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• Gifting on a budget doesn't have to be stressful. Here are 27 Father's Day gifts under $25 that make gift shopping this year a breeze.
• From small leather accessories to delectable food gifts, none of these options look or feel cheap.

Your parents might say to you every year that they don't need a gift for Mother's Day or Father's Day. Chances are, you still want to get them a gift for everything they do for you, even if it's something small.

For Father's Day this year, you don't even need to spend more than $25 to show your dad you're thinking of him and that you appreciate him. A small accessory to streamline his golf game, a gourmet condiment, and a pampering grooming product are all gifts that will impress — and won't break the bank. 

If you're looking for more Father's Day gift ideas, we have you covered: 

• 33 practical and cool Father's Day gifts under $100
• 22 Amazon Prime-eligible gifts for Father's Day — all under $50
• 19 unique gifts your foodie dad will love for Father's Day

These 27 Father's Day gifts are both thoughtful and budget-friendly.

SEE ALSO: 23 practical and considerate Father’s Day gifts under $100

A mug with a fully functional carabiner handle

Gift the United by Blue Passing Through 10 oz. Carabiner Cup, $18

Other than as a design that makes him say "that's cool," the handle really works as a carabiner so he can bring this mug anywhere on outdoor adventures. The brand's whole collection of drinkware would make an excellent (and affordable) Father's Day gift. 

An Apple Watch charging dock

Gift the Griffin WatchStand Charging Dock, $13.82

He can charge his Apple Watch on this dock while also using it as a stand for his phone. Its simple design will help keep his tabletop clean and uncluttered. 

An REI membership

Gift an REI Membership, $20

Outdoorsy and active fathers will love a membership to this community, which affords 10%-back dividends, special offers, access to in-store REI Garage sales, and special pricing on REI classes and events.

A cookbook from Black Tap

Gift Craft Burgers and Crazy Shakes from Black Tap, $11.99

The popular NYC restaurant Black Tap is all about no-holds-barred indulgence. Be warned: Its sky-high gourmet burgers and crazy milkshakes might send your dad into a food coma.

An insulated cup

Gift the YETI Rambler 10 oz. Lowball, $19.99

An insulated, stainless steel cup that will keep cold drinks cold in the summer and hot ones hot in the winter, the YETI Rambler Lowball was made for campfire and lakeside gatherings. If he's hanging out in the great outdoors, he'll want to keep this cup close at hand. 

A luxurious shave kit

Gift the Harry's Truman Shave Set, $15

This shave set from Harry's is as sleek as it gets.

A hydrating beard oil

Gift the Oars + Alps Cedarwood Forest Beard Oil, $20

Containing nourishing oils like jojoba and argan oil, this beard oil will revive his scruff in no time. It relieves the flaky, itchy skin under his hair and smells good while doing it. 

A classic cologne

Gift the Old Spice Classic Cologne Spray (4.25 oz.), $17.43

It's the unmistakable cool and crisp scent of Old Spice that your grandfather probably wore. Unlike other cologne brands, it's actually affordable, but your dad will love it just the same. 

Note: Currently available through third-party sellers

His new favorite jerky

Gift the Chef's Cut Beef, Chicken, and Turkey Jerky Variety Pack, $19.47

For jerky-loving dads, we're fans of Chef's Cut. The flavors in this variety pack of beef, chicken and turkey jerkies include Original Recipe, Chipotle Cracked Pepper, Teriyaki, and Honey Barbecue.

A geeky gift basket

Gift a Loot Crate, from $12.99

A well-curated gift box, like a geek culture "crate" from Loot Crate, is far from a cop-out this Father's Day. Its gift crates contain collectibles and merch related to fandoms like Marvel, Harry Potter, and Star Trek, and the under-$25 options contain socks, shirts, and underwear featuring a variety of pop culture icons. 

A golf hat

Gift the Nike Heritage 86 Adjustable Golf Hat, $17.97

Nike's special Dri-FIT Technology keeps his head dry and comfortable under the glaring sun, while the interior sweatband is soft and absorbent. Whether he's on the first or 18th hole, he'll stay cool and collected. 

A small, softcover photo book

Gift the Artifact Uprising 5"x 5" Instagram Photo Book, $15

Bring all your mobile photos with Dad to life in this softcover book that looks like a classy coffee table magazine. It has a textured eggshell cover and interior matte pages, which bring out the best of your favorite memories. 

A pair of "Star Wars"-themed socks

Gift the Stance Warped R2D2 Socks, $18

The lovable droids look imposing on these socks made by an NBA player-favorite brand. The lightweight socks are cushioned, supportive, and comfortable.

Fresh laces for his Allbirds sneakers

Gift the Allbirds Runner Lace Kit, $10

If he owns a pair of Allbirds already, a simple lace refresh will make them feel brand new. This kit contains gray, white, and black. 

A towel that contains pore-purifying activated charcoal

Gift the Morihata Binchotan Activated Charcoal Face Scrub Towel, $11

A unique hot sauce

Gift The Bronx Greenmarket Hot Sauce (Green, 5 oz.), $9.05

This all-natural, tangy hot sauce is part of the lineup on the popular YouTube series "Hot Ones" and is made from Serrano peppers grown in over 30 community gardens throughout the Bronx. 

A leather money clip

Gift the Leatherology Money Clip, $25

The full grain leather clip can hold up to 20 bills. An added plus is that Leatherology will take care of the gift packaging for you, for free. 

A fast-charging power bank

Gift the Anker Astro E1 6700 Power Bank, $23.99

This battery provides a nice balance between power and portability — it's not too big, but still charges up his devices quickly. It'll fit right in his pocket and is especially useful for traveling. 

A handmade beer bottle planter

Gift the IrishGlass Beer Bottle Glass Planters, $8

Choose any beer bottle brand you'd like to be cut, sanded, and polished into a unique planter.

A wood-accented jigger

Gift the Thatcher Barware Jigger, $19

A standard piece of barware gets a charming, rustic treatment that aesthetic-minded cocktail enthusiasts will appreciate. 

A card game he can enjoy with the whole family

Gift the Exploding Kittens Card Game, $19.99

If he's a kid at heart who loves kittens, explosions, and laser beams, then he'll love the cult-favorite, Kickstarter sensation of Exploding Kittens. Buying this gift is almost like a gift to yourself since he'll need to enlist multiple players to enjoy the game. 

A movie night

Gift a Fandango Gift Card, from $15

Nothing beats going to the movies with his kids.

A coffee subscription

Gift a Blue Bottle coffee subscription, starting at $24

Control how often your dad will receive a fresh bag of whole bean coffee from this popular artisanal brand. There are only select Blue Bottle locations around the world, but he can experience its delicious coffee anywhere he lives. 

A photo camera lens kit

Gift the Apexel 5 in 1 Camera Lens Kit, $17.99

My dad's phone is filled to the brim with photos of everything from scenery to that night's dinner. Upgrade your dad's mobile photography game with these four lenses: a 10x fixed telephoto lens with manual focus ring, fish-eye lens, macro lens and wide angle lens. 

A cool popcorn popper

Gift the Microwave Popcorn Popper, $11.99

He can stick this bowl right in the microwave and still get the fresh, buttery taste of stovetop popcorn. 

A tabletop plant

Gift an Aloe Vera Plant (Planter Included), $23

He only needs to water it every couple weeks, plus if he ever gets a sunburn he can just snip off a leaf to enjoy the soothing benefits of aloe. 

A luggage sticker to distinguish his suitcase from the rest

Gift an Away sticker, $15

Away currently offers three different styles of its leather sticker accessories, which are an easy and affordable way to personalize his carry-on. 

Bitcoin is everywhere.

The cryptocurrency is seemingly in the news every day as investors and businesses try to understand the future of this digital finance.

But what is Bitcoin all about?

Why is it suddenly on every financial news program?

And what does it mean to you?

Find out the answers to these questions and more in Bitcoin 101, a brand new FREE report from Business Insider Intelligence.

To get your copy of the FREE slide deck, simply click here.

Join the conversation about this story »

This is a preview of a research report from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about BI Intelligence, click here.

The smartphone is getting smarter as tech and internet companies inject increasingly sophisticated computer vision and object recognition functions into their hardware and software. The ability to “understand” what the user is pointing their mobile camera at and “read” the image has opened the door for visual search.

Foreseeing the potential for mobile visual search to create new revenue opportunities, brands are attempting to harness the smartphone camera’s increasing sophistication to engage with consumers and drive sales.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence analyzes the developing technologies behind mobile visual search and its value to businesses and brands. The report also assesses risks and opportunities inherent in developing a visual search strategy, provides a list of companies that are working in the space, and discusses what they've accomplished so far.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• There is strong evidence that mobile visual search technology will take off in the near future, including growing access to technology, strong usage rates of camera-related apps, and early indication of potential revenue growth. 
• In some instances, visual search is faster and more accurate than text or voice, as it cuts through consumer-introduced ambiguities. 
• The mobile visual search ecosystem is growing, with a slew of enabling platforms, native apps, and internet companies all broadening their expertise in the field.  
• Leading internet search companies, including Google and Baidu, are in a race to capture the mobile visual search market as it begins to eat into traditional forms of search.   
• The smartphone is the perfect launchpad for visual search technology, but new form factors, like smartglasses, hold great potential.

 In full, the report:

• Provides an argument for the potential uptake of mobile visual search technology by tech companies, brands, and consumers. 
• Outlines the current mobile visual search landscape.
• Explains how startups and tech companies with mobile visual search products are evolving their business strategies. 
• Provides an outlook for the future of the mobile visual search industry. 

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >>Learn More Now
2. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. >> Purchase & Download Now

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Drone technologies continue to improve at a rapid pace and are slowly pushing the unmanned aircraft toward the mainstream. Companies in a variety of industries are now looking to use drones to cut costs, boost efficiencies, and create new revenue streams and business values, such as last-mile retail deliveries.

But regulatory roadblocks are still holding back widespread commercial drone use in most large, developed markets. Many countries still have laws on the books that regulate drones as other aircraft, such as planes or helicopters, and prevent unmanned aircraft from flying beyond a few miles from the operator. That makes laws and regulations arguably the chief determining factor in the development of the commercial drone industry worldwide. 

This new report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, will give a high-level overview of commercial drone regulations around the world. We detail the major changes in global drone regulations over the past year, and show how regulators are working to stay ahead of the nascent, yet valuable devices. In addition, we show how regulatory changes will impact the industry and allow for new enterprise use cases in the next few years.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Regulations have helped the US, Europe, and China become the three largest potential markets in the world for commercial drone use.
• In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) governs all commercial and consumer drone use. Meanwhile, a slew of states have their own regulations that companies deploying drones have to navigate through.
• In Europe, the lack of EU-wide drone regulations creates a patchwork of national regulations that resembles the state-level rules in the US.
• In China, the military controls over half of the airspace, confining drones to a small area of the country relative to the US and other nations.
• While on paper several of the regulations in Europe are the same as in the US, many European countries have been far more lenient in granting exemptions to their requirements.
• Commercial drone laws in most of these countries are set to change to allow for more widespread use in the next couple years, helping operators fly their aircraft in new locations and for new use cases.

