Jet Blue's Vending Machines Will Be Welcomed At Any SchoolWhile vending machines have a bad reputation generally, they are particularly frowned upon in schools. That's because most are filled with foods that are deemed unhealthy for both kids and adults. However, no one will have any objection to Jet Blue's vending machines. That's because they dispense free books!...
Read news articleNemo's Garden Takes Farming To The Next Frontier - Underwater!An agricultural experiment called Nemo's Garden is taking farming to a new level - about 20-feet below the ocean's surface! The endeavor is the brainchild of Italian entrepreneur and scuba diving enthusiast Sergio Gamberini who wanted to combine his passion for diving and farming to create a sustainable food source without disturbing the underwater ecosystem....
Read news articleSpain's Messy La Tomatina Festival Celebrates 70 Years!Tossing food at total strangers is not something that is acceptable in most settings. However, at the La Tomatina festival in Bunol, Spain, it is not just accepted but encouraged. That's because the whole purpose of the event that is held annually on the last Wednesday of August is to pelt friends and total strangers with as many tomatoes as possible....
Read news articleSpaceX Announces Hyperloop Pod CompetitionIn August 2013, Elon Musk, the CEO and CTO of SpaceX, the world's first privately funded spacecraft company unveiled a 57-page white paper that outlined a radical new supersonic transportation system. Called Hyperloop, it envisioned giving residents of high-traffic cities that lie within short distances the option to commute in enclosed capsules through low-pressure steel tubes at up to 800 mph. Musk hypothesized that such a system would help cut the commute time between cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco from the current 6 hours to just 30 minutes....
Read news articleWorld's First Robot-Staffed Hotel Is Open For Business in JapanThe Japanese have always been at the forefront of deploying robots to perform jobs that are traditionally done by humans. Over the past year, humanoid robots have been seen helping customers at Mitsubishi Bank, selling Nestle's espresso machines and even filling in for human science communicators at museums. Hence, it is not surprising to hear that the country is now home to a hotel that is staffed almost entirely by the Androids!...
Read news articleBrave 10-Year Old Shark Bite Victim Wades Back Into The Ocean To Save Her FriendOn Wednesday, August 19th, ten-year-old Florida resident Kaley Szarmack was wading in knee-deep ocean waters at a Jacksonville beach, when she experienced a sharp pain in her right leg. Thinking that a crab was holding on to her, the young girl looked down only to see multiple lacerations on both sides of her leg. Soon after, Kaley noticed the dorsal fin of what appeared to be a three-foot-long shark darting away from the crime scene....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Chinese Artist Lights Up The Skies With 500-Meter Fireworks LadderIn the wee hours of June 15, the audience gathered at the Huily Island Harbour in Quanzhou, China, watched in awe as a giant balloon filled with 6,200 cubic meters of helium slowly made its way up. Attached to it was a 500-meter (1,640-feet) wire ladder. This of course was no ordinary ladder, but an art installation created by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang....
Read news articleFacebook And Google Vie To Bring Internet Connectivity To AllFor those living in developed countries, life without Internet connectivity is almost unimaginable. However, about 4 billion people across the world still have sketchy or no access to the massive networking structure that has transformed the world into a global village. But if social networking powerhouse Facebook and search giant Google have their way, that will soon be a thing of the past....
Read news articleWorld's Oldest Known Message In A Bottle Washes Ashore After 108 YearsEarlier this year, Marianne Winkler, a retired postal worker and her husband were vacationing on the North Sea island of Amrum, Germany, when they stumbled upon a bottle with a message inside! And it was no ordinary letter either, but one written by an Edwardian British scientist studying undersea currents....
Read news articleISS Astronauts Enjoy First Space-Grown SaladSpace food has come a long way since John Glenn orbited Earth in 1962. He and other members of Project Mercury, the first American human spaceflight program, had to endure unappetizing foods that came in the form of bite-sized cubes, freeze-dried powders, and semi-liquids stuffed in aluminum tubes. Today astronauts can select from an extensive menu of over 70 foods and 20 beverages. The one thing they still can't get? Fresh fruits and vegetables!...
Read news articleWhy Los Angeles Reservoirs Are Covered With Black Plastic BallsOn August 13, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti along with officials from the water department watched as the last 20,000 "shade balls" rolled their way into the city's largest in-basin water reservoir. The release marked the final phase of the project that involved covering the 175-acre lake with 96-million four-inch black plastic balls. Their purpose? To provide shade and improve water quality....
