Tiny Dracula Ants Set Record For The Fastest-Known Animal MovementPesky as they may be, ants are truly incredible insects. The tiny creatures can survive floods by joining together to morph into living rafts, predict earthquakes, lift up to 20 times their body weight, and even select the best tool to complete a job efficiently. Now, it appears that the elusive Dracula ant (Mystrium camillae) can snap its jaws shut at a mind-boggling speed of 90 meters per second (more than 200 miles per hour) – the fastest-known animal movement on record....
Read news articleChina Welcomes The Year Of The Pig!On February 5, 2019, over a billion people in China and millions around the world will celebrate the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival. The ancient tradition, whose date is determined by the lunar calendar and falls somewhere between January 21 and February 20 each year, is the longest and most important of all Chinese festivals....
Read news articlePolar Vortex Brings Stunning "Sun Dogs" To the MidwestThe blast of Arctic air, which has caused a once-in-a-generation deep freeze across the US Midwest, has paralyzed the region’s cities and towns. Hundreds of schools are closed, thousands of flights and trains have been grounded, and most businesses were forced to shut. Authorities are cautioning residents to stay indoors during this unprecedented chilly weather pattern, which is cold enough to freeze boiling water in midair and can result in frostbite in as little as 5 minutes. The polar vortex’s only silver lining? The beautiful sun dogs being observed at many of the affected areas....
Read news articleArctic Blast Brings Freezing Temperatures To Two-Thirds Of The USThis year’s winter has been particularly harsh on the residents of the central and eastern United States, who have had to endure an abnormally cold weather pattern since the second week of January. Unfortunately, things are going to get even worse starting Tuesday, January 29, 2019. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the extreme Arctic cold sweeping across the Midwest and Great Lakes will result in dangerously cold wind chills and cause temperatures in some cities to drop to their lowest levels in over two decades....
Read news articleSuper Bowl Sunday Food Consumption Is Second Only To ThanksgivingOn Sunday, February 3, 2019, over 180 million Americans will tune in to watch Super Bowl LIII. While the National Football League Championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots certainly promises to be interesting, for most people, the day provides an excuse to host parties, mingle with friends and family, and indulge in foods they would usually avoid, or at least not consume with such abandon. It is, therefore, not surprising that Super Bowl Sunday ranks as one of the country’s biggest food consumption days — second only to Thanksgiving....
Read news articleYAY! US Officials Have Reached A Deal To Reopen The Government For Three Weeks!The longest federal shutdown in US history has finally ended! At around midday on January 25, 2019, President Donald Trump and US Congressional leaders agreed to reopen the government, which has been partially shut since December 21, 2018, for three weeks until February 15, 2019. Lawmakers from both parties believe this will give them enough time to reach a compromise on President Trump’s $5.7 billion request to build a US – Mexico border wall, which has caused the lengthy shutdown....
Read news articleThe Planet's Largest Seasonal Human Migration Is Underway In ChinaMost of us have, at some point, experienced travel congestion, especially during major holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. However, nothing compares to the crowds triggered by the Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, when millions of people make their way home – usually from cities to rural areas – to celebrate the all-important holiday with friends and family. The spring travel rush, or Chunyun, begins 15 days before the festival – which falls on February 5 this year – and ends 25 days after. The 40-day period collectively results in the world’s largest seasonal human migration. This year will be no exception....
Read news articleJapanese Robot-Staffed Hotel Chain "Fires" Employees For IncompetenceThose concerned that robots are taking over the world can rest easy – for now. Though the androids have proved useful at performing mundane tasks, they are not ready for prime time. At least that appears to be the case at Japan’s cutting-edge Henn-na Hotel chain, where over half of the robot staff is being replaced by humans....
Read news articleSuffering From Intense Winter Blues? Blame It On The Brain CircuitMany of us experience mood shifts during the colder, shorter, and gloomier winter days. However, for those diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), winter blues take on a whole new meaning. While mental health professionals have attributed the symptoms of SAD, which include depression and a feeling of hopelessness, to the lack of sunlight, no one was sure how the brain made the connection. Now, some researchers have found the culprit – a brain circuit which connects special light-sensing cells in the retina with the areas of the brain that impact our moods....
Read news articleSorry, The Rotating Ice Disk In Maine Is Not The Work Of AliensA giant spinning wheel of ice on the surface of the Presumpscot River has enthralled crowds in Westbrook, Maine since Monday, January 14, 2019. Many locals have likened it to crop circles –strange patterns that appear mysteriously overnight in farmers' fields, which have long been theorized to be markers of extraterrestrial communication – and speculated that the icy ring is a landing site for an alien ship. Unfortunately for UFO enthusiasts, experts say that the rare winter phenomenon is a natural occurrence....
Read news articleNASA's NeMO-Net Will Give Scientists A Valid Excuse To Play Video GamesCoral reefs are some of the most diverse and vital ecosystems on Earth. The colorful underwater colonies of coral polyps, held together by calcium carbonate, provide homes for many marine plants and animals and help keep the ocean's nitrogen levels balanced. But while scientists are aware of where the world’s reef systems are located, there is no complete record of all the different types of coral that live there. Now, NASA researchers are hoping to entice nature lovers, both experts and amateurs, to help them create a comprehensive database of these all-important ecosystems by playing a fun, interactive video game!...