In full, the report:

• Offers an in-depth overview of the current regulatory landscapes at the national, transnational, and local levels, and discusses how they're shaping the development of the drone industry in several large markets.
• Gives examples of how companies are working with and around these regulations to deploy drones in a manner that government officials find permissible.
• Provides a look at what regulations will change in the coming years, and explains how that will impact companies operating drones.

Subscribe to an All-Access pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to:

	This report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports
	Access to all future reports and daily newsletters
	Forecasts of new and emerging technologies in your industry
	And more!

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Hello!

Welcome to your weekly Advertising and Media Insider newsletter, where we catch you up on all the big stories we worked on this past week. What did we miss? Send me tips or feedback at lmoses@businessinsider.com.

Remember when people used Foursquare to broadcast their location? There's a graveyard of social apps that didn't make it, but Foursquare is a rare one that pivoted to build a new business by targeting people with ads based on their real-world location.

Last week, Lauren Johnson talked to the CEO of Foursquare about how the company, armed with $150 million in funding, is trying to become a location-based ad powerhouse with its purchase of Placed from Snap and potentially others.

The practice of targeting ads to people based on their mobile phone location is being challenged by the rise of privacy regulation, but Foursquare maintains its business is safe because it's based on people opting in to share their location. 

Here are other stories we've been reporting. (Read most of the articles here by subscribing to BI Prime; use promo code AD2PRIME2018 for a free month.)

Oreo maker Mondelez's CEO says he's going to hold ad agencies more accountable — here's how
Joining other marketers that are demanding more of their ad agencies, the CEO of Mondelez International said he's pushing them to align their fees with the results they deliver. He also called out the challenges of digital advertising and said the company had to be more careful about its use of the medium.

Instagram's head of business says that there's 'definitely headroom' for stuffing more ads in the app — and it shows how vital Stories are to Facebook's future
Facebook is increasingly looking to Instagram to drive its ad revenue growth. One of its top execs talked through how the app is trying to get advertisers to spend more there, especially on its Stories format.

'No shortage of ambition': A top Wall Street Journal exec lays out her plan to reach the next generation of subscribers
The Wall Street Journal has 2.6 million subscribers to archrival The New York Times' 4.5 million, but it's aiming to grow that number by making its content more widely available to new readers, including making content especially tailored to college kids and young adults.

Amazon is acquiring an ad server from bankrupt ad-tech firm Sizmek, giving it a new tool to compete head-on with Google. Here's what it means for marketers.
Amazon said it planned to acquire the ad server and creative tools from bankrupt ad-tech firm Sizmek to help it compete with Google. The jury's still out with industry insiders as to whether the pending acquisition will help the e-commerce giant expand its ad business, though.

Barstool Sports is creating a $1 million incubator program to help jump-start the next Casper
Everyone is trying to cash in on built-on-digital companies like Casper and Hims. The latest is Barstool Sports, which is looking to match its culture and sports brand with startups that are aiming at the same young male audience (and don't mind being associated with a company that's faced accusations of toxicity and misogyny).

Here are other tech, media, and advertising stories you should check out:

Mark Zuckerberg's personal security chief accused of sexual harassment and making racist remarks about Priscilla Chan by 2 former staffers

The share of Americans watching Amazon and Hulu has soared in recent months, while other streaming services lag behind

Inside Kevin Hart's 10-year journey to make his production company into a Hollywood hit maker

'First streams' and other ways an Amazon exec says he evaluates marketing success for original TV series like 'Good Omens'

AT&T was mostly to blame for pay TV's bleak quarter, and analysts say the rest of 2019 looks even worse

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Mount Everest is not the hardest mountain to climb — here's what makes K2 so much worse

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• I consider myself to be mildly obsessed with rugs. I collect antique ones, but I prefer to layer them over more modern, neutral ones to help ground my space.
• RugsUSA is my go-to place for affordable rugs that aren't vintage. However, the site is huge, and can be a little difficult to navigate.
• Below, I'll walk you through my tips for sorting through the RugsUSA website, and show you how I styled some of its rugs in my own apartment.

I love rugs. I love them enough that my partner is probably considering getting the phrase "No more rugs!" tattooed on her face. I keep buying them anyway.

We moved into a new apartment in February, which gave me a perfect opportunity to acquire more rugs (oops, but not really) — and to switch them from room to room one hundred times before I got it right.

Pretty much all of the antique rugs in our apartment have come from small hole-in-the-wall shops in Brooklyn, but all the base layers have come from RugsUSA, a purveyor of what seems like one million styles, sizes, and shapes of rugs.

I'm more inclined to spend serious money on a unique antique rug than a brand-new one, so I turn to RugsUSA for the more affordable (sometimes downright cheap) base layers that help to ground a room. Of course, you can also find bold and eclectic styles there, but I personally lean toward simplicity when ordering online.

I recently got two rugs for our new apartment from RugsUSA; the Chunky Loop Maui area rug in off-white for our bedroom, and the Monochrome Texture Dunescape rug for our office (which only has one size currently in stock). Both are textured, neutral rugs that make great base layers in any room, and neither one was priced over $350; the cheaper of the two was under $200 — pretty good for a roughly 8-by-10-foot size if you ask me. Not to mention that they both look way more expensive than they really are.

How to efficiently sift through the tens of thousands of options

The overall shopping experience of sorting through styles at RugsUSA is made a lot less overwhelming by all of its clever filters. You can select everything from shape to size to color to material to patterns, and can even filter by best-selling rugs, ones with videos, and plenty of other features. Since there are tens of thousands of options on the site, you'll do well to apply as many filters as you can.

I found that searching terms like "textured white rugs" and "woven white rugs" yielded relevant results, and then I used additional filters from there to narrow down my choice. Just don't let the enormous number of rugs paralyze you! It's easy to get overwhelmed, but the more distinct a vision you have for your space, the easier it'll be to pinpoint the right rug for you. The surprisingly large numbers of customer reviews also help.

Even if you don't know exactly what you like, the site has really nicely staged lifestyle photos that let you see the rugs in an actual home setting, so you can envision what it'll look like in your space a little better.

How have the rugs I've tried held up?

As far as the rugs I chose go, I have some advice. If you have a pet who likes to chew things or a robot vacuum, a rug with chunky fringe probably isn't your best bet. I should have considered this when ordering since I have both of those things, but I just loved the look of the Chunky Loop Maui rug so much that I risked it. And while it does, in fact, look great in our bedroom, it also traps a lot of dust underneath since the weave is loose enough for small particles to fall through. It's also worth noting that the fringe has unraveled a bit because of the vacuum.

If you're willing to put in a little extra time to clean under the rug every once in a while, I think the Chunky Loop Maui rug is worth it simply for how gorgeous it is. It comes in a variety of colors and sizes, and it's the perfect base layer for enclosed rooms like bedrooms or large open areas like dining rooms that could use a big rug to ground the space.

As for the rug we put in our office, it has held up beautifully over time. It gets a ton of traffic since we have to walk through that room to get to the balcony, and it still looks brand new. There's only one size left of this particular rug, but I would recommend looking for other rugs specifically made by RugsUSA (over the third-party brands it carries) that are made with wool. I have a feeling that it's the durability of the materials that has kept it looking so nice all this time.

The bottom line

If you want to know whether or not RugsUSA is a solid place to shop for nice rugs that don't look cheap, the answer is that yes, it is. The rugs are great quality for the price, the sales are plentiful (never pay full price!), and the options are endless.

However, it's understandable that you may be skeptical of the quality when the site offers approximately one million styles. If that's the case for you, know this: I'm exceptionally snobby about rugs (thanks, Dad), and I feel confident that this is where I'll continue buying my non-antique rugs for as long as my partner doesn't kill me. As long as you go in with a general vision for the type of rug you want, you'll have an easy time sifting through options.

Cream Monochrome Texture Dunescape Area Rug, $191.39 (originally $319)

Chunky Loop Maui Area Rug, from $43.79

Shop all styles from RugsUSA

Join the conversation about this story »

• A teacher in Fort Worth, Texas, could be fired after she tweeted publicly at President Donald Trump, urging him to remove "illegals" from the city and the public school system.
• Georgia Clark sent the tweets on May 17 and May 22, and later said she believed she was sending private messages to Trump — not public tweets.
• The local school board convened a special meeting to vote on whether Clark should be fired, according to the board's agenda.
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

A Fort Worth teacher who believed she was privately messaging President Donald Trump actually sent a slew of public tweets complaining about "illegals" in the public school system, and saying "the Mexicans refuse to honor our flag."

"@realDonaldTrump I do not know what to do. Anything you can do to remove the illegals from Fort Worth would be greatly appreciated," Georgia Clark tweeted on May 17, according to screenshots published by The Washington Post.

"@realDonaldTrump I need protection from recrimination should I report it to the authorities but I do not know where to turn. I contacted the Texas Education Agency and then my teacher organization. Texas will not protect whistle blowers. The Mexicans refuse to honor our flag," read another tweet on May 17.

Read more: More people are moving from the US to Mexico than the other way around

The tweets were sent from the account @Rebecca1939, which appears to have been deleted or suspended as of Tuesday. One of the tweets offered Trump her phone numbers and said "Georgia Clark is my real name."

Clark reportedly acknowledged she wrote the tweets, telling the school district she believed her tweets were private direct messages, not public posts, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Now, Clark could be fired from her job. The Fort Worth Independent School District scheduled a closed meeting on the evening of June 4 to vote on Clark's termination, according to the meeting agenda.

It's not the first time Clark has been accused of racism

The Star-Telegram reported that Clark was previously disciplined at other teaching jobs after referring to students by names such as "Little Mexico" and "white bread," and separating the class by race.

Students also accused her of calling one student a member of the Bloods gang because he wore red shoes, the newspaper reported.

Clark reportedly denied the allegations at the time, arguing that she did not recall the "white bread" comment, that the red shoes remark was meant to be a compliment, and that the class segregated themselves by race.

A school district review committee even recommended that she be fired during the 2013-14 school year, after 18 students accused her of using racist language, according to the Star-Telegram.

In a public statement, the Fort Worth ISD Superintendent, Kent Scribner, acknowledged the controversy "about the use of social media by our staff."

"Let me reiterate our commitment that every child in the District is welcome and is to be treated with dignity and respect," Scribner said. "Please know we take this promise very seriously and your child's safety and well-being are always our number-one priority."

• Read more:
• Trump is trying a risky new strategy to force Mexico to stop migrants from reaching the US. Experts say it could backfire spectacularly.
• A high school valedictorian used a pint of strawberries to give a powerful speech about 'migrant culture'
• A Border Patrol video shows 1,036 migrants crossing the US-Mexico border in what officials are calling 'the largest group ever encountered'
• Trump's tough border policies are actually helping the human smuggling business, experts say

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Nxivm founder Keith Raniere began his trial. Here's what happened inside the alleged sex-slave ring that recruited actresses and two billionaire heiresses.

• June 5th is World Environment Day— an annual celebration of our environment meant to encourage people to protect it.
• Human activities like carbon emissions and deforestation are threatening Earth's flora and fauna in unprecedented ways. Many species are resilient — but only to a point.

