Laurene Powell Jobs took an unconventional route from Wall Street to becoming one of the most influential philanthropists and investors in the United States. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1985, she spent a year at Merrill Lynch and two years at Goldman Sachs before leaving finance and moving to Florence, Italy, where…

Photo: comobusinesstimes.com When Fred Parry’s late wife, Mary, first saw the stately 1914 mansion on West Broadway in Columbia, Missouri, she fell in love. Years later, after her death, Parry found himself facing a choice: let the historic home be redeveloped or step in to save it. He chose the latter, buying the property with…

PC: By Cepaea_nemoralis/Wikipedia Snails may move slowly, but the mucus they produce is far more sophisticated than it looks. It has been revealed how grove snails can fine-tune this sticky substance for different purposes. Researchers identified five distinct mucus-based materials, each with its own mechanical properties and function. One helps the snails move smoothly by…