai.

We already saw how Americans are increasingly trading up to more expensive alcohol, a trend that Constellation CEO Rob Sands believes will continue.

SEE ALSO: Uber to invest $500 million in global mapping project: FT

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NOW WATCH: Rolls-Royce made a stunning driverless concept car

I'll admit it — I have a major soft spot for ice cream. 

In fact, I recently visited New York's Museum of Ice Cream and had the best time playing in a pool of sprinkles, swinging on a giant ice cream sandwich, and sampling local ice cream.

And since this is my first summer in New York City, I decided to take advantage of my prime location and finally try the trendy ice cream places I'd only ever seen on Instagram.

I started in June and worked my way through the city, trying these 11 hot spots. Here's how they stacked up.

SEE ALSO: This museum dedicated to ice cream is so popular it's sold out for the next month — here's what it's like inside

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11. Big Gay Ice Cream Shop

Overall Rating: 3/10

Location:61 Grove Street, West Village and 125 East 7th Street, East Village

Presentation: The ice cream itself was not very Insta-friendly. It looked like a cream-colored blob. Although the "drip catcher" cone sleeve was very helpful, it didn't help the cone's appearance.  

Environment: The friendly staff directed the line around the block and managed crowd control with ease. Once I made it inside, I was greeted with plenty of rainbow decor.

Flavor: I really, really wanted to like this ice cream. Tons of celebs have stopped by, and the line got my hopes up. Unfortunately, I was let down in so many departments. The ice cream was not exceptional, and I struggled to catch the wafer pieces before they slid into the drip catcher. The cone was flimsy, the ice cream melted immediately, and for such a colorful place, the ice cream cone was incredibly plain. 

10. Sundaes and Cones

Overall Rating: 4.5/10

Location:95 East 10th Street, East Village

Presentation: Purple ice cream is always fun, and street art in East Village would make the perfect background for a photo opportunity.

Environment: It's a big space with some seating indoors and benches outside. The employees are approachable and accommodating. 

Flavor: My order was a huge mistake. The ice cream shop takes pride in their homemade unique flavors, but the lychee and lavender fell flat. Both scoops tasted like a whipped version of ice cream and were too light. I'll have to give the place another chance, but I'll go with a more traditional order next time. 

9. Popbar

Overall Rating: 5/10

Location:132 Allen Street, West Village

Presentation: My popsicle looked pretty average. I made the mistake of having the pop fully dipped in chocolate, instead of artistically half-dipped. In the end, I had more surface area of chocolate, so I didn't dwell on my decision too much. 

Environment: Popbar is a small space with limited seating. I didn't mind taking my pop outside, but I would recommend grabbing plenty of napkins on your way out.

Flavor: The gelato fell flat. It tasted like a frozen yogurt popsicle you could purchase in your grocery store's freezer aisle. The waffle cone crumbles were tasty and the chocolate was decent, but nothing extraordinary. 

Florida Governor Rick Scott said Monday that the state is looking at what's now 14 cases of mosquito-transmitted Zika.

On Friday, Scott first said that two cases of Zika in Miami-Dade County and two in Broward County were likely caused by mosquitos, which is unlike what most cases in the US have been up until this point. Now, 10 more people seem to have contracted the virus via mosquito.

"Today, [the Department of Health] has confirmed that 10 additional people have contracted the Zika virus locally, likely through a mosquito bite," Scott said in a statement. "DOH has been testing individuals in three locations in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties for possible local transmissions through mosquito bites. Based on DOH’s investigations, two locations have been ruled out for possible local transmissions of the Zika virus."

The infections appear to have happened all in one neighborhood, called Wynwood, in Miami. In Scott's statement, he specified that the location was bound by "NW 5th Avenue to the west, US 1 to the east, NW/NE 38th Street to the north and NW/NE 20th Street to the south."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised against pregnant women traveling to the area, and people living in the area should take steps to prevent mosquito bites. The CDC also said women in first and second trimesters of pregnancy who live or travel frequently to Wynwood should consider being tested for Zika. 

Zika, which is transmitted mainly by mosquitoes, has been spreading around the Americas over the past year. This would be the first time local transmission by mosquitoes has been reported in the US. Only about 20% of people who are infected with Zika ever show symptoms, which most commonly include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes.