• These photos, some of them from National Geographic's docu-series "Hostile Planet," reveal the ways Earth's inhabitants are fighting to survive.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. 

June 5 marks the 35th annual World Environment Day — a global event spearheaded by the United Nations that aims to increase worldwide action to protect our environment.

Every year, the UN campaigns to raise awareness about environmental issues like marine pollution, increasing carbon emissions, and overpopulation. In 2019, the focus is addressing air pollution.

Air pollution causes some 8.8 million deaths annually worldwide. Currently, 91% of the world's population lives in places where the air quality does not meet the standards for safety set by the World Health Organization.

Read More: 19 types of pollution you might encounter every day that could hurt your health

Humans pollute the air, land, and sea by burning fossil fuels, overusing chemicals and pesticides, and creating sewage run-off.

The human health consequences of pollution aside, the degradation of our natural environment is forcing hundreds, if not thousands, of species down a path to extinction. 

As news on the environmental front gets more dire — oceans are warming, Arctic and Antarctic ice melt is increasing, 5 trillion pounds of plastic have entered the seas —  it's all the more important to remember that our planet is filled with species and habitats worth protecting.

In honor of World Environment Day, we've compiled some of the most beautiful — and heartbreaking — images of our planet and its flora and fauna.

Here are 30 images that illustrate our planet and its species' fragility and resilience.

SEE ALSO: What Earth might look like in 80 years if we're lucky — and if we're unlucky

Increasing carbon emissions — which come from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas — are trapping more heat on the planet, leading to global warming.

Earth's temperatures are rising: 2018 was the fourth-warmest year ever in terms of surface temperature.

Factories and gas-powered vehicles produce other air pollutants like nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and hydrocarbons. These chemicals can react with sunlight to create smog.

Unprecedented levels of smog have choked densely populated cities in recent years, especially those in China and India.

In some cities, the smog can get so thick that people can't see the sun and have to wear masks.

Illegal dumping in waterways can also pose a major health hazard. This river was polluted with red dye from a chemical plant in Luoyang, China.

Source: International Business Times

The water in some regions of the world is so full of agricultural and chemical runoff that it creates explosions of algae, which can harm marine species and ecosystems.

The green algae pulled from Chaohu lake in Eastern China in 2009 almost looked like acrylic paint.

That algae bloom completely choked the lake at the time.

In 2007, scores of fish died in this lake in Wuhan, China due to excess run-off and sweltering temperatures.

Source: Business Insider

Humans have been dumping an unprecedented amount of plastic into the ocean, too. On average, 8.8 million tons of plastic enters the ocean every year.

Plastic in the ocean threatens marine life — animals sometimes confuse the items for food and consume them. This can cause them to change their behavior, suffer strangulation, and die.

There is a total of 5.25 trillion tons of plastic currently swirling in Earth's oceans.

Climate change is already contributing to longer, more frequent droughts. Even if carbon-emission rates drop, droughts in Mediterranean countries, most of Africa, west and southern Asia, and Central America are projected to happen five to 10 times more frequently.

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

One of the worst droughts in Brazil's history caused this lake bed by the Itumbiara hydroelectric dam to dry up in 2013, leaving these prone clam shells behind.

Last year was hottest on record for Earth's oceans.

Warming surface and ocean temperatures are causing Greenland's ice sheet to melt faster than scientists thought. In a couple of decades, the ice could become a major contributor to sea-level rise.

If all of Greenland's ice were to melt, it would raise sea levels 23 feet, submerging some coastal cities and low-lying Pacific islands.

In February, Australia's Bramble cay melomys, a tiny rodent, was the first species to go extinct due to climate change. Its low-lying island habitat sat just 10 feet above sea level and was inundated by ocean water during high tides and storms.

For many endangered animals, it is becoming even more difficult to survive as the Earth heats up and weather gets more erratic.

More than 26,500 of the world's species are threatened with extinction.

A 2017 study found that animal species around the world are experiencing a "biological annihilation," in part due to human actions that destroy and degrade the environment.

Source: Business Insider

The number of threatened and endangered animals is expected to keep going up as humans continue to log forests and emit heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.

In roughly 50 years, 1,700 species of amphibians, birds, and mammals will face a higher risk of extinction because their natural habitats are shrinking.

Many species, like polar bears, have been forced to extreme ends. This bear resorted to cannibalism.

To capture the day-to-day lives of animals in increasingly challenging environmental conditions, the National Geographic team behind the new docu-series "Hostile Planet" visited all seven continents.

Wildlife adventurer Bear Grylls, who hosted "Hostile Planet," said some of Earth's animals — predators and prey — are adapting to their new reality.

The show reveals "what life is like for the animals at the front line, struggling to survive in such a rapidly changing world," Grylls said, adding, "I'm awestruck by these animals' spirits."

But some species are more vulnerable than others.

Eventually, many animals won't be able to continue adapting to the changes humans are causing.

"Even the most resilient animals are battling to adapt to their ever-changing habitats when it comes to hunting and foraging, competition, shelter, finding water, and protecting their young," Grylls said.

Preserving and protecting natural habitats and ecosystems is essential to maintaining its diversity of species.

The most effective way to avoid the worst consequences of climate change is to start curbing our carbon emissions and reducing air pollution levels immediately.

• More than 19,000 people have signed a petition that would ban Japanese employers from requiring women to wear high heels in the workplace.
• Japanese actress Yumi Ishikawa, who was forced to switch careers after being required by her employer to stand in high heels for eight hours during a training, created the petition and submitted it to the labor ministry this week.
• Japan struggles with gender equality, ranking 110 out of 149 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2018 Global Gender Gap report, which measures countries on their progress toward gender parity.
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

Japanese women are tired of having to wear uncomfortable high heels to work. And, many are starting to take action in response.

More than 19,000 people have signed an online petition to ban employers from requiring women to wear high heels in the workplace. Actress Yumi Ishikawa, who created the petition after her January tweets about being forced to wear the footwear went viral, submitted it to the labor ministry this week, according to The New York Times.

Similar policies have been enacted in the Philippines and British Columbia. 

Ishikawa ultimately switched careers after being required by her employer to stand in high heels for eight hours during a training. She started the hashtag #KuToo (a combination of the Japanese words for shoe (kutsu) and pain (kutsuu), as the movement gained traction, the Times noted. Many women have since used the hashtag to discuss their own experiences.

"I'm hoping to get rid of the custom that someday women have to wear heels and pumps at work," Ishikawa wrote on Twitter.

An official at Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's employment opportunity division told CNN that it doesn't plan to change rules about employers requiring certain dress codes. The official added that men are also impacted because they are often required to wear ties and leather shoes.

But, Shino Naito, vice senior researcher at the Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training, told the Times that a requirement to wear high heels could be viewed as gender harassment. Japanese law doesn't have an exact definition on that term.

"Expecting or imposing a feminine standard at the workplace is the issue here," Naito said.

Japan struggles with gender equality, ranking 110 out of 149 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2018 Global Gender Gap report, which measures countries on their progress toward gender parity. The five lowest ranking countries in the report include Chad, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen. Iceland is the top ranked country for gender equality, and the United States comes in at 51.

"Women don't even realize they are risking themselves, as this style has been deeply rooted in the work culture," Ishikawa told the Times. "We should take this situation more seriously."

In response to lack of women in the workforce, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe introduced a plan called "Womenomics" in 2013 to encourage gender equality and challenge issues like pay disparity and gender stereotypes.

But, as noted by Catherine Powell and Rebecca Hughes in Fortune, "though Japanese women's labor force participation has increased, women are overrepresented in part-time work—with lower pay, worse benefits, and limited career prospects. Japan must not only increase the number of women in the formal labor force, but also ensure that women are able to participate on equal terms."

• Read more:
• These $900 stilettos were invented by a former spaceship company executive — and they're the most comfortable high heels I've ever worn
• High heels are under fire as sexual harassment and assault allegations skyrocket
• A foot surgeon reveals the only ways to make high heels more comfortable

Join the conversation about this story »

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• President Donald Trump has been married three times. 
• Trump employed prenuptial agreements in his first two marriages. They included a strict confidentiality clause and expiration age for his paying child support.
• The agreements encompass piles of money, houses, and apartments that were modified based on Trump's expanding families and wealth. 
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

President Donald Trump frequently touts his career spent making billions of dollars in real-estate deals, but he has a well-documented track record of cutting deals with his wives as well. 

With three marriages and two divorces under his belt, Trump is no stranger to prenuptial agreements, which lay out what each spouse will gain or lose in a divorce. 

These contracts can include money, houses, or anything a future spouse deems valuable enough to protect. They can also be amended over the course of a marriage to match a spouse's growing wealth or growing family, and are often private until the terms shake out in a divorce settlement. 

A copy of his prenuptial agreement with second wife Marla Maples. obtained by Vanity Fair. shows that Trump wasn't afraid to draw harsh lines in the sand in the event of a divorce, including cutting off child support payments if the child gets a job or joins the military, and barring the ex-spouse from publishing any details about the marriage. 

"It's a hard, painful, ugly tool,"Trump said after his third marriage. "Believe me, there's nothing fun about it. But there comes a time when you have to say, 'Darling, I think you're magnificent, and I care for you deeply, but if things don't work out, this is what you're going to get.'"

Here's everything we know about Trump's prenups: 

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After meeting at a popular uptown watering hole for New York City's singles, Donald Trump and model Ivana Zelnicek were married April 7, 1977.

Source: Vanity Fair

Over the course of their relationship, the couple had four prenups that were adjusted as their family and wealth grew.

After the marriage lasted over three kids and 13 years, the couple filed for divorce on December 11, 1990. It was reported that the last of the couple's four prenuptial agreements dictated the final divorce deal.

Source: The New York Times

Under the final agreement, Ivana was awarded $25 million plus the couple's Greenwich mansion, or an additional $22 million if the mansion was sold before the divorce was finalized.

Source: The New York Times

Donald was also ordered to pay about $650,000 annually in child support for the couple's three children — similar to what Mrs. Trump agreed to in a prenuptial agreement.

Source: The New York Times

The final deal was reached after months of negotiations intended to ensure Ivana would receive the money from Donald, who was reportedly deep in debt from real estate deals and could not obtain the money through bank loans.

Source: The New York Times

Trump then married actress Marla Maples, who was at the center of the drama in his first divorce, in 1993, just after the birth of their daughter Tiffany.

Source: Business Insider

In 1997, the couple announced their plans to divorce. The decision came just before a four-year wedding anniversary specified in their prenup that would have increased Maples' possible settlement from its original range of $1 million to $5 million.

Source: People Magazine

After they settled in 1999 on Trump handing over just $2 million, Maples called the prenuptial agreement a "big battle" and said it "had been placed before me just five days before our 1993 wedding."

Source: Vanity Fair, New York Daily News

Though she accepted it, Maples made no secret of her dissatisfaction with the settlement, saying she walked away with the terms of the original agreement after two years of fighting, giving up "verbal commitments [Trump] made to me during our 12-year relationship."