Read news articleNewsflash: The Mona Lisa Is Not Looking At YouThe eyes of Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic Mona Lisa have long been thought to follow viewers around the gallery of the Louvre Museum in Paris where it is exhibited, as well as those looking at photographs and reproductions of the famous painting. Now, researchers from Germany's Bielefeld University assert that while “The Mona Lisa Effect,” – the impression that the eyes of the subject in a portrait are following the viewer – is real, it is not true for its namesake painting....
Read news articleCan Mere Mortals Gain Aquaman's Superpowers?In DC Film's recent action-packed blockbuster Aquaman, the superhero flaunts many spectacular powers. While the half-human, half-Atlantean’s ability to heal others and withstand intense heat may be hard for scientists to emulate, here are three Aquaman superpowers that may be available to all of us in the very near future....
Read news articleDon't Miss The Spectacular "Super Blood Moon" Eclipse On January 20Overnight from Sunday, Jan. 20 into Monday, Jan. 21, stargazers will be treated to what promises to be a spectacular total lunar eclipse. Also being referred to as the “Super Blood Moon” – “super” because the Moon will be at perigee and appear larger than normal, and “blood" because of its reddish-orange color during totality – the eclipse will be seen in its entirety in North and South America, Europe, and western Africa....
Read news articleRemembering The Life And Legacy Of American Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King Jr.Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), whose life and legacy is celebrated annually on the third Monday of January, was an extraordinary man. It is thanks to the vision, courage and leadership of the clergyman-turned-civil-rights-activist that all Americans are granted equal rights, regardless of race, color, religion, or national origin....
Read news articleFinnish Scientists Develop Edible Insect Vaccine To Save BeesIn addition to providing us with delicious honey, the hardworking honey bees also pollinate about a third of food crops and almost 90 percent of wild grasses, like alfalfa, used to feed livestock. Hence, it is not surprising that their declining population, caused by climate change, habitat loss, and deadly microbial diseases, has researchers scrambling to find ways to protect the vulnerable insects, which are so crucial to our existence. Now, scientists from the University of Helsinki in Finland have found a way to help honey bees fight off infectious diseases with a sweet, edible vaccine!...
Read news articleChinese Spacecraft Is The First To Land On The Moon's Far SideThe Moon’s near side, the one we all see, has been the target of numerous robotic and human missions. However, our lunar companion’s far side, which is not visible from Earth, has never been explored. That changed on Jan. 2, 2019, when Chinese spacecraft Chang'e 4 made a soft landing on what is often referred to as the “dark side,” because it remained largely unseen until humans were able to send spacecraft around the Moon in 1959....
Read news articleThe Partial Government Shutdown ExplainedIf you have been paying any attention to the news, you probably know that the US Government has been partially shut since midnight December 21, 2018. More specifically, work at nine departments, as well as some agencies making up roughly 25 percent of the federal government, has either ground to a halt or is being conducted at a slower pace because the budget to fund their day-to-day operations has not been approved by Congress. As a result, a fraction of the 800,000 employees, who are considered “non-essential,” have been furloughed, or forced to take a leave of absence. The remaining “essential” employees are expected to report for duty as usual, but will not get paid until a budget has been approved....
Read news articleNASA's New Horizons Rings In 2019 With The Most Distant Flyby In Space HistoryNASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, launched in 2006 with a primary mission to perform the first-ever flyby of Pluto, has provided researchers with invaluable information about the dwarf planet. Now, the space probe has made more history with its January 1, 2019 flyby of distant world 2014 MU69. The close rendezvous with the icy rock, located four billion miles from Earth in the Kuiper Belt, is not only humanity’s furthest encounter with a distant object, but also the most primitive one ever visited by a spacecraft....
Read news articleColin O'Brady And Louis Rudd Become The First Explorers To Cross Antarctica UnaidedA thrilling polar competition between two adventurers to cross Antarctica solo, unsupported, and unassisted had a happy ending with both explorers achieving the unprecedented feat back-to-back. American professional endurance athlete Colin O’Brady and British Army Captain Louis Rudd set off November 3, 2018, a mile apart, from the Atlantic coast with the aim to become the first person to ski across the remote, inhospitable continent alone....
Read news articleCities Worldwide Kick Off 2019 With Dazzling Fireworks ShowsHappy 2019! As is the tradition each year, at the stroke of midnight on December 31st, 2018, cities and towns worldwide ushered in the new year with elaborate fireworks displays. Here are a few that we thought were particularly noteworthy....
Read news articleSweden’s Spectacular ICEHOTEL Opens For The 29th SeasonWhile visiting the North Pole in winter may not be at the top of your bucket list, the ever-changing ICEHOTEL, which opened its doors to visitors on December 14 this year, may change your mind. Located 200 km north of the Arctic Circle in the Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi, the hotel, which is carved entirely from ice, is rebuilt annually, with each iteration getting increasingly beautiful and impressive....
Read news articleAre Tourists Exposing Antarctic Birds To Human Diseases?Thanks to its harsh environment, Antarctica remained largely untouched by humans for many millennia, allowing a thriving ecosystem to evolve. However, since the 1990s, the last true wilderness on the planet is becoming an increasingly popular destination for adventure-seeking tourists. Now, a new study asserts that the visitors may be leaving behind harmful bacteria which could devastate the area’s native bird population....
Read news articleSwedish Researchers Melt Gold At Room TemperatureIn its purest form, gold typically requires special furnaces that can withstand extreme temperatures of above 1,947 degrees Fahrenheit (1,064 degrees Celsius) to liquefy. Now, a team of researchers from the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden may have stumbled upon a way to melt the precious metal at room temperature....
Read news article