For much of Nevada’s history, the deadliest piece of machinery within its boundaries was the automobile. But now, rising numbers of people taking their own lives with guns has left the Silver State with a new, depressing distinction.

The civil rights movement in Las Vegas benefitted from major figures on the national stage — but we also produced some inspiring leaders of our own.

Las Vegas doesn’t get much credit for it, but it really is a literary sort of city. Think about all the times over the years that Las Vegas has served as fodder for authors, journalists, novelists and anybody else who felt moved to put pen to paper and tell us who we are and how we got here. In fact, there’s so much Las Vegas lit out there, the real problem is: Where does an inquisitive reader begin?

The “idiot” study from last month’s British Medical Journal used data from the tongue-in-cheek ;Darwin Awards, which recognizes nominees who, “improve the gene pool by eliminating themselves from the human race in an obviously stupid way.” So far, 87 percent of the award winners have been male.

Researchers Rachael Robnett, of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, and Campbell Leaper, at the University of California at Santa Cruz, asked high school kids about their attitudes toward STEM courses. An adolescent's attitude correlated to those of his or her classmates.