Source: New York Daily News

The agreement also stipulated that Trump would stop the $100,000 child support payments for Maples' young daughter Tiffany when she turned 21 or if she got a full-time job, enlisted in the military, or joined the Peace Corps.

Source: Vanity Fair

Trump's prenup with Maples was also designed to avoid the messy public fight he went through with his first divorce, barring her from publishing any material that details their marriage.

Vanity Fair reported that the confidentiality agreement dictated that Maples wouldn't publish "any diary, memoir, letter, story, photograph, interview, article, essay, account or description or depiction of any kind whatsoever, whether fictionalized or not, concerning (or seeming to concern) the details of the parties' marriage."

If Maples was to violate the agreement, it said: "Donald will suffer irreparable damage and injury in the event of any such breach."

Donald's third marriage was to Slovenian Melania Knauss on January 2, 2005.

Source: INSIDER

Though the terms of their prenuptial agreement were not ever made public, gossip columnist Liz Smith said Trump was pleased, saying, "The beautiful thing is that she agrees with it. She knows I have to have that."

Source: Business Insider

Speculation over the details of the agreement came into the spotlight when the two moved into the White House after Trump was elected, which some say could factor into settlement discussions upon a potential break-up of their marriage.

Source: Town & Country

Melania and Donald have weathered a storm of scrutiny under the public eye, a US election, and numerous sexual harassment allegations during their 13-year marriage and appear to be the same as ever, so the details of their prenup are safe for now.

Source: Business Insider

• Apple revealed a "Sign in with Apple" service at its WWDC that is sending ripples through the advertising world.
• Apple is pitching it as a privacy friendly move and it follows similar moves by Facebook and Google.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Apple just unveiled a bunch of privacy moves, and like Facebook and Google's before it, the moves are sending ripples through the advertising world.

The "Sign in with Apple" service revealed at Apple's WWDC on Monday lets users sign in to Apple devices in a secure way, and Apple is pitching it as a privacy friendly move.

Read more:Google's looming privacy changes could shake up ad retargeting — and advertisers are scrambling to find alternatives

"They're very protective of their users' data and they don't want to get caught in some kind of Facebook breach," said a senior ad buyer, speaking anonymously because he wasn't authorized to speak about Apple. "They realize once you're in the Apple ecosystem, you don't want to leave, so the more they can offer you, the better."

Of course, that's exactly what drives advertisers crazy because it makes it harder for them to retarget users.

The end of an era

For Forrester analyst Jay Pattisall, Apple, Facebook and Google's increased emphasis on consumer privacy represents the end of advertisers using mass and cheap digital marketing as an optimization strategy. Marketers that have used cheap digital advertising inventory, particularly display, search and social as a testing ground to bombard consumers with thousands of ads will no longer be able to do that, he said.

Apple introducing single sign-on and blocking access to apps tracking location data with the "just once" option complicates digital measurement for marketers further, said Philip Hyunh, VP of paid social at 360i. A brand running an ad campaign across Facebook and YouTube on an Apple device will get three different sets of measurement data corresponding to each ecosystem.

"It will be hard to dissociate that data and see that as one person rather than four people, which makes it more challenging," Hyunh said. "None of these walled gardens share information."

Apple's single sign-on puts brands' first-party data in jeopardy, Hyunh added. More people will presumably use the feature over sharing their emails with marketers' apps repeatedly, which not only gives brands less data but also hampers their ability to communicate with their consumers.

"It weakens the actual data and type of data that brands have, and makes measurement even harder," Hyunh said.

A pivot to advertising for Apple?

Pattisall predicted a move back to creativity as companies like Apple clamp down on avenues to data.

"Now that they will not have the ability to use actual inventory in-market to run tests because it's relatively inexpensive, the pendulum will swing back toward creativity," Pattisall said.

Apple has never been a big player in the advertising game, making most of its money from sales of hardware, which is why it can afford to have policies that are unfriendly to advertisers. But the senior ad buyer said this privacy move could actually help set up Apple to get deeper into advertising.

"They'll be able to up their ad game if they decide to do so," he said. "They'll have access to all this data you can only buy through their ecosystem." 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The US has 1,200 tornadoes each year. That's 4 times as many as the rest of the world combined.

• The founder of Safeway Insurance is selling his $11.995 million condo on Fisher Island, the country's richest zip code.
• Fisher Island is a private island off the coast of Miami where the average income is $2.2 million.
• To live on Fisher Island, residents must pay a $250,000 entry fee for equity membership, which allows access to the island's amenities that include a private marina, golf course, spa, and private beaches with sand imported from the Bahamas.
• The 6-bedroom condo includes a 2,000-square-foot terrace and a private infinity pool.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The founder of Safeway Insurance, William Parrillo, and his wife Carol are selling their $11.995 million condo on Fisher Island, a private island for millionaires in Florida, Business Insider learned from Douglas Elliman.

Fisher Island, a 216-acre island off the coast of Miami, is the country's richest zip code, with an average income of $2.2 million, according to Bloomberg. To be a member of the Fisher Island Club, residents must pay a $250,000 entry fee for equity membership, which allows access to the island's amenities that include a private marina, golf course, spa, and private beaches with sand imported from the Bahamas.

Read more: I got access to the richest zip code in the US, an island off Miami where the average income is $2.2 million, the beaches have sand imported from the Bahamas, and the preferred mode of transportation is golf carts. Here's what it looks like.

The Parrillos' six-bedroom condo has 6,618 square feet of living space. According to Douglas Elliman, which is selling the property, the ground-floor villa has the feel of a single-family home and is one of only a few exclusive residences that come with a private infinity pool.

Parrillo is the president and chairman of Safeway Insurance, the largest privately held, family-owned insurance company in the US.

Robert Conway of Douglas Elliman holds the listing for Parrillo's Fisher Island home.

Take an exclusive look inside the $11.995 million luxury condo, which hits the market on Wednesday.

SEE ALSO: I got access to the richest zip code in the US, an island off Miami where the average income is $2.2 million, the beaches have sand imported from the Bahamas, and the preferred mode of transportation is golf carts. Here's what it looks like.

DON'T MISS: Miami's 'Billionaire Bunker' is a high-security island that has a 13-person police force for its 42 residents. A real-estate agent got me past the guardhouse — here's what the exclusive community looks like.

The founder of Safeway Insurance, William Parrillo, and his wife Carol are selling their $11.995 million condo on Fisher Island, the country's richest zip code.

Source: Douglas Elliman, Business Insider

Fisher Island is a 216-acre members-only island off the coast of Miami, where the average income is $2.2 million. Residents must pay a $250,000 initial fee and $22,256 in annual dues — and that's on top of purchasing a multimillion-dollar condo.

Source: Business Insider

The $11.995 million condo boasts a grand entryway.

Source: Douglas Elliman

The interiors of the home are by Steven G., a Miami-based luxury interior designer.

Source: Douglas Elliman, Steven G.

One of the home's living areas includes a fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the water.

Source: Douglas Elliman

There's an expansive chef's kitchen ...

Source: Douglas Elliman

... and a formal dining room that seats at least 10 people.

Source: Douglas Elliman

A room that could be a private library or home office opens up to the home's private terrace.

Source: Douglas Elliman

The condo has six bedrooms ...

Source: Douglas Elliman

... and 7.5 bathrooms.

Source: Douglas Elliman

Some of the bedrooms have entrances to the terrace.

Source: Douglas Elliman

The home's 2,000-square-foot private terrace overlooks the bay and offers views of the Miami skyline.

Source: Douglas Elliman

The condo is one of just a few select residences that have a private infinity pool.

Source: Douglas Elliman

Fisher Island residents have access to luxurious amenities including two private marinas and private beaches with sand imported from the Bahamas ...

Source: Business Insider

... as well as a beach club, eight restaurants, and a spa and wellness center.

Source: Business Insider

• On Wednesday, Sephora will temporarily close its US stores, distribution center, and corporate office to hold one-hour-long inclusion trainings across the company.
• Sephora announced the trainings on social media nearly a month after SZA, a Grammy-nominated musician, accused a store employee of racially profiling her and calling security while she was shopping.
• Despite Sephora's intentions, a day of training may not be enough to end discrimination throughout the company, according to Ronn Torossian, a crisis management expert and CEO of the public relations agency 5WPR.
• To achieve real success, retailers could hold long-term trainings rather than single-day sessions in an attempt to prevent racial discrimination before it starts.
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

You won't be able to shop for your favorite beauty products at Sephora on Wednesday morning.

According to the company's social media pages, Sephora will temporarily close its US stores, distribution center, and corporate office for one hour in attempts to foster a "more inclusive beauty community" through inclusion trainings.

The closures were announced nearly one month after Grammy-nominated musician SZA accused a Sephora employee of racially profiling her.

But Sephora isn't the first brand to announce such trainings, and it's unlikely to be the last company to face accusations of racial profiling. And though these trainings have been introduced with seemingly good intentions, the practice might not be enough to rid Sephora, and other companies, of racial profiling and bias.

Sephora announced its day of inclusion trainings on social media

In May, Sephora took to Facebook to announce that it would be closing its US stores on the morning of Wednesday, June 5. The retailer also announced it would close its distribution center and corporate office that same morning.

A video campaign called "We Belong to Something Beautiful" was shared alongside the message. In the video, Sephora said it "believes in championing all beauty, living with courage, and standing fearlessly together to celebrate our differences."

"We will never stop building a community where diversity is expected, self expression is honored, all are welcomed, and you are included," Sephora wrote in its video.

In a press release sent to INSIDER, Sephora's chief marketing officer Deborah Yeh said the company has had plans for inclusivity training in the works for months. 

"The 'We Belong to Something Beautiful' campaign has been in the works for a year," Yeh said in the press release.

"The plan to close our US stores, distribution centers, call centers, and corporate office for a one-hour inclusivity workshop with our 16,000 employees has been in development for over six months, timed with our first campaign chapter debuting on June 6," she added.

The trainings were announced nearly a month after SZA accused a Sephora employee of racially profiling her

On May 1, the Grammy-nominated musician posted a tweet in which she said a Sephora employee at a store in Calabasas, California, called security to make sure that she wasn't stealing makeup.

The musician nicknamed the employee in question "Sephora Sandy," and said she had "a long talk" with them.

"Lmao Sandy Sephora location 614 Calabasas called security to make sure I wasn't stealing. We had a long talk. U have a blessed day Sandy," SZA wrote on Twitter.

In another tweet, she wrote that she was trying to shop for Fenty Beauty products "in peace."

Sephora promptly responded to the musician over Twitter, and called SZA a "part of the Sephora family."

"You are a part of the Sephora family, and we are committed to ensuring every member of our community feels welcome and included at our stores," Sephora's tweet reads.

At the time, Sephora shared a statement with INSIDER in which representatives for the retailer said Sephora aims to be "an inclusive and welcoming space" for its shoppers.

"We have been informed of an incident at our Calabasas store and in addition to reaching out to SZA directly, we are gathering more information about the incident in order to take the proper next steps," a Sephora representative said in the statement.

