President Joe Biden marked his 81st birthday by partaking in a cherished Thanksgiving tradition on November 20, 2023. The US leader used his executive powers to spare two lucky turkeys named "Liberty" and "Bell" from the Thanksgiving table. The gorgeous toms were named after the famous Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. They will spend the rest of their lives under the watchful eyes of students studying animal science at the University of Minnesota....

A massive pumpkin display at Sunnyfield Farms in the United Kingdom set a new world record for the largest Cucurbita mosaic on October 22, 2023. Cucurbita includes squashes, pumpkins, zucchinis, and some gourds. The 2,081-square-foot (193 square meters) artwork was created to mark the 30th anniversary of Tim Burton's animated movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas....

In late August 2023, over 300 amateur detectives from around the world gathered in the United Kingdom's Scottish Highlands to look for the Loch Ness Monster. The two-day search in the Loch Ness lake, where the creature is said to dwell, was the most extensive one conducted in over 50 years. The investigators used various technologies, including surveying equipment and drones with infrared cameras....

With heavy hearts, officials at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC, have bid farewell to its three resident giant pandas. Mei Xiang, 25, Tian Tian, 26, and their 3-year-old son, Xiao Qi Ji, left for China aboard a retrofitted Boeing 777 aircraft on November 8, 2023. Upon reaching Chengdu on November 9, 2023, the trio was whisked away to the Wolong Panda Center. After a 30-day quarantine, the mammals will be allowed to mingle with the 150 wild giant pandas at the nature reserve....

On November 23, 2023, most Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving. The secular holiday is observed annually on the fourth Thursday of November. The celebrations usually center around a delicious feast with family and friends. Other fun traditions include participating in "Turkey Trot" runs and parades. But not all countries mark the holiday on the same day or follow the same customs. Here are four variations of Thanksgiving-like festivities from around the world....

Historians have long suspected that Queen Meret-Neith was the most powerful woman in Egypt around 3,000 BC. Now, archeologists have found evidence that indicates she may have been ancient Egypt's first female ruler. Before this, that honor belonged to Queen Hatshepsut (1507 BC - 1458 BC)....

Australian researchers recently unveiled an exceptionally well-preserved fossil of an ancient spider. The arachnid roamed the continent between 16 million and 11 million years ago. Megamonodontium mccluskyi was unearthed at the McGraths Flat in New South Wales. Once covered with lush rainforests, the site has an abundance of insect and plant fossils that existed during the Miocene era. Many are new to science....

A team of underwater archaeologists led by Franck Goddio has found a submerged Egyptian temple and Greek sanctuary brimming with ancient treasures. Both structures were part of the ancient Egyptian city of Thonis-Heracleion. It was once Egypt's largest port along the Mediterranean Sea. However, a major earthquake and tidal waves caused the entire city to sink in the 8th century AD....

Veterans Day is a cherished and solemn occasion celebrated every November 11 in the United States. The federal holiday honors the brave men and women of the US armed forces. This includes everyone who has served in the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, National Guard, Air Force, and the Coast Guard....

With about 100,000 new cases diagnosed annually, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the US. It is also expensive to treat. The CDC estimates that over $8 billion is spent annually to fight the disease. Now, scientists may have some help from 14-year-old Heman Bekele. The ninth-grader from Annandale, Virginia, has created a cheap bar of soap that could potentially help fight skin cancer. His invention won him the title of "America's Top Young Scientist" at the 3M Young Scientist Challenge on October 10, 2023....

On November 5, 2023, most North Americans will bid farewell to Daylight Saving Time (DST) by moving the clocks back an hour. The simple action will help shift sunlight back into the morning during the shorter winter days. It will also add an extra 60 minutes to the weekend!...

For most Americans, the fall holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving go hand in hand with pumpkins. Some transform the fruit into spooky jack-o'-lanterns, while others use them as decor. Unfortunately, the fascination with the colorful gourds fades soon after the holidays end. Experts estimate that between 164 million to 344 million pumpkins get tossed out and left to rot in landfills every November....

Plastic pollution gets a lot of attention. However, the ever-increasing pile of discarded electronics is not as well-publicized. In 2014, over 49 million tons of toxic "e-waste" ended up in landfills. This includes computers, smartphones, and televisions. If left unchecked, the number is expected to increase to 82 million tons by 2030. Envision Racing hopes to raise awareness about the urgent need to recycle and repurpose our gadgets with a racing car made entirely from e-waste....

The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a vibrant and colorful celebration of life and death and an important part of Mexican culture. The annual holiday, held from November 1st to November 2nd, offers a unique opportunity to remember and honor loved ones who have passed away....

Need inspiration for your Halloween pumpkin? You might want to check out American sculptor and artist Ray Villafane's masterpieces. The two-time winner of the Food Network show Outrageous Pumpkins does not just "carve" the fruits. He transforms them into 3-D sculptures — ghoulish ones, of course!...

Any doubt that Simone Biles is the greatest gymnast in history was erased at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. The 26-year-old phenom took home five medals — including four gold — at the competition, which took place from September 30 to October 8, 2023. Biles won the gold medal in the all-around, balance beam, floor exercise, and team competition events. She took home a silver in the vault....

Glue manufacturers must find a balance between two things when making the sticky substance — how strong it holds and how easily it can be pulled apart. That's because boosting one attribute usually weakens the other. As a result, the end product is either not sticky enough or extremely strong. The latter makes it hard to undo to adjust for mistakes or when the product is no longer useful. Now, scientists in Japan have created an intriguing, reusable glue that can instantly be stuck on and off....

Paris is usually associated with stunning landmarks, world-class museums, and fancy restaurants. However, lately, France's capital and most populous city has been in the news for an unlikely reason — bed bugs!...

For most Americans, fall is synonymous with pumpkins. Some are used to make delicious soups and bread, while others get carved into spooky jack-o'-lanterns. Then there are the select few whose only purpose is to win pumpkin weigh-off contests. There are numerous such competitions held nationwide. However, the most impressive mega gourds typically end up at the "Super Bowl" of pumpkin weigh-offs held annually in Half Moon Bay, CA....

Frank Rubio has inadvertently set a new record for the longest time in space by an American. The NASA astronaut who returned to Earth on September 23, 2023, was supposed to have been at the International Space Station (ISS) for 180 days. Instead, he was stuck there for 371 days. Rubio's time in space surpasses Mark Vande Hei's US spaceflight record of 355 days set in 2022. Russia holds the world record of 437 days, set in the mid-1990s....

On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack against Israel. The large-scale assault occurred in the early morning hours, just as Israelis were wrapping up the seven-day-long Jewish festival of Sukkot....

American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and her fans may consider 13 a lucky number. However, millions of people worldwide do not share that sentiment. Things get even worse for the superstitious when the date, as will happen this week, coincides with a Friday. Some of the anxiety surrounding Friday the 13th can be blamed on the namesake movie series. However, the day was feared long before the film's hockey-masked villain, Jason Voorhees, made his debut in 1980....

American businessman Larry Connor is no stranger to breaking records. In 2022, he became the first person to travel to the deepest part of the ocean — the Mariana Trench — and to outer space — the International Space Station — within 12 months. The latter was also the first all-private mission to the space laboratory....

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully sent asteroid Bennu's samples to Earth on September 24, 2023. The capsule, carrying the rocks and dust, entered Earth's atmosphere around 10:42 AM EDT (7:42 AM PT). Soon after, it made a picture-perfect landing on the sandy floor of the Utah desert....