Introducing The Drinkable BookWhile access to clean water is something we all take for granted, such is not the case for some people in developing countries. According to non-profit organization, Water is Life, one in five children that live in the rural areas of most third world regions die from water borne diseases, before they turn five. In order to raise awareness of the dire situation, the organization has created numerous campaigns including a poignant video about a four-year-old living out his bucket list. However, their latest effort is going beyond that by actually helping the residents solve the problem - one page at a time! Introducing, the 'Drinkable Book'!...
Read news articleFlorida Fisherman Accidentally Snares Terrifying Goblin SharkA fisherman trawling for shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Key West, Florida, got the surprise of his life when he pulled up the nets on April 19th - Intermingled with the tiny shrimp was a giant shark, the kind that one would only expect to encounter in a horror movie! What was even scarier, was that the shark was alive and menacingly trashing around the deck, trying its best to escape....
Read news articleVideo of the Week - Happiness Arcade Makes Recycling FunBeverage manufacturer Coca Cola sure likes to keep their fans happy. In 2012, they delighted the students at the University of Singapore with a soda machine that dispensed drinks in exchange for hugs. Now, they are doing the same for the people of Bangladesh with this gaming arcade that shuns cash in favor of empty coke bottles....
Read news articleScientists Reveal A Failproof Strategy To Win Rock-Paper-ScissorsIf you have ever had to decide on an outcome with a friend, chances are you have done it by playing rock-paper-scissors, the fun hand game where players simultaneously form one of the three shapes with an outstretched hand. Like most people, you probably thought that the game is designed for a random outcome, one in which neither player has an advantage. Turns out you were wrong. According to scientists from China's Zhejiang University, there is a method to this madness - one that can be easily mastered so that you never lose a rock-paper-scissors duel again....
Read news articleBrazil Approves Use Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Combat Dengue FeverWhile most scientists are focused on creating vaccines for life threatening mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever and malaria, British biotech firm Oxitec is taking a unique approach. They want to nip the problem in the bud or should we say larva, by killing the dengue-carrying mosquitos with the help of genetically modified laboratory versions....
Read news articleSublimotion Takes Fine Dining To A Whole New Level...
Read news articleCrafty African Bird 'Cries Wolf' To Steal FoodThough humans may think they are the masters of deception, some of the world's best con artists appear to be birds. First there is the cuckoo finch that tricks other birds into raising its offspring and now, Africa's fork-tailed drongo that sends out false alarm signals, just so that it can steal food from other birds....
Read news articleSparkling Sidewalks and Self-Cleaning Cars? What Will They Think Of Next?In 2013, Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde made headlines when he teamed up with Heijman's Infrastructure to build the world's first 'Smart Highway' in The Netherlands. Now, a British company called Pro-Teq has invented a product that can transform mundane sidewalks into 'Starpaths' - public paths that project a star-like glow, alleviating the need for street lights....
Read news articleThe 2014 U.S. Tornado Season Has BegunEach year, from March to June, millions of Americans that live in the Midwestern and Southern United States, brace themselves for the tornado season. And while the twisters are often late, they never fail to make an appearance. This year's first big storm which arrived on Sunday, April 27th, was a deadly slow moving system that caused havoc across a large swath of the country from Oklahoma to Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Iowa, The Carolinas and even, New York....
Read news articleSaturday May 3rd is Free Comic Book Day!Love free things? Then you are in luck. That's because Saturday, May 3rd, happens to be Free Comic Book Day. This means that you can walk into any participating store and get yourself one (or multiple) copies of your favorite comic book. The best part is that this special day is celebrated by comic book retailers all over the world....
Read news articleJafflechutes Delivers Food 'Hunger Games' StyleA new eatery in Melbourne, Australia is making headlines all over the world. However the accolades are not for its cuisine, service or location, but for the way it delivers - via a parachute, similar to how the Hunger Games tributes received their gifts! Another unusual twist? The menu comprises of just one item - grilled cheese sandwiches or jaffles, as the Australians like to call them....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Real-Life Spider-Man Helps Promote Comic Book Superhero MovieWhile Andrew Garfield who plays the comic book superhero in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be performing many heart-stopping climbs and leaps in the movie, he is not as agile in real-life. That is probably why the filmmakers decided to call upon the real Spider-Man – French extreme climber Alain Robert, to help promote the superhero movie in China, on April 23rd, 2014....