"We take complaints like this very seriously, profiling on the basis of race is not tolerated at Sephora," the statement continued. "Our purpose has always been rooted in our people and ensuring that Sephora is an inclusive and welcoming space for all our clients."

Read more: SZA says a Sephora employee called security to make sure she wasn't stealing beauty products

In the more recent press release sent to INSIDER, Yeh said the retailer's day of training was not inspired by SZA.

"While it is true that SZA's experience occurred prior to the launch of the 'We Belong to Something Beautiful' campaign, the campaign was not the result of this tweet," Yeh wrote. "However, it does reinforce why belonging is now more important than ever."

Sephora isn't the first brand to close its stores while hosting employee-training programs

On May 29, 2018, Starbucks closed 8,000 of its stores across the US to host racial-bias training. The company did so after two black men were arrested in April 2018 at a Starbucks in Philadelphia.

According to a previous Business Insider report, a Starbucks employee called police after Rashon Nelson asked to use the bathroom without purchasing anything. Witnesses recorded the arrest of Nelson, as well as his friend, and said the two men "didn't do anything." 

Weeks later, Starbucks hosted trainings that included educational videos, like clips of Stanley Nelson's "You're Welcome" documentary (independently created for Starbucks' trainings), lectures from experts at an anti-bias organization called the Perception Institute, and chances for employees to discuss their own experiences with racial bias.

To create the training program, Starbucks pulled together a team comprised of former US Attorney General Eric Holder and the musician Common, among others.

While it's not entirely clear what Sephora's inclusion workshops will entail, Yeh said in Sephora's latest press release that the brand plans to "re-commit to building an environment of inclusion" on Wednesday.

"We'll be discussing what it means to belong, across many different lenses that include, but are not limited to, gender identity, race and ethnicity, age, abilities, and more," she said.

Sephora and Starbucks initially approached similar situations very differently

In a statement sent to INSIDER, Ronn Torossian, a crisis management expert and CEO of the public relations agency 5WPR, said Sephora's handling of its incident with SZA could have made all the difference in the future of the brand.

"Starbucks chose to ignore the problem early on, which did not help them in the long run," Torossian said in a statement. "Sephora, on the other hand, confronted the situation right on Twitter and responded to the singer's tweet."

"While this isn't always the best option, it's important to be clear and concise when determining the overall message and response that the brand is sending out into the public," he continued.

SZA likely isn't the sole reason why Sephora plans to temporarily close its stores

While SZA's incident with the company may have pushed Sephora to act quickly, it's now common for retailers to publicize their training methods.

"Sephora's new manifesto is a call to action in order to please the public and not face further scrutiny," Torossian told INSIDER.

"Retailers and brands are always reshaping their policies regarding diversity and making sure their standards stay up to date," he continued. "I doubt Sephora didn't have anything in the pipeline, but that doesn't mean the incident with SZA didn't help put that into action."

Representatives for SZA did not immediately reply to INSIDER's request for comment.

Inclusion trainings might not be enough to end racial profiling at Sephora and other companies

Inclusion trainings can be necessary for corporations like Sephora, however, that doesn't mean the trainings are always effective.

"When it comes to this level of public scrutiny, being that a high-profile celebrity was involved, it's somewhat necessary for retailers to react swiftly and determine the appropriate course of action," Torossian said in a statement.

"While this does not totally combat the issue, from a public relations standpoint, it does help mitigate some of the trolling and tension between the retailer and the public," he continued. "The move is one that falls in line with Sephora making an attempt to restore its image and brand reputation within the public sphere."

To achieve real success, retailers could hold long-term trainings rather than single-day sessions

Speaking to INSIDER, Torossian said education, like unconscious bias training, and a strong community of employees can greatly benefit brands like Sephora.

"Unconscious bias training is extremely important when it comes to setting high standards in the workplace and informing employees their actions could have consequences," Torossian said.

"While the retailer is not able to completely control racial profiling, it is their job to enforce inclusive practices within the brand," he continued. "If employees are representations of the brand, Sephora should hold them accountable when it comes to issues of bias either on the corporate level or on the sales floor."

Still, that might not be achievable after a single day of training. According to a 2018 report from Forbes, unconscious bias training is most effective when used continuously over time.

"It is impossible to change long-term behaviors, stereotypes, and perceptions via one-day training,"Janice Gassam wrote on Forbes. "How can you possibly expect to eradicate learned stereotypes and bias when individuals spent their entire lives thinking in a certain way?"

Gassam emphasized the importance of repeating training to ensure that it stays in employees' minds.

"In order for unconscious bias training to be effective, it has to be done frequently," she continued. "A one-time training is simply not effective and is a waste of time, money, and effort."

Ideally, companies like Sephora should be attempting to prevent racial discrimination before it occurs

While inclusive trainings can be effective, especially if held over time, Torossian believes companies should "determine the best practices and tools to recognize and mitigate its effects" before any consumers or employees are affected by discrimination.

He believes that "companies should work with their communication leads ahead of time to ensure that messaging is set and public facing because you can never know when a crisis may arise."

According to Torossian, companies need to make their message clear at all levels — and not just to store employees.

"Everyone from the C-Suite down should be actively involved in determining the right infrastructure for their business to make sure the impact of these programs lasts through changes in leadership and employee turnover," he said.

• Read more:
• Designers like Gucci are failing to learn from their mistakes and keep selling clothes that spark accusations of cultural insensitivity
• The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will no longer be televised. Here's why the supermodel-filled event should be scrapped altogether.
• Moschino is being sued by a former employee who claims that their manager racially profiled black customers
• Dunkin' Donuts apologizes after an employee called the police on a family because they were speaking Somali

Join the conversation about this story »

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• The HBO series "Chernobyl" gets plenty of things right about the nuclear power plant disaster that most likely exposed hundreds of thousands of people to radiation.
• But to adapt the story for television, the "Chernobyl" writer and producer Craig Mazin invented a character and adjusted the chronology of a few events.
• While some circumstances are still shrouded in mystery, we now know the incident was far more catastrophic than Soviet officials initially let on.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Retelling the 1986 Chernobyl disaster is an exercise in unburying the truth.

In the wake of the world's worst nuclear power plant accident, which forced the city of Pripyat in what was then part of the Soviet Union to evacuate after being exposed to toxic levels of radiation, Soviet officials publicly downplayed the incident. To this day, scientists are still working to understand the effects of the fatal explosion.

Read more:'Apples the size of watermelons': A psychologist reveals what it was like to grow up in the Chernobyl fallout zone

What we do know is that the core of a nuclear reactor opened, sending plumes of radioactive material into the air. The toxic fumes not only contaminated the local vegetation and water supply but also poisoned nearby residents, some of whom went on to develop cancer.

Within three months of the disaster, more than 30 people had died of acute radiation sickness.

"We can only estimate the real effects on people's lives," said Jan Haverkamp, a senior nuclear energy expert at Greenpeace, who noted the catastrophe most likely had a severe impact on hundreds of thousands of people.

While developing his HBO series, "Chernobyl," the writer and producer Craig Mazin approached conflicting accounts of the event with a degree of caution.

"I always defaulted to the less dramatic because the things that we know for sure happened are so inherently dramatic," he told Variety's"TV Take" podcast.

For the most part, the documentary is hauntingly accurate — with the exception of a few artistic liberties. We fact-checked some of the major plot points from the series to determine what's true and what verges on myth.

Note: This article contains spoilers of episodes one through five.

SEE ALSO: A photographer visited the abandoned towns around Chernobyl more than 20 times over the past 25 years, and the captivating photos show just how suddenly time stopped in its tracks after the disaster

DON'T MISS: Photos show what daily life is really like inside Chernobyl's exclusion zone, one of the most polluted areas in the world

MYTH: The Chernobyl fire gave off nearly twice the radiation of Hiroshima every hour.

Both Chernobyl and the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II were catastrophic nuclear disasters. But Haverkamp said it's difficult to compare the radiation exposure of the two events.

With Hiroshima, he said, the major health impact was caused by direct exposure to radiation. When a nuclear bomb explodes, he said, a person's radiation dose is determined by the person's distance from the point of exposure.

In Chernobyl, he said, "a lot of radioactive material was brought into the atmosphere." The material, he added, was then "spread over a very large area" and ingested by people over a long period of time.

Read more:Russia still has 10 Chernobyl-style reactors that scientists say aren't necessarily safe

FACT: The Soviets tried to use robots to clean the contamination site but eventually resorted to human labor.

In a horrifying scene in episode four, men throw blocks of radioactive graphite off the roof of the power plant — what the series calls "the most dangerous place on earth." In real life, the men were asked to clear 100 tons of radioactive debris from the area. 

At a conference in 1990, the official who oversaw the cleanup efforts, Yuri Semiolenko, said the Soviets had initially tried to clear the site with remote-controlled robots. When the machines started breaking down in the toxic atmosphere, officials resorted to human labor.

Though advanced US robots could have aided the decontamination, tensions between the two countries dissuaded Ukraine from asking for help.

MYTH: A Soviet nuclear physicist named Ulana Khomyuk helped orchestrate the cleanup.

One of the series' main characters, a Soviet nuclear physicist named Ulana Khomyuk, is an amalgamation of many nuclear scientists involved in the Chernobyl cleanup.

For Mazin, placing a female character at the heart of the investigation made historical sense.

"One area where the Soviets were actually more progressive than we were was in the area of science and medicine," Mazin told Variety. "The Soviet Union had quite a large percentage of female doctors."

Read more:HBO's 'Chernobyl' series invented a main character to depict the world's worst nuclear power plant accident

FACT: Squads were ordered to shoot animals, which carried elevated levels of radiation.

One of the most harrowing scenes arrives in episode four, "The Happiness of All Mankind," when a three-person Soviet squad is tasked with shooting stray animals near the reactor site.

About 36 hours after the explosion, Pripyat residents were given just 50 minutes to gather their belongings and board the throngs of buses that had come to take them away. None were allowed to bring their pets.

Residents initially believed that they would return after three days, but the move turned out to be permanent. As orphaned dogs wandered the abandoned city, Soviet squads were ordered to kill them to avoid the spread of contamination.

About 300 stray dogs remain in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, but few live past the age of 6 because of radiation poisoning.

MYTH: A steam explosion following the disaster could have left much of Europe uninhabitable.

In the wake of the initial blast, nuclear physicists feared a second explosion caused by melting corium coming into contact with groundwater.

In episode two, Khomyuk informs the USSR that a follow-up explosion would carry a force of 2 to 4 megatons, which would wipe out "the entire population of Kiev and a portion of Minsk." The release of radiation, she adds, would "impact all of Soviet Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarusia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and most of East Germany."

Haverkamp said there were too many hypotheticals considered in this scenario.

"They're not saving the world," he said. "That situation might play out if all of the melting corium hit groundwater," he added, but when corium starts melting, it melts "in a very uneven way."

The claim that a second explosion would carry a force of up to 4 megatons, he said, was "an exaggeration."

FACT: A young firefighter with a pregnant wife died in a hospital shortly after the explosion.