Here's a map of all the places Zika has spread locally so far:

SEE ALSO: The first case of female-to-male sexually transmitted Zika has been reported in NYC

DON'T MISS: Zika reached 2 more Caribbean islands in July — here's a map of all the places it has spread so far

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This incredibly accurate science experiment was centuries ahead of its time

Arianna Huffington is best known as the cofounder and editor in chief of The Huffington Post.

But these days, she's increasingly recognized for being a sleep evangelist.

In her book "The Sleep Revolution," Huffington discusses the importance of good sleep in the definition of a successful life.

Huffington's obsession with sleep — triggered by an incident in which she collapsed in her home office and "found herself in a pool of blood" — led her to develop a strict evening routine.

Huffington treats her nightly habit as a "sacrosanct ritual," according to an article she wrote for Motto.

She starts off by "escorting" her electronic devices out of her room, followed by a hot bath with Epsom salts. She then changes into clothes that are specifically designated for sleep.

Sometimes she drinks chamomile or lavender tea to help her sleep, and she writes down the things that she is grateful for that day, according to her book.

Huffington doesn't set an alarm and wakes up naturally after about eight hours of sleep. In the morning, she meditates for 30 minutes, gets on her exercise bike for another 30, and spends at least 10 minutes doing yoga. During the day, she tries to cut off her caffeine intake by 2 p.m., according to an interview on the lifestyle website The Early Hour.

After experimenting with Jack Dorsey's brutal morning routine, I was excited to try something that wouldn't leave me reaching for a third cup of coffee at 3 p.m.

I also often feel guilty when I prioritize sleep over work, my social life, or whatever else I feel I should be doing instead. If I could commit to sleeping eight hours in the name of work, I'm all in.

SEE ALSO: I followed Jack Dorsey's morning routine for a week and was surprised by the difference it made in my day

DON'T MISS: Our grandparents wouldn't understand one of the biggest status symbols in the US today

The experiment

Wanting to get the most of the experiment, I decided to adopt Huffington's morning routine as well as her evening one. That included cutting out caffeine after 2 p.m.

I prepared by cleaning my tiny bathtub and purchasing two essentials — bath salts and herbal tea.

I decided to start my experiment on Sunday night. At 8:30 p.m., I posted the picture of my coconut-pomegranate bath salts on Instagram and put my phone on the dresser in front of my bed.

Huffington sleeps without electronics in her room, but in my tiny studio apartment, that would mean leaving them outside or in the bathroom. I settled for putting them out of reach from my bed.

I suddenly remembered that my phone was low on battery. When I went to plug it in, I saw that saw someone had commented on my photo and had to fight the urge to check it.

I made myself a cup of chai tea to drink in the bath, and after the first sip realized that I was drinking caffeine. Oops. But it was relaxing! And it tasted so good!

I felt like I was in the bath for 15 minutes, but it was probably more like five.

After the bath, I picked up my copy of Huffington's "The Sleep Revolution" and started reading. By 9:20 p.m., I started getting sleepy, so I started filling out my gratitude journal in a yellow notebook I'd purchased specifically for this experiment.

By 9:30 p.m., I was out.

Monday

Morning: To my surprise, I rose at 5:20 a.m. without an alarm, and I felt refreshed and ready to get up.

After following Dorsey's routine of meditating for 30 minutes each morning, my instinct was to reach for my phone to use my guided meditation app. I opted for a "Breath Connection" 20-minute meditation. It felt easy and familiar.

Given the lack of an exercise bike in my apartment, I opted to go for an early-morning jog — 6 a.m. runs can be difficult, but I never regret them, especially when I get a beautiful view of the East River.

Yoga was the next part of the routine. I started a 15-minute morning yoga sequence from Greatist and immediately made a mental note to incorporate more stretching into my workout. I had never felt so much pain during downward dog.

By 7:30 a.m., I had showered and was enjoying my coffee and breakfast while reading the news. This is one part of my personal routine that I don't like to give up. Mornings and evenings are when I make time to read longform pieces and op-ed analyses of what's happening in the world. It gets my brain going!

I left the house at 8:20 a.m. and was at work by 9 a.m.

Workday: I didn't take many notes about my productivity during the day, which I can only assume meant that I was super productive. Eight hours of sleep does wonders for the brain, after all.

I did note that I had coffee at 3 p.m., which broke Huffington's no-caffeine-after-2 p.m. rule. But it was more than six hours before my anticipated bedtime (9:30 or 10 p.m.), so I figured I was OK.