Read news articleNational Geographic Kids Teams Up With IBM To Create The World's Smallest Magazine CoverIn January 2012, US tech giant IBM's Swiss laboratory stunned the world when they unveiled the world's smallest globe. Measuring a mere 22 by 11 microns, it was so tiny that 1,000 of them could be placed on a single grain of salt. Now, the scientists have done it again with this even tinier, National Geographic Kids Magazine cover. Measuring 11 by 14 microns, it is about half the size of the globe, which means that up to 2,000 of the covers could easily fit on a grain of salt!...
Read news article13-Year-Old Designer's Clothing Line Hits NordstromMost 13-year-old girls spend their days trying to keep up with the latest fashion trends and fretting about junior high grades. Isabella Rose Taylor is no different. Except in her case, it involves setting fashion trends with her eponymous clothing line and worrying about college grades. For, believe it or not, this teenager is not just a successful fashion designer, but also, a brilliant student who is pursuing a degree in fine arts at a local college. If that is not impressive enough, her junior clothing line is about to debut at one of the nation's most prestigious retailers - Nordstrom....
Read news articleGeorgetown University Launches $5 Million USD Challenge For U.S. Communities To Re-Think Energy UseEarlier this week, the Earth Day Network announced the 'Green Cities' challenge, asking communities worldwide to reduce their dependence on 'dirty' energy - electricity produced using fossil fuels. Now, Washington D.C.'s Georgetown University, is making the challenge more enticing, with a $5 million USD reward for any U.S. town or city that devises the best program to reduce energy consumption....
Read news articleHelp The Smithsonian Save The World's First Endangered Song (And The Sumatran Tigers)On Earth Day (April 22nd), The Smithsonian National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute, released the world's first endangered song - One that will disappear forever, unless people make the effort to digitally reproduce the single that was released on just 400 polycarbonate records that will degenerate, after being played a few times....
Read news articleChinese Scrapyard Workers Build Life-Size Transformers From Metal JunkIf you ever happen to be in China's Shandong Province, you may want to seek out this remote scrapyard that lies a few miles outside its capital city Jinan, especially, if you are a Transformers fan. That's because this rustic area is home to every Autobot you may know - from Optimus Prime to Bumblebee and even, Megatron. And we are not talking miniature versions either, but life-size Transformers complete with limbs that move!...
Read news articleResearchers Claim That Biting Into Whole Foods Can Lead To Bad Behavior In KidsThe next time you are chided for bad behavior, blame it on the whole apple, pear or pretty much any uncut food that your parents packed in your lunch box. That's because biting into anything that requires the use of the front teeth, is likely to cause rowdy behavior in kids! At least that's the conclusion some researchers from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, have reached, after observing the behavior of 12 elementary school students at a summer camp....
Read news articleKansas City Zoo Chimps Stage 'Madagascar' Style EscapeWhen one hears about animals escaping from their zoo enclosures, it is usually because the door has been inadvertently left open. However, what happened at the Kansas City Zoo in Missouri on April 9th, was an orchestrated escape, conjured up by one smart chimpanzee....
Read news articleIt's Earth Day - Today And Every Day!Earth Day was born on April 22nd, 1970, when 20 million people across the United States took to the streets to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Today, it has transformed into a global movement, one that is observed by billions of people around the world who annually pledge to undertake a 'green' initiative set by the Earth Day Network (a consortium of 22,000 partners across 192 countries), to help our planet....
Read news articleVideo of the Week - Penguin Dance Fever Grips Saudi ArabiaPenguins are known for many things - their charming looks, cheerful Christmas spirit, high-diving skills and . . . dancing skills? Apparently so, for how else can you explain the Penguin dance fever that is spreading across the world and has even charmed the normally staid residents of Saudi Arabia?...
Read news articleU.S. Naval Research Scientists Create Fuel From SeawaterOn April 7th, 2014, scientists from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory announced that they had been successful in flying a radio-controlled scale-model of an old WWII era plane, the P-52 Mustang, using liquid hydrocarbon fuel. Not impressed? How about if we tell you that the fuel was created entirely from ordinary seawater?...
Read news articleSeattle's Park Passive House Takes Energy Efficiency To A Whole New LevelResidential houses have come a long way in reducing their energy footprint. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, homes built after 2000, consume only 2% more energy than older homes, despite being 30% larger. While that is certainly encouraging, advocates of the Passive House movement believe that there is a lot more that can and needs to be done - not just to reduce energy costs, but also, to help reverse global warming....
Read news articleEggshelland - Cleveland's 56-Year-Old Easter Tradition Continues To AmazeFor over half a century, the city of Lyndhurst in the eastern suburb of Cleveland has been home to a fun Easter tradition - Eggshelland, an elaborate mosaic made entirely from colorful eggshells put together by Ron and Betty Manolio in their front yard on Linden Lane....
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