A firefighter named Vasily Ignatenko and his wife, Lyudmilla, were scheduled to leave for Belarus the morning of the explosion, but their plans were curtailed when Vasily rushed to the power plant at about 1:30 a.m. He promised to wake his wife when he got home, but his severe radiation poisoning forced him to be taken to the hospital. 

When Lyudmilla visited her husband, she was ordered not to touch him. "If you start crying, I'll kick you out right away," she recalled being told in the book "Voices from Chernobyl."

Lyudmilla was pregnant at the time but lied to the radiologist to see her husband. Vasily died 14 days after the accident and was buried, as the series shows, in a zinc coffin. The documentary even shows Lyudmilla carrying her husband's shoes, which couldn't fit around his swollen feet. 

Lyudmilla eventually gave birth to her baby, who died after four hours. 

MYTH: A helicopter crashed shortly after the explosion.

The helicopter crash in episode two isn't all wrong, but it took place after the initial two weeks of recovery — not, as the episode suggests, in the immediate wake of the explosion. In a statement to Men's Health, Mazin said it was one of the few events that had to be moved around chronologically. 

"I wanted people to know that this was one of the hazards that these pilots were dealing with — an open reactor. Radiation was flying over it," he told the site. 

The series shows the helicopter colliding with a crane and cascading to the ground — an event that's represented even more dramatically in real-life footage. 

Haverkamp said the air movements surrounding the reactor were unpredictable, but what caused the crash "was indeed hitting the crane."

FACT: Legasov recorded his thoughts on cassette tapes following the disaster.

Chernobyl's chief scientific investigator, Valery Legasov, was a real person. While the series portrays the scientist as something of a lone wolf, he actually had a wife and daughter.

As the opening episode reveals, Legasov recorded his personal account of the disaster on cassette tapes before hanging himself on April 26, 1988 — the second anniversary of the accident.

Transcripts of his recordings don't exactly match up with those relayed in the series, which ends with a line from Legasov: "This, at last, is the gift of Chernobyl. Where I once would fear the cost of truth, now I only ask: What is the cost of lies?"

Toward the end of episode five, a KGB official informs Legasov that his involvement in the cleanup efforts will be kept quiet from the rest of the world.

"You will remain so immaterial to the world around you that when you finally do die, it will be exceedingly hard to know that you ever lived at all," the official says. 

According to Legasov's obituary in the New York Times, the scientist's name "was not mentioned in the dozens of Soviet media reports" on Chernobyl's second anniversary. 

Correction: An original version of this article misrepresented the cause of the helicopter crash in the HBO series.

• Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" returns to on Wednesday with a 13-episode third season. 
• The Emmy-winning show, starring Elisabeth Moss and Ann Dowd, follows a dystopian America where fertile women are forced to bear children for wealthy families. 
• In an interview with INSIDER Tuesday, Dowd, who plays Aunt Lydia on the series, said the show's silencing of women parallels the anti-abortion legislation we're seeing across the country. 
• "What you are is pro-birth. How dare you, and shame on you," said Dowd of the men supporting the recently passed abortion bills in Alabama and other states. "Shame on you, and just for the record, we're all pro-life. All of us are pro-life. There are circumstances and nobody, nobody wants abortion."
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

On Hulu's third season of "The Handmaid's Tale," premiering Wednesday, June (Elisabeth Moss) is focused on building a resistance in a dystopia where women have been stripped of their rights and silenced. It's a narrative that may sound all too familiar when women's reproductive rights are currently being challenged across the United States.

"I think what's important about 'The Handmaid's Tale' is that it puts a face and a voice to what is beginning to happen in our country... and not just beginning," Ann Dowd told INSIDER Tuesday in New York City.

Dowd plays Aunt Lydia, a high-ranking woman who oversees the handmaids on the Hulu series.

"When we see the control tried to be taken from women, and we see Alabama doing what it's doing and the other states that are following [suit], it is unconscionable, and we have to fight," said Dowd. 

On May 14, the Alabama state Senate passed a bill into law that effectively outlaws abortion in the state. The law would imprison doctors who perform abortions for up to 99 years, including in the cases of rape or incest. The bill was passed by 25 white, male Republican senators. 

President of Planned Parenthood, Dr. Leana Wen, called the bill the "most extreme and dangerous policy since Roe vs. Wade." Female Governor Kay Ivey was among the legislators who signed the bill tweeting, "This legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians' deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God."

Read more: Here's the latest point in pregnancy you can get an abortion in all 50 states

Alabama joins Georgia, Ohio, Missouri, Louisiana, and Mississippi as some of the states with the most restrictive abortion bans. You can read a full list of states that have passed new abortion bans or restrictions in 2019 here. 

"If you can imagine men being pregnant and women telling them what to do, it's laughable," said Dowd on how the situation may be different if childbearing roles were reversed. Dowd then turned the conversation to speak directly towards men who consider themselves pro-life. 

"The other thing is, you middle class, upper class white men, the ones who will suffer as always are the poor, the disenfranchised, and the marginalized who cannot travel to another state. How dare you call yourselves pro-life?" said Dowd. "If you were pro-life, you would get out of there and you would go to the foster care agencies and you would say, show me that children who are not loved, who have no home, who have no choice and you have no future."

According to research organization Guttmacher Institute, 75% of abortion patients are poor (49% of that) or low income (26%) in the US. Before Roe Vs. Wade in 1973, many women who were not affluent terminated pregnancies through less safe routes.

"When you have solved their problems and put your money where your mouth is, then go to the border and insist that those children are reunited with their families, and never allow a child to be put in a cage, that's pro-life," Dowd said speaking to the men who support anti-abortion legislation and controversial immigration policies. 

"What you are is pro-birth. How dare you, and shame on you. And where are the teachings of Jesus that you would hear to love one another? Feed and clothe the poor. Do not judge," she said. "Why are they put aside when it's not convenient to your way of thinking? Shame on you, and just for the record, we're all pro-life. All of us are pro-life. There are circumstances and nobody, nobody wants abortion. It's not, 'Hey, this is something to do.' It's not something to be taken lightly. But there are circumstances that require that decision and no one has the right to take that." 

In a response to the Alabama bill, thousands of protestors in the state, some wearing the show's iconic red handmaid's gown, gathered across Montgomery, Birmingham, Huntsville, and Mobile in May.

Not long after "The Handmaid's Tale" debuted on Hulu in 2017, women began to embrace the show's gown as protest attire. Women notably wore the outfits to protest funding cuts to Planned Parenthood in June 2017 and again at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings in Washington, DC, in 2018. And it's not just here. In August 2018, women wearing red handmaid's cloaks and bonnets marched in silence for abortion rights in Argentina.

When asked her reaction to seeing women who are utilizing the show to protest, Dowd said, "I'm so proud of them. It gives me goosebumps."

"It makes me want to kneel down in gratitude to them for having the guts to get out there. It makes me feel utterly privileged and grateful that I'm part of a show that could go from the television to the street. I could weep at the thought of it, the power in that. Come on now, beautiful," she said. 

The first three episodes of "The Handmaid's Tale" season three premiere on Hulu Wednesday. Afterward, one new episode will roll out weekly on the streaming platform through Wednesday, August 14. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Nxivm founder Keith Raniere began his trial. Here's what happened inside the alleged sex-slave ring that recruited actresses and two billionaire heiresses.

• Nick Jonas said that the public's fascination with his purity ring when he was still a teenager was "strange." 
• He said that having a purity ring actually positively shaped his view of sex. 
• His brother Joe also said that the public scrutiny over their rings was a weird experience and it made them stop wearing them. 
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

Back when the Jonas Brothers first hit the music scene, they were well-known for two things. The first was that they were a sibling trio band with a rabid fan following and Disney Channel cred. The second: They had purity rings. 

The fact that Kevin, Joe, and Nick wore purity rings — also called promise rings or abstinence rings, and worn usually as symbols of chastity — seemed to always be a topic of conversation, something that both fans and the media fixated on. The rings quickly became part of their identity.

In an interview with The Guardian, Nick revealed that the purity rings ended up shaping his view of sex for better

The brothers had previously explained that getting purity rings was a part of their life growing up. Their father was a pastor and, according to a group interview with James Corden in "Carpool Karaoke," it was something everyone they knew growing up was doing.

In the recent interview with The Guardian, Nick Jonas, now 26, said that the purity rings made it clear that sex is important and helped him understand it better.

"The values behind the idea of understanding what sex is, and what it means, are incredibly important," he said. "When I have children, I'll make sure they understand the importance of sex, and consent, and all the things that are important."

Nick also said that he now feels weird about the fact that his sex life was being discussed in so much public detail back when he was an underage teen

"What's discouraging about that chapter of our life is that at 13 or 14 my sex life was being discussed," Nick said in the same interview.

He went on to explain that, when wearing the purity ring, he had been in a time of personal transition, and the public scrutiny didn't help.

"It was very tough to digest it in real time, trying to understand what it was going to mean to me, and what I wanted my choices to be, while having the media speaking about a 13-year-old's sex life. I don't know if it would fly in this day and age. Very strange," he told The Guardian. 

It's not the first time Nick or his brothers have said that the attention to his sex life makes him uncomfortable

In a 2015 interview with Elle, Nick talked about the time in his life when he wore the purity ring, calling it "uncomfortable."

"There was so much attention on my sex life at 15. It was uncomfortable," he said. "If you were talking about a 15-year-old's sex life or a 17-year-old's in any other context it would be totally obscene."

In their new documentary "Chasing Happiness,"Joe, now 29, also brought up the purity rings, saying, "That was not who we were. It was just something that we did when we were young kids, but we wore the rings through the first bit of the band starting to explode, at that point, it was already too late because it was in the media."

In fact, the media attention may have been part of the reason the brothers stopped wearing their purity rings.

Joe went on to say that critics "were saying Disney created a band who were these cookie-cutter boy band brothers and everything was perfect and they used Christianity and purity rings as a way to sell music to kids. I mean, they weren't far off, that's for sure."

Because the criticism, he said, they all stopped wearing the rings.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Nxivm founder Keith Raniere began his trial. Here's what happened inside the alleged sex-slave ring that recruited actresses and two billionaire heiresses.

• On April 26, 1986, reactor number four at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located in the then-Soviet Union, experienced a power surge, resulting in an explosion that sent a cloud of radioactive materials across parts of Europe. It was the world's worst nuclear accident.
• Around 350,000 people were evacuated following the explosion.
• Today, the areas surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant are almost completely void of humans, save for a number of locals that reside in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
• But the contaminated area is now populated by a diverse wildlife community.
• Scientists and researchers are still investigating how exactly the animals are affected by radioactive exposure, but many studies so far point to the most likely explanation for why the animals are thriving: the lack of humans.
• "Nature flourishes when humans are removed from the equation, even after the world's worst nuclear accident," Jim Smith, an environmental scientist who has studied life near Chernobyl, told National Geographic.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

SEE ALSO: A photographer visited the abandoned towns around Chernobyl more than 20 times over the past 25 years, and the captivating photos show just how suddenly time stopped in its tracks after the disaster

DON'T MISS: Photos show what daily life is really like inside Chernobyl's exclusion zone, one of the most polluted areas in the world

The nuclear explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 sent plumes of radioactive contaminants across parts of Europe.