Evening: I went to the gym for an hour after work not because I wanted to torture myself again, but because I am training for the Tough Mudder race. Some of the moves require weight equipment that I don't have at home.

I came back exhausted, took a quick cold shower, then reheated and ate yesterday's dinner.

I was tempted to skip the bath because I had taken a shower, but my husband encouraged me to stick to the routine.

So I made myself a cup of tea and drew a hot bath with salts. After five minutes, I was very hot and sleepy.

I put on my sleeping tank-top and shorts, read more of "The Sleep Revolution," and jotted down what I was grateful for that day. I was asleep by 9:30 p.m.

Tuesday

Morning: I woke up, but something told me it wasn't quite 5 a.m. yet. I checked my phone, and it was 4:40 a.m. I went back to sleep.

My alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. I was about to hit the snooze button until my phone fell off the dresser and shut off, causing a brief panic before it came on again.

By then I was awake and definitely did not want to go back to bed. I went to check Facebook and found a storm of unread messages, mostly gossip from my grad school classmates. I reminded myself to meditate and told myself off for checking social media first thing in the morning.

My 30-minute workout consisted of sprints, squat jumps, and pull-ups. It took about 30 minutes to get to the closest outdoor gym, so my workout ended up lasting an hour and a half. When I got home, I dutifully did my 10 minutes of yoga before getting ready for work.

Workday: Work was productive. I definitely found it easier to concentrate than when I did Dorsey's morning routine. The only discomfort was the soreness from my workout. I guess that's why there is a "Tough" before "Mudder." I think that the next day might be a yoga day.

Evening: Doing my workout in the morning meant that I could go home and cook dinner straight away, but I was feeling lazy that night, so it ended up being a meal of refried beans and turkey bacon on tortillas with a side of greens.

My husband and I ate dinner and talked at our tiny table without our laptops, which I realized we hadn't done in a long time. That sounds bad, and the scary thing is that I didn't even notice we were doing it.

At 8:30 p.m., I escorted my electronics to the dining table, away from the bed. As the bath filled, I made myself some of the vanilla chamomile tea.

I got very sweaty in the bath, and drinking hot tea probably made it worse. I think I took a five-minute bath before I turned on the shower to cool down. I felt good.

In bed, I read more of "The Sleep Revolution." I started dozing at 9:20, and it was time for gratitude journaling. It's nice to end the day on a positive note, though I did struggle to be specific and different each day.

My favorite moments of the day tended to center on eating good food, feeling exercise endorphins, spending time with my husband, and working toward my childhood dream of becoming a journalist in New York City.

I realized that being grateful for the same things each day isn't bad — it makes you appreciate what you might otherwise take for granted.

While flowers make a nice gift for holidays or romantic occasions, they typically only last for a few days.

To combat the vicious cycle of nature, bespoke rose atelier Venus Et Fleur created a collection of roses that they claim can stay fresh for up to a year. 

"People love getting roses, but hate having to throw them away," Seema Bansal, Venus Et Fleur's cofounder, said to Business Insider. Bansal and her partner, Sunny Chadha, launched the company in New York City in August 2015.

They came up with the idea after Chadha sent Bansal a set of roses on Valentine's Day last year, only to realize that the quality of the flowers was not what they had expected from the hefty price tag. 

They made it a goal to create high-quality floral arrangements that can reach a global audience, require little maintenance, and are able to last. 

The roses can stay fresh and soft for so long because of a special formula and process the company has developed. 

They start by bringing in roses from Ecuador. They'll typically use red roses, since red is the most common color their farm supplier grows. They'll then cut the roses at their peak state and use a non-toxic bleach to remove their color. 

Next, each rose is dehydrated. The roses are then injected with natural oils and a non-toxic and non-allergenic wax formula that is similar to silica. 

Afterwards, the roses sit in a color tank to soak in their dye. Colors range from a rich red to more playful variations like rainbow and metallic-dipped roses.

The roses come styled in Parisian keepsake boxes, though the company will be introducing black-and-white marble boxes and suede boxes within the next few months.

Since the flowers are dehydrated, the only maintenance they require is a light dusting from time to time, though the company does recommend that you keep the flowers away from excessive sunlight, heat, or humidity. Their scent will typically last anywhere from two to three weeks.

Thanks to their easy maintenance and uniform design, the roses are popular with hotels, at weddings, and with major retailers like Bloomingdale's and Bergdorf Goodman. 

They're also a hit with celebrities like the Kardashians, DJ Khaled, Danielle Brooks, and several NBA and NFL players. 

