They say that when it rains, it pours. That certainly seemed to be case in Southern California last week, except that it was not water falling from the skies, but ginormous rare oarfishes that appeared from deep inside the oceans.
Read news articleThey say that when it rains, it pours. That certainly seemed to be case in Southern California last week, except that it was not water falling from the skies, but ginormous rare oarfishes that appeared from deep inside the oceans.
Read news articleWhile scientists have built many artificial organs individually, they have never before been put together to create an entire human body. Rex or as he has recently been renamed Frank (after Frankenstein), the world's first fully functional bionic man has just changed that. Now on display at the National Air And Space Museum in Washington D.C., the human clone was assembled in three short months using state-of-the-art organs that were donated by 17 manufacturers - A good thing given that the total cost came to about $1 million USD!
Read news articleWith thousands of beautiful flamingos crowding around, at first glance Lake Natron, a salt lake in Northern Tanzania looks like your typical picturesque African landscape. But look closer and you will find something eerily unusual - Perfectly preserved dead animals strewn all along its shores. And while many have likened the lake to Medusa, the monster from Greek mythology who turned anyone that looked her in the eye to stone, most experts assert that the lake itself is not deadly.
Read news articleWhen Massachusetts Institute of Technology students Jim Bredt and Tim Anderson created the first 3-D printer in 1995 by modifying an inkjet printer so that it would extrude a binding solution on to a bed of powder, instead of ink on paper, they probably had no idea of its tremendous potential.
Read news articleSimilar to the giant crop circles that sporadically appear in different parts of the world, strange grass circles that mysteriously emerge in South Africa's Namib Desert have dumbfounded both locals and scientists for many years. Measuring between 6 - 40 feet across, each 'fairy circle' is outlined by a ring of vegetation taller, than the surrounding grassland.
Read news articleMost people are grossed out by insects and believe them to be just a nuisance. However, a group of students from Montreal-based