If you visit Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington DC, you may notice one of the zoo’s resident elephants, Shanthi, strolling around in stylish Teva boots. While the footwear makes the 9,000-pound pachyderm stand out among her peers, its primary purpose is to provide the 41-year-old relief from the side effects of arthritis, a chronic condition that causes painful inflammation and stiffness of joints....

What do circles, squares, and triangles have to do with making movies? According to a new video from Now You See It, a YouTube channel that explores film concepts, it is one of the several ways used by directors and cinematographers to influence the audience about a character or a situation....

Nora, the polar bear born to Columbus Zoo residents Nanuq and Aurora, has captivated the world since her birth on November 6. She is after all, the only polar bear born at the zoo to survive beyond the first few weeks, in twenty-eight years....

Turkish technology company Letvision recently revealed a working prototype of a real-life transformer that will make all Autobot and Decepticon fans swoon! The company says the idea to build “Letrons” came about during a brainstorming session to create a unique and futuristic project. It took the team of twelve engineers and four supporting technicians, eight months to build the first prototype, unveiled in late September....

If you think winter luge, where athletes lying on tiny sleds hurtle down slippery icy tracks is dangerous, you probably have never seen the “summer” version of the sport. Street luge is similar to its winter counterpart, except for one thing – competitors do not have the safety of a chute. Instead, they lay on their sleds and zip down paved streets to what seems like certain death!...

Three-year-old Bailey suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a medical condition that affects the spinal cord’s motor nerve cells. As a result, she is unable to sit, stand, crawl, or walk on her own. She also can’t swallow food efficiently or breathe without the help of a machine. But thanks to Surf Dog Ricochet (and some human volunteers), Bailey and a few other kids suffering from SMA recently did what most children their age only dream of — go surfing!...

First, there was KBG84, Japan’s hottest “girl” band whose 33 members have an average age of 84. And now, Japan Pom Pom, a unique cheerleading troupe made up of 28 sprightly grandmothers, whose ages range from 55 to the late 80s....

The Pallas’s cat is a small-sized wild cat species that lives in the remote steppes and mountains of Central Asia. Excessive hunting of the animals that are coveted for their thick, lush, fur as well as the loss of habitat has drastically reduced their numbers in the wild. As a result, the beautiful animals have been on IUCN’s near threatened list of species since 2002. It is, therefore, no wonder that the recent sighting of the elusive cats in the mountains of Mongolia is causing such joy among conservationists and cat lovers worldwide....

Earlier this year, a team of engineers led by China’s Song Youzhou suggested that a massive elevated bus that straddled above normal-sized vehicles was the key to easing the world’s traffic woes. Though the concept of the Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) unveiled at the 19th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo on May 22 generated a lot of excitement, most people were skeptical that it would ever become a reality. But they were wrong....

Though “sliced bread” gets the credit, we all know that it is ice cream that deserves the honor of being the world’s best invention. That is probably why on July 9, 1984, former US President Ronald Reagan declared July, National Ice Cream Month, and the third Sunday of the month, National Ice Cream Day. According to Proclamation number 5219, the event should be observed “with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” This, of course. means eating as much of the creamy treat as possible....

Mention sand art and the image that comes to mind is that of an intricately carved sculpture or design sketched on a beach surface. Though impressive, they are transient masterpieces that disappear with the first large wave or splash of rain. However, 24-year-old Tim Bengel’s sand art is permanent. That’s because the German artist uses the grit to “paint” his masterpieces on canvas. While the final product is certainly stunning, what is even more so is the way it is created....

On Monday, May 9, James Givens, a police officer in Cincinnati, Ohio, was sitting in his cruiser when he heard what sounded like a knock. He turned around only to find a goose pecking at the car door. This was highly unusual given that the birds typically preferred to observe humans from a distance....

About a year ago, on June 21, 2015, 80 of Italy’s finest chefs delighted visitors at the Expo Milan with a slice of the world’s longest pizza — A 1.59545 meter-long (about a mile) pie that they spent 18-hours crafting. On May 19, 2016, 250 masters of traditional Neapolitan pizza from across the world gathered at the beautiful bay along the Caracciolo seafront in Naples and outdid their achievement with a delicious pie that measured an impressive 1,853.88 meters or about 1.15 miles, long....

Though few people need an excuse to bite into a warm, gooey donut, it is always nice to have one. And what better reason to justify eating the treat than the fact that it is National Donut Day! Observed annually on the first Friday of June, the origins of this yummy holiday can be traced all the way back to World War I....

On May 9, Japanese online retailer Rakuten announced the nation’s first drone delivery service at Tokyo’s Camel Golf Resort. Called Tenku, the autonomous vehicle, which has the capacity to carry up to 2kg can be summoned by golfers to bring snacks, drinks, and even equipment like balls, while enjoying a round of golf....

Like most street artists, Malaysian singer Jass Pangkor has good and bad days. A few weeks ago, the talented artist was experiencing a particularly depressing day because not one person had stopped to listen to his performance....

Most dogs hate being dropped off at daycare — Not Riley! In fact, the five-year-old golden retriever, who lives in Belmont, North Carolina, loves being at the Happy Dog Cafe & Boutique so much that he recently decided to pay the center a visit all by himself....

Harry Potter’s favorite game Quidditch, has been a legitimate sport at high schools and colleges worldwide for over a decade. But no Muggle has ever played the game flying across the sky on a broomstick like the wizards did in J.K. Rowling’s popular book series....

To win a national award for handwriting, especially in this digital age, is an achievement in itself. But what makes Anaya Ellick’s accolade extra special is that the seven-year-old accomplished the feat despite having no hands. Even more amazing? The first-grader from Chesapeake, Virginia, who won the prestigious Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellence in Manuscript Penmanship, on April 11, does not use prosthetics. The young girl produces her perfect penmanship by standing close to her desk with her pencil firmly gripped between her forearms....

On Wednesday, May 4th, fans across the world celebrated Star Wars Day. Most commemorated the unofficial holiday by binge watching all seven films or greeting passersby with “May the fourth be with you” — A nod to the movie’s famous line, “May the force be with you.”...

In 1907, Anna Jarvis began a campaign to convince lawmakers to designate a special day to honor America's mothers. Many individual states began celebrating Mother's Day by 1911. However, it was not until 1914 that Woodrow Wilson finally managed to persuade the U.S.Congress to set aside the second Sunday of May to honor moms....

On February 10, Ramon Paje, the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines, announced the discovery of 400 "new" islands within the borders of the world's second largest archipelago....

On April 21, throngs of people lined along the street of Windsor to get a glimpse of the world's favorite monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, on her milestone 90th birthday. They were not disappointed....

On Friday, April 22, billions of people across the globe will celebrate Earth Day. They will commemorate the event by staging rallies, participating in environmental clean-up activities, and pledging to undertake "green" initiatives to protect this precious planet. While that is certainly helpful, it would be even better if we could incorporate "greener" habits into our daily lives. These stunning images taken from space by NASA will serve as a reminder of why making every day "Earth Day" is so important....