The Eternity DE Venus collection is currently available online, or for pickup at its New York City location. Prices range from $39 to $539, depending on the specific arrangement. 

SEE ALSO: A former Clinton Foundation exec raised $14.1 million to create a smart thermometer he hopes will help stop diseases from spreading at the Olympics

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NOW WATCH: An LA restaurant made a white chocolate dessert that explodes with flowers when you crack it open

Each year, there are approximately 1.8 million conventions, conferences, and trade shows in the United States. Conventions are a big business and, for many, an even bigger social event.

For photographer Arthur Drooker, these gatherings are "visual treasures."

In his new book, Conventional Wisdom, Drooker gathered over two years worth of photographs from 10 different bizarre conventions — from taxidermy championships, to Bronycon, which celebrates My Little Pony.

"To me, they're unique expressions of community, culture, and connection," he writes in the introduction. 

Ahead, a look into America's strangest conventions. 

SEE ALSO: We went to a meetup with hundreds of Pokémon Go fans and found out why everyone is so obsessed with the game

When choosing what conventions to attend, Drooker wanted to avoid oversaturated events like ComicCon or Star Trek. He was looking for those like the Association of Lincoln Presenters, the first convention he attended, that have a grassroots following.

At the Lincoln convention in Columbus, Ohio, 150 people dressed as Lincoln. The group's goal is to provide real-looking Lincolns to reenactments, parades, and schools.

Each convention was filled with people that were "passionate and obsessive" about their interests. Drooker told Business Insider that the energy was infectious. The Vent Haven Convention in Cincinnati bills itself as "the oldest and largest annual gathering of ventriloquists." The convention has open mics, appearances by pros, and workshops on how to ventriloquize.

First and foremost, college is about getting an education. But it's also about having fun, going out, and making new friends.

Business Insider created a list of schools that best embody this dual principle — the "work hard, play hard" mentality that many students look for.

To find the most intense colleges in the country, we combined four rankings from college information site Niche: colleges with the best academics, smartest students, best Greek life colleges, and top party schools. We eliminated any schools that ranked only for academics or only for social life.

The list runs the gamut from big state schools, such as the University of Texas and the University of Michigan, to Ivies like Dartmouth and Yale.

Take a look at the most intense colleges in America, where students go all out, whether they're studying or partying.

Additional reporting by Andy Kiersz.

SEE ALSO: The best college in every state

DON'T MISS: The 50 best colleges in America

30. Wake Forest University

Location: Winston Salem, North Carolina

Academics: A+

Party Scene: A

"Academics at Wake are impeccable," one student said. "You will get a great education, albeit with a large workload. The workload is manageable, and if you want to actually learn something in college, go here."

Greek life takes over campus on the weekends.

"Greek life dominates the party scene, so usually there is either a frat lounge party or off-campus house party every Friday and Saturday night," one freshman noted.

29. University of Florida

Location: Gainesville, Florida

Academics: A

Party Scene: A+

"A lot of people party — almost every day of the week there's going to be people at the club," one senior said.

There's still plenty of time to study, however.

"I have never been challenged as much in my academics than I have at UF, but being challenged like this is only going to help me in life after college," a junior noted.

28. Tulane University

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Academics: A+

Party Scene: A+

"Tulane seamlessly combines social life and academic rigor to provide a great college experience and ensure success after graduation," one sophomore commented.

Other students agree — Tulane students study as hard as they party.

"Most students follow the 'work hard, play hard' model religiously," one freshman reported. "Most students study all day and go out after. People do go out a decent amount during the week, as many of the bars have deals during weeknights." 

Everybody judges.

Within a few seconds of seeing someone — whether it's on a date or at the grocery store — we decide a number of things about them, from how smart they are to how likely they are to commit a crime.

Surprisingly, our first impressions can be remarkably accurate in some instances. In others, they can be wildly off-base.

Here are a few of the things that we determine about people based on how they look.

SEE ALSO: The truth about why your beard hair is wildly different from your head hair, according to science

DON'T MISS: A common belief about working out might be bogus — and it's good news for anyone trying to tone up

If you're attractive, people assume you have other positive traits as well.

Thanks to a phenomenon that social psychologists call "the halo effect," we tend to assume that good-looking people possess other positive qualities aside from their looks, such as intelligence and commitment.