Source: Business Insider

As a result, about 350,000 people in the exclusion area were forced to leave their homes, most of them forever.

Source: Business Insider

The areas surrounding the plant are now considered to be some of the most polluted areas on the planet. A 1,000-square-mile Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is now the officially designated exclusion zone in Ukraine ...

Source: visitchernobyl.com , BBC, USA Today

... which adjoins the exclusion zone in neighboring Belarus, known as the Palieski State Radioecological Reserve. Though the explosion took place in Ukraine, much of the radiation from the Chernobyl disaster was blown north to Belarus.

Source: The Guardian

The Chernobyl exclusion zone is still considered an unsafe region for humans due to the high levels of radiation. It's technically considered illegal to live there, though there are some who do.

Read more: Photos show what daily life is really like inside Chernobyl's exclusion zone, one of the most polluted areas in the world

Other than the small population of local residents that have returned, the empty area has been mostly abandoned ever since ...

Read more: A photographer visited the abandoned towns around Chernobyl more than 20 times over the past 25 years, and the captivating photos show just how suddenly time stopped in its tracks after the disaster

... with the exception of the descendants of abandoned animals and a somewhat newly developed wildlife population.

Source: Business Insider

When people were evacuated from Chernobyl in 1986, many left their pets behind thinking that they would soon return. After they were unable to return, Soviet Army soldiers were sent to kill the pets that had been left behind.

Source: SPCA International, Clean Futures Fund

But some of the pets survived, and now hundreds of their descendants live in the exclusion zone.

Source: SPCA International, Clean Futures Fund

The Clean Futures Fund (CFF), which has been visiting Chernobyl to spay, neuter, and vaccinate stray dogs, estimates that there are more than 600 stray dogs throughout the exclusion zone. SPCA International (SPCAI) estimates that it has provided care fore more than 800 dogs and cats living there.

Source: SPCA International, Clean Futures Fund

While there are many of these stray animals in the exclusion zone, SPCAI and CFF report that most of them struggle to survive there. They rely on the care and scraps of power plant workers and occasional visitors, and few live to be more than six years old.

Source: SPCA International, Clean Futures Fund

The organizations are working together to continue caring for these animals, and in 2018, they adopted out 15 puppies that didn't pose a radiation risk to humans.

Source: SPCA International, Clean Futures Fund

Stray pets aren't the only animals proliferating in the exclusion zone. Scientists say it's possible that the number of wild animals in the area is now higher than it was 33 years ago.

Source: Business Insider

Today, you can find elk, deer, wolves, bison, foxes, and dozens of other species roaming the area.

Source: Business Insider

The European brown bear — an animal that hadn't been seen in the region in over a century — has also been documented living in the zone.

Source: Telegraph

And you can even find the endangered Przewalski's horse, a rare wild horse species, roaming the area.

Source: BBC

Scientists purposefully released them in the area in the 1990s as part of a conservation program. They travel in herds and seem to have adapted well to the environment, according to the University of Salford's Mike Wood.

Source: BBC

But there is debate about exactly why the contaminated zone has proven to be a beneficial environment for animals.

Source: Business Insider, National Geographic

And there's also debate about exactly how much the wildlife population is "thriving" inside the zone compared to populations outside of it.

Source: Business Insider, National Geographic

Scientists are trying to understand just how much wildlife inside the exclusion zone is benefiting from the lack of human interference and how much it is suffering from the contamination in the zone.

Source: Reuters

The lingering radiation is unhealthy for wildlife, but some scientists say the effects of human activity — like hunting, farming, and forestry — are worse on the animals.

Source: Live Science, National Geographic

Some researchers think that wildlife has come to the area because it has been almost completely untouched by humans, which has allowed certain species to thrive.

Source: Live Science

Because hunting isn't a common practice within the zone, large mammals are more likely to live and thrive in this area than smaller mammals, according to some scientists.

Source: Live Science, National Geographic

Bison, in particular, are thought to benefit from the reduced human population.

Source: National Geographic, Business Insider

But there are still ongoing studies to find out if radiation has a negative effect on animals to the point where it would harm or kill them.

Source: National Geographic

Populations of animals live across different areas within the zones, where levels of contamination vary.

Source: BBC

So scientists are also studying how radiation exposure levels change in animals as they travel throughout the different areas within the zone.

Source: Telegraph and BBC

Studies have shown that smaller animals, like birds and rodents, have exhibited poor health effects, like tumors and cataracts, which are common side effects of radiation exposure.

Source: National Geographic

Smaller animals exposed to radiation have also exhibited abnormal growth developments.

Source: National Geographic

Studies have shown that some insects living in highly radioactive areas also have shorter lifespans and are more susceptible to parasites.

Source: Business Insider

And higher levels of albinism and genetic alterations have been found in birds living in areas with higher contamination levels.

Source: Business Insider

But there is still a vast bird population, with some 200 bird species living in the exclusion zone.

Source: Business Insider

So even though studies have shown that radiation negatively affects some individual creatures, some scientists say that the overall population densities are unaffected.

Source: Business Insider

According to German Orizaola, a zoology researcher who has studied the effects of radiation on tree frogs in Chernobyl, this could mean that animals have a higher resistance to radiation than we previously believed.

Source: Business Insider

It's possible that some animals are adapting to the radiation they are exposed to.

Source: Business Insider

Researchers are studying the kinds of mutations that radiation exposure is causing in certain species.

Source: National Geographic

For example, one group of researchers working with Orizaola found that frogs within the exclusion zone are darker in color than frogs inhabiting areas outside of it.

Source: Business Insider

Studies in certain animals, like barn swallows and voles, suggest that the mutations may even be passed down to the next generation.

Source: National Geographic and International Journal of Science

Mutations among the large wolf populations within the zone are also being explored.

Source: National Geographic

Wolves are one of the most prominent species residing within the exclusion zone.

Source: National Geographic

Scientists have found that the population of wolves is seven times greater in the Belarussian part of the Chernobyl zone than in comparable, uncontaminated reserves.

Source: Reuters, National Geographic

Jim Beasley, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Georgia in the US, told National Geographic in 2016 that the wolves in the Chernobyl exclusion zone may outnumber the wolf population at Yellowstone National Park.

Source: National Geographic

Scientists tracked one of these wolves from the Chernobyl exclusion zone all the way to Russia, which Beasley told National Geographic in 2018 isn't surprising, since many young male wolves will make long treks in search of mates.

Source: Independent and National Geographic

But the findings of the wolf's journey posed the question of whether or not potential mutations in its species could actually be spread to other wolf populations outside of Chernobyl.

Source: National Geographic

But seeing as how the wolf was physically capable to make that 250-mile journey, and that mutational effects are usually harmful, Anders Moller, a scientist at the University of Paris-Sud, told National Geographic that that's unlikely.

Source: National Geographic

Though Tim Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina, told National Geographic in 2018 that the spread of mutations from Chernobyl wolves is "certainly plausible" since smaller animals have been found to have that potential.

Source: National Geographic

This is an updated version of an article originally written by Courtney Verrill.

• Portable air compressors are convenient for inflating or topping off car tires, no matter where you happen to be.
• You can also use many of these compressors to inflate air mattresses, sports equipment, and more.
• Our top pick, the EPAuto 12V DC Portable Air Compressor Pump, is a versatile portable air compressor equipped with valuable features like automatic shutoff and overheat protection.

Car tires have a way of leaking at the most inconvenient times, usually when you're nowhere near a gas station. I first purchased a portable air compressor for my car when I moved to a rural town, where the nearest gas station was a half-hour away. I've since relied on the compressor to top off the tires on my car, lawnmower, and trailer, as well as to inflate an air mattress. The compressor lives in my vehicle so it's always there in case I need it.  

Whether you work on vehicles at home or need to maintain air pressure in your own car or lawn equipment, these portable air compressors are affordable and offer unbeatable convenience. Most of them are powered via a vehicle's power outlet (12V cigarette lighter socket). Outside of the car, with adapters, you can use them to inflate many different objects, from air mattresses and sports balls to pool floats and more. Many of these air compressors can also be stored in a car trunk, ensuring you're able to fill up a leaking tire no matter how far you are from a gas station.

Our top picks in this list have been evaluated according to the compressor's quality, performance, versatility, and value. This list includes a budget compressor to have on a just-in-case basis and a heavier-duty option for more demanding jobs. Our top pick strikes a great balance with an affordable price, overall durability, and some valuable features that contribute to its overall performance.

Please be sure to read the directions that come with any product you purchase. Some of these compressors require your vehicle to be running in order to power the compressor (and to prevent your battery from dying). You should also verify if a compressor offers overheat protection; if not, time your usage so you don't overheat the motor.

Here are the best portable air compressors for cars you can buy:

• Best portable air compressor overall: EPAuto 12V DC Portable Air Compressor Pump
• Best compact portable air compressor: P.I. Auto Store Premium Air Compressor
• Best budget air compressor: DBPower 12V DC Portable Electric Auto Air Compressor Pump
• Best cordless air compressor: Ryobi P737 Portable Cordless Power Inflator
• Best heavy-duty air compressor: Slime Heavy Duty 2X Pro Power Tire Inflator

Keep scrolling to read more about our top picks.

The best overall

Easy to use and equipped with an automatic shutoff valve, the EPAuto 12V DC Portable Air Compressor Pump can inflate car tires, pool accessories, and more.

The EPAuto 12V DC Portable Air Compressor Pump is a versatile, all-around pump that's equipped with some valuable features. One that this unit has (that many other compressors lack) is an automatic shutoff valve, which helps prevent accidental overinflation that could damage an item if you walk away or get distracted during the process.

It also has an overheat protector, which will shut the unit off if its temperature exceeds 167 degrees Fahrenheit, preventing the unit from burning out. I once had a compressor burn out after five minutes of use, so I can personally attest that an overheat protector is an essential feature.

This compressor connects to a 12V cigarette lighter socket and is powered by the vehicle. It can inflate items to a maximum working pressure of 70 psi (pounds per square inch, the unit of measurement for pressure), but does not support light truck tires or heavy-duty truck tires.

The universal valve connector allows for a quick and easy connection to the tires' valve stem, but this unit also comes with a needle and two cone adapters for inflating inflatable pool accessories, basketballs, and more.

The digital display makes it easy to monitor the pressure, and you can choose a readout in psi, kpa (kilopascal), Bar, or kg/cm (kilogram centimeters) units. Additionally, this compressor is equipped with an LED flashlight, ideal for when you're working in the dark.

The EPAuto 12V DC Portable Air Compressor Pump has a 4.4 out of 5-star Amazon rating, based on more than 5,000 reviews. One Amazon customer writes, "This does everything you would ask of a portable inflator: it's fast, it's efficient, and it's quiet. My old inflator sounded as if I was tearing up my driveway when I used it and it probably took twice as long to work."Another customer writes, "It's heavier than average and [has a] quality [feel], quieter than most pumps — almost too quiet, as I can't tell it's done, love the auto pressure button! I can work on other parts of the car while the tires are inflating. It will stop on your pre-selected PSI."