Read news articleThe Color-Changing Dusky Dottyback Is A Master Of DisguiseCamouflage is not a new concept in the animal kingdom. From grasshoppers blending in with leaves to owls mimicking tree barks, many animals, birds, and insects, depend on their ability to hide in plain sight for survival. But if there were an Oscar for the species with the best disguise, it would surely go to the dusky dottyback. The crafty predator fish can change its color to mimic that of its prey's parents, allowing it to feast on their juveniles, without raising suspicion....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Talented Five-Year Old "Hypnotizes" AnimalsWhen Ying Ying walked up on the stage at a recent audition of the Amazing Chinese Show, the judges were not sure what to expect. After all, she is just five-years-old. So you can only imagine their surprise when the poised girl began showcasing her unique "hypnotizing" skills on some unsuspecting animals....
Read news articleBreakthrough Ebola Vaccine Provides Hope for West AfricaEbola has been on the public health radar for quite some time. However, the most recent epidemic, the deadliest since the disease was identified in 1976, has brought the aggressively contagious viral illness to the forefront. Researchers from all over the world have been frantically trying to find a cure. Now there appears to be a breakthrough in the form of a safe vaccine that in initial trials has proven to be extremely effective in eliminating the risk of contracting the dreaded disease....
Read news articleDoes Unconditional Basic Income Create A More Productive Society? Some Dutch Cities Are About To Find Out!In June, the City Council of Utrecht in The Netherlands announced that starting January 2016, a few lucky residents will receive a monthly stipend to cover their basic needs with no strings attached. That means that the recipients will have to do nothing in return and can spend the rest of their days lounging by a pool if they so wish....
Read news articleMcity: A Town Built Just for CarsAt first sight, Mcity near Ann Arbor, Michigan looks just like any other U.S. town or city. However, look closer and you will notice that the buildings are merely facades and the sidewalks, eerily empty. In fact, the only things you will encounter are cars zipping around, many with no humans at the helm. Welcome to the world's first car city - a 32-acre vehicle haven created by the University of Michigan to test new automotive technology....
Read news articleThis Tiny Iron Fish May Help Prevent Global AnemiaAnemia, a condition where the body is not producing enough healthy red blood cells to transport oxygen to the tissues is a common ailment. Caused by a diet that is deficient in iron, its symptoms range from fatigue and dizziness to weakened cognitive ability and stunted development in children....
Read news articleHunger Games Exhibition Allows Fans To Experience Panem's Dystopian SocietyEver since the first book in The Hunger Games trilogy was published in 2008, fans have been fascinated by Panem's dystopian society. Now thanks to the recently opened The Hunger Games: The Exhibition, they will be able to experience it firsthand....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Climate Portal Allows Travelers To Experience Worldwide WeatherCan't decide between vacationing in the hot and arid deserts of Dubai or the freezing Arctic tundra? Then you may want to head to Stockholm's Arlanda Airport where an innovative climate portal allows travelers to experience worldwide weather with just a touch of a button....
Read news articleHow A Single Fridge Is Helping Curb Food Waste In SpainFood waste is a growing concern. According to a recent report by the United Nations Environmental Programme, consumers in industrialized countries waste as much as 222 million tons of food annually. To put it in perspective, that is almost equivalent to the net food production of sub-Saharan Africa. Now the residents of the small Spanish town of Galdakao have devised a simple solution to help reverse the trend - a community refrigerator!...
Read news articleWorld Leaders Reach Landmark Nuclear Deal With IranEarlier this year, the world rejoiced at the news that Iran had tentatively agreed to a deal that would curtail its capability to develop a nuclear program. In exchange, the United States and five other world powers promised to lift the harsh trade sanctions that have crippled the country's economy since they were imposed in 2005....
Read news articleGet Ready For The Spectacular Perseid Meteor ShowersEvery year about this time, stargazers start to get excited about the Perseids, the biggest and most spectacular of all meteor showers. The "shooting stars" are already streaming through our skies at the rate of about a dozen an hour. However, from August 11 to 14, the pace will accelerate to almost a hundred an hour, making them fairly easy to spot even without a telescope. The best part is that unlike last year, there will be no "super" supermoon to steal their thunder....
Read news articleAustralian Chestnut-Crowned Babbler May Not Be Babbling After AllTo the novice listener, the Australian Chestnut-crowned babbler's sweet melodies may sound like any other birdsong. However, to ornithologists it is a series of sounds which when combined, forms a unique bird-like vocalization or what we refer to as language. The discovery is exciting because the tiny birds are the first nonhuman species known to communicate using language....
Read news articleFirst FAA Approved Drone Delivery in the United States Is A SuccessIn December 2013, Jeff Bezos, the founder, and CEO of Amazon made headlines when he announced the company's intention to use unmanned aerial vehicles or drones to make deliveries. However, while Amazon is still trying to convince the Federal Aviation Authority, Australian startup Flirtey has already made history on by completing the first-ever FAA-approved drone delivery in the USA....
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