Daniel Hamermesh, a University of Texas psychologist who studies beauty in the workplace, found that, among other things, this cognitive bias means good looking people tend to get paid more. 

Similarly, in a study of male undergrads who were asked to evaluate an essay written by an unnamed female peer, the participants judged the writer and her work more favorably when they were shown a photo of an attractive woman whom they believed to be the writer, as opposed to when they were shown a photo of an unattractive woman or no photo at all.

People can also get a surprisingly accurate read of your personality from a photo.

People can tell a surprising amount about your personality from your portrait. 

In a 2009 study, researchers showed participants the photos of 123 undergrads from the University of Texas at Austin in which the undergrads either were told to have a neutral expression or were allowed to pose however they wanted.

No matter what position they took, the viewers were better than chance at judging the following: how extroverted they were, how high their self-esteem was, how religious they were, how agreeable they were, and how conscientious they were.

People use facial clues about your height to judge your leadership abilities.

In 2013, a group of psychologists, neuroscientists, and computer scientists from Europe and the US had a small group of participants look at portraits of 47 white men and 83 white women and evaluate them first on their height and next on their ability to lead. 

The researchers found that people used factors in the photos like gender and face length to make guesses about people's height, and then used these same factors when they judged their leadership qualities. Faces that appeared to belong to taller people were rated as belonging to better leaders.

It seems the combined efforts of the fashion media have won — guys are finally starting to give up their cargo shorts.

Market-research firm NPD Group told the Wall Street Journal that sales of the derided shorts have fallen over the past year.

That marks the first time sales have fallen in the last decade, the group says.

This marks a turning point in the debate over the late '90s fashion staple that has proved much more resilient than most. Though the shorts enjoyed popularity through the 2000s and the first half of 2010, they became increasingly out of fashion with every passing year.

Still, the shorts remained a steady seller with many men refusing to adapt to the new fashions and still believing the cargo shorts were "cool."

“It’s quite difficult to let go of what was cool when you were younger,” cargo shorts wearer Gareth Hopkins told the Journal. 

Though cargo shorts have long since been abandoned by trendy boutiques and high-fashion outs, they are still available from retailers like Walmart and Macy's and even mall stalwarts like Gap. Abercrombie and Fitch, now in the midst of a logo-less brand revolution, also can't yet quit the trend they helped make such a sensation.

This past year marked a turning point in cargo shorts, when we saw the beginning of the end of the clothing item we called "The worst thing men can wear in the summer" for their off-trend styling and needlessly bulky silhouette.

It seems men are at long last waking up to the fact that cargo shorts just aren't flattering. And that realization can't come soon enough.

SEE ALSO: 7 things no man should ever wear in the summer — and what to wear instead

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In the Arctic Ocean, halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, lies Ny-Ålesund, the most northerly settlement in the world.

Once a mining town, this island town on the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago is now home to the largest permanent laboratory for modern arctic scientific research in the world. Researchers living here conduct a number of environmental and earth science studies all year round. 

To keep the area surrounding the town largely untouched, access is extremely limited — only scientists and employees of the station are allowed. But photojournalist Anna Filipova was granted access to this remote research station.

While this wasn’t the first arctic place that Filipova has visited and photographed — she has spent much of her career working on projects above the arctic circle — it is certainly the most northern spot in which she has ever worked, being located above the 79th parallel.  And this barren landscape was also one of the most wild places she had ever been to.

“It was with surprise and trepidation that I learned that I must pass a firearms safety course in order to venture out of the settlement in case of an encounter with a polar bear,” Filipova told Business Insider. Polar bears live and breed in Svalbard, according to the Norwegian Polar Institute, and in the summer, bears sometimes wander close or even into the settlement. “The community has a rule that no one can lock the doors of any building in case a bear appears inside the settlement and there is an urgent need for refuge.”

But despite the harsh environment and risk of polar bears, Filipova arrived home from Ny-Ålesund with the stunning photographs of her series "Research at the End of the World." Here are just a few of these images.

SEE ALSO: These 10 natural phenomena happen every summer on our planet

“The Arctic is one of the most fascinating places on earth, but also one of the most endangered,” Filipova said. “It is constantly moving and shifting, melting, reforming, appearing and disappearing.”

This is why the town of Ny-Ålesundit is such a prime location for scientists to observe and study post-global warming conditions. Even though the town is remote and far from human civilization, it is still threatened by polluted air from Europe and North America that is brought by atmospheric circulation.