Pros: Auto shutoff and overheat protection, inflates to 70 psi, includes needle and cone adapters, LED flashlight, digital readout converts to multiple units

Cons: Does not work on truck tires, no AC plug

Buy the EPAuto 12V DC Portable Air Compressor Pump on Amazon for $34.87

The best budget air compressor

At $20, the DBPower 12V DC Portable Electric Auto Air Compressor Pump is an affordable yet versatile option.

While the DBPower 12V DC Portable Electric Auto Air Compressor Pump doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of the other compressors on this list, it comes in at under $20 and is versatile. With a maximum pressure of up to 50 psi, this compressor can inflate standard midsized car tires. It also includes three adapters for inflating sports balls, bikes, etc.

A pressure dial on the unit lets you monitor the tire pressure, and because this unit doesn't have an automatic shutoff, you'll need to be attentive and turn the pump off manually when you reach the desired pressure. This unit can only be used for 10 minutes at a time or the motor can overheat, so it's ideal for small jobs. This compressor is backed by a one-year warranty.

The DBPower 12V DC Portable Electric Auto Air Compressor Pump has a 4.2 out of 5-star Amazon rating, based on more than 600 reviews. One customer writes, "It can be kind of slow, and sometimes the gauge seems like it's not moving at all, but with five minutes and some patience, you're good to go ... The power cord is really long; I just plug it into the power port in the console and roll down my front windows, and it reaches all four tires with no issue."

Pros: Affordable price, includes three adapters, suitable for midsize tires, easy to use

Cons: No automatic pressure shutoff, no overheat protection, can only be used for 10 minutes at a time, no digital display

Buy the DBPower 12V DC Portable Electric Auto Air Compressor Pump on Amazon for $19.99

The best compact air compressor

With its compact design, the P.I. Auto Store Premium Air Compressor won't take up much space, yet you will always have it on hand.

About a year ago my car tire's valve stem started to leak. Until I could get it replaced, I had to carefully monitor my tire pressure. I purchased the P.I. Auto Store Premium Air Compressor to store under my seat so that I could refill my tires whether I was on the road or at home. I also found that while this unit may be small, it's plenty powerful and convenient to have around.

This air compressor weighs just 2 pounds, and at 7 x 3 x 6.5 inches, it fits under a seat or in the trunk. The cables and hose can be stored inside the unit (although, it's difficult to reinsert them). This compressor also comes with a storage bag, spare-tire valve stem caps, and a valve adapter for bicycle tires.

Best of all, the air compressor is easy to use. It plugs into a 12-volt cigarette lighter, and its quick connection design means you don't have to twist the hose onto your tire valve, saving both time and air. The LED screen is large and easy to read, even in sunlight, and the unit automatically stops inflating once it reaches the pressure that you've set, so there's no risk of overinflation.

One of my favorite features is that once you've connected the compressor, it automatically determines the current air pressure in the tire. I also appreciate the LED light and the flashing red light option, which is ideal for safety and visibility in case of a breakdown.

The P.I. Auto Store Premium Air Compressor has a 4.1 out of 5-star Amazon rating, based on nearly 2,600 reviews. One customer writes, "It worked very fast to inflate my tire. I like its compact size and how it stores the cords right inside itself and the case is an added plus. I have it stored in my trunk and feel much safer on the road knowing I don't have to worry about it needing batteries or charging. The display is easy to read and it does shut off once the psi setting is reached."

Pros: Compact design comes with storage case, LED light and flashing red light options, automatically reads tire pressure, quick connect design helps to save time and prevents air from escaping

Cons: No overheat protection, not suitable for truck tires

Buy the P.I. Auto Store Premium Air Compressor on Amazon for $44.97

The best cordless air compressor

The Ryobi P737 Portable Cordless Power Inflator's cordless and ergonomic design make it convenient and easy to use.

While air compressors that are powered by your vehicle are handy to have, you're restricted by the length of the unit's power cord. The Ryobi P737 Portable Cordless Power Inflator eliminates that restriction, making it easy to reach trailer tires, air mattresses inside your house, and any other item that may need inflating. This battery-powered inflator is compatible with the Ryobi ONE+ battery system, so if you have other ONE+ battery-powered products, the batteries are interchangeable. Annoyingly, the battery is not included.

This inflator is versatile, and with two nozzles and a sports equipment needle, you can use it for plenty of tasks around the house or in the garage. The inflator's base features a compartment to hold all of the nozzles so you don't lose them. Additionally, a pressure gauge is included right on the unit for accuracy, and the inflator can power up to 150 psi. Weighing just 2.5 pounds, you can store the inflator in your car (you might also want to get the optional car charger accessory) or easily carry it around with you while you're doing tune-ups. This inflator is backed by a three-year manufacturer's warranty.

The Ryobi P737 Portable Cordless Power Inflator has a 4.4 out of 5-star rating at The Home Depot, based on more than 2,700 reviews. One customer writes,"Topping up the tire pressure on the snowblower or a lawnmower is much easier when I take the Ryobi out to the tool rather than schlep the tool into the garage where the big compressor sits."Another customer says,"The inflator works just as advertised. It pumped up a normal car tire from flat to 30 pounds in just under the five minutes the duty cycle calls for."

Pros: Cordless design, compatible with Ryobi's ONE+ batteries, includes storage within the base for adapters, onboard pressure gauge, three-year manufacturer's warranty

Cons: Does not include battery, must hold trigger down to operate

Buy the Ryobi P737 Portable Cordless Power Inflator from The Home Depot for $24.97

The best heavy-duty air compressor

The Slime Heavy Duty 2X Pro Power Tire Inflator offers fast, powerful air compression suitable for larger jobs and more frequent use.

While the other air compressors on our list are ideal for light or occasional use, you'll want something more powerful if you'll be relying on your air compressor regularly or for larger jobs. The Slime Heavy Duty 2X Pro Power Tire Inflator is up to the task: This inflator features dual cylinders for powerful and fast inflation, allowing this compressor to inflate a car tire in only two minutes. (Most other pumps take at least five minutes to complete that task.)

Additional features highlight the durable, quality design of this inflator. Its power cord gives the unit a 30-foot reach for overall ease of use, and the dial gauge lets you monitor a tire's pressure. This unit also has a thermal break to prevent the motor from overheating. While it's plenty powerful, the motor is also quiet. Rather than connecting to your vehicle's cigarette lighter, this compressor connects directly to your vehicle's battery.

The Slime Heavy Duty 2X Pro Power Tire Inflator has a 4.1 out of 5-star rating from Walmart, based on 48 reviews. One customer writes,"It is easy to operate and with the long reach, I plan on using it on my RV."Another customer writes, "I have 16-inch heavy-duty truck and trailer tires with a max air pressure of 80 psi and this inflator does the job very well."

Pros: 30-foot cord for increased reach, dual cylinder motor for plenty of power, in-line dial gauge allows you to monitor pressure, thermal break to prevent overheating

Cons: Connects to vehicle battery rather than into a cigarette lighter

Buy the Slime Heavy Duty 2X Pro Power Tire Inflator on Walmart for $66.74

• Facebook has had a tumultuous few years. 
• There have been bright spots, like the growth of Instagram, and big new initiatives, like its pivot to privacy. There have also been plenty of challenges, with calls to break the company up, and investors at one stage wondering if COO Sheryl Sandberg might leave the company. 
• Business Insider has covered all of the drama, and has pulled together all of our recent reporting on what's going on inside of Facebook below. You can read it all by subscribing to BI Prime.

Here's what we know about what's going on inside of Facebook right now, from its so-called "pivot to privacy," to the secretive projects it's working on:

Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg

Pivot to privacy

• Facebook's bet on privacy may threaten advertisers' sophisticated targeting, and it could 'dramatically change' its relationship with brands
• Marketers want more details about how Facebook's move to encryption will impact ads

Facebook's relationship with advertisers

• Facebook is ramping up its move to manage ad spend from millions of small and mid-size businesses with a new tool
• Facebook has a new plan to push brands on groups, but breaking up with the news feed is tough for marketers
• Facebook is expanding its ad transparency efforts, but some advertisers worry it could hurt their ability to be competitive
• Facebook is giving advertisers more data on how it grades ads — but buyers say it's a step behind Google

Facebook Audience Network

• Advertisers want more say over where their ads run on Facebook's billion-dollar ad network. Here's why the company says it won't give them complete control.

Facebook Watch

• Facebook is making its biggest bet to date to take on YouTube for video dollars. Ad agencies aren't convinced.

Facebook Messenger

• The head of Messenger answers some big questions about how Facebook's ambitious plans to connect its messaging apps will work
• Facebook is doubling down on Messenger, and it means advertisers will have to spend more time and energy to reach potential customers

Facebook Portal

• Facebook is pouring millions into TV and outspending Amazon and Google in the race to dominate voice-activated devices — but it may not be able to hold its ad-spending lead much longer

Instagram

Facebook's political efforts

• Facebook is building out its team of antitrust experts as one of its cofounders calls for it to be broken up

New projects

• Facebook poaches 2 veteran compliance experts from Coinbase as rumors swirl about its blockchain project
• Facebook is restructuring its augmented-reality glasses division as it inches closer to launch
• Facebook is thinking about using 'cartilage conduction' technology in augmented reality headsets, for audio without headphones
• Facebook is trying to hire someone to work on 'legged' robots and robotic hands
• Facebook secretly explored building bird-size drones to ferry data to people with bad internet connections
• Facebook's push to help raise money for charity could indirectly give it a $10 billion boost to its business

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NOW WATCH: WATCH: The legendary economist who predicted the housing crisis says the US will win the trade war

Tech-driven disruption in the insurance industry continues at pace, and we're now entering a new phase — the adaptation of underlying business models. 

That's leading to ongoing changes in the distribution segment of the industry, but more excitingly, we are starting to see movement in the fundamentals of insurance — policy creation, underwriting, and claims management. 

This report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, will briefly review major changes in the insurtech segment over the past year. It will then examine how startups and legacy players across the insurance value chain are using technology to develop new business models that cut costs or boost revenue, and, in some cases, both. Additionally, we will provide our take on the future of insurance as insurtech continues to proliferate. 

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Funding is flowing into startups and helping them scale, while legacy players have moved beyond initial experiments and are starting to implement new technology throughout their businesses. 
• Distribution, the area of the insurance value chain that was first to be disrupted, continues to evolve. 
• The fundamentals of insurance — policy creation, underwriting, and claims management — are starting to experience true disruption, while innovation in reinsurance has also continued at pace.
• Insurtechs are using new business models that are enabled by a variety of technologies. In particular, they're using automation, data analytics, connected devices, and machine learning to build holistic policies for consumers that can be switched on and off on-demand.
• Legacy insurers, as opposed to brokers, now have the most to lose — but those that move swiftly still have time to ensure they stay in the game.

 In full, the report:

• Reviews major changes in the insurtech segment over the past year.
• Examines how startups and legacy players across distribution, insurance, and reinsurance are using technology to develop new business models.
• Provides our view on what the future of the insurance industry looks like, which Business Insider Intelligence calls Insurtech 2.0.

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