“From the day I arrived, I was immediately fascinated,” Filipova said. “Everything in the settlement is designed to identify, assess, and track changes within the environment.”

If you regularly remark about how happy, safe, and satisfied you feel in your personal and professional lives, you most likely have a pretty high quality of life.

The city you live in may have a lot to do with that, thanks to factors like job opportunities, a good housing market, access to quality public schools, and proximity to outdoor activities.

To determine which US cities offer the best quality of life, we turned to the latest Places to Live rankings from Niche, a company that researches and compiles information on cities.

We looked at eight separate rankings in the best cities category — which assessed more than 220 places with a population of at least 100,000 people — including "Safest Cities," "Cities with the Best Job Opportunities," "Healthiest Cities," and "Best Cities to Raise a Family." We then combined these rankings to determine which cities have the best overall quality of life. You can read the full methodology here.

The final list of the top 25 cities reveals that midsize cities (with populations of under 500,000) offer the best quality of life. The state with the most cities in the top 25 is Texas, with seven, followed by California, which had five.

Read on to check out the 25 cities with the best quality of life.

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SEE ALSO: The 25 healthiest cities in America

25. Denton, Texas

Population: 122,742

Median home value: $149,200

Cost of living: C+

Crime & safety: B-

Jobs: A

24. The Woodlands, Texas

Population: 102,911

Median home value: $296,700

Cost of living: C

Crime & safety: N/A

Jobs: A+

23. Lincoln, Nebraska

Population: 265,811

Median home value: $144,900

Cost of living: B-

Crime & safety: B-

Jobs: B+

We recently released a list of the American cities with the best quality of life based on a compilation of several rankings from Niche, a company that researches and compiles information on cities and schools.

In order to determine the lists that were included in our ranking, we checked out Niche's 2016 Places to Live rankings under the "cities" category — which assessed more than 220 places with a population exceeding 100,000 people — for rankings that evoke a high quality of life, like the best cities for safety, outdoor activities, job prospects, and education.

Once we identified our eight lists, we inverted them in order to award a larger amount of points to the cities ranked higher. For example, 100 points went to the No. 1 city on a list, 99 points to the No. 2, 98 to the No. 3, and so on through No. 100, which received a single point.

We then added up all the points we designated to each city to determine an overall ranking. Every city in the top 25 appeared in six or more Niche city lists.

Our highest ranked city — Bellevue, Washington — received 580 overall points. Our lowest ranked city in the top 25 — Denton, Texas — received 383 points.

Here are the Niche rankings we compiled for our list:

• Safest Cities
• Most Diverse Cities
• Healthiest Cities
• Cities with the Best Public Schools
• Cities with the Best Job Opportunities*
• Best Cities to Buy a House
• Best Cities to Raise a Family
• Best Cities for Outdoor Activities

*It's worth noting that the list of cities with the best job opportunities incorporates US Census data from a few years ago. As such, the list is heavy on cities that enjoyed the benefits of the shale oil boom, like Midland and Odessa, TX. As oil prices have fallen and the energy industry has hit somewhat harder times in the last year or so, those cities may have somewhat harder employment prospects than they did at the time this data was collected.

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The world is full of unforgettable meals — if you know where to look. 

We combed through a recent Quora thread on the best cities for foodies and paid special attention to the top spots in Europe. Whether you're in search of decadent desserts, scrumptious grilled meats, or a hearty bowl of pasta, we've got your next European vacation covered.  

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BARCELONA, SPAIN: You can help yourself to an abundance of cured pork, Serrano ham, and cold cuts from inland Catalonia, but you could also get fresh fish from the Mediterranean Sea. Sample traditional Catalan cooking in areas like the Barri Gòtic quarter, indulge in tapas at popular stops like Cal Pep, and explore the Boqueria market for stalls of fresh produce and treats.

Source: Travel Channel, CNN Travel

BOLOGNA, ITALY: Head to the city that invented tagliatelle al ragu, a dish that consists of ribbons of pasta smothered in a hearty meat sauce. Wander through the family-owned artisan shops in Quadrilatero, or taste a variety of fresh cheese and mortadella at the Mercato di Mezzo market.

Source: National Geographic

BRUGES, BELGIUM: From succulent plates of mussels and crisp french fries to fluffy waffles and delectable chocolate, Bruges is a food paradise waiting to be explored. Head to the Chocolate Line, where chef Dominique Person uses everything from wasabi and guacamole to chicken and oysters in his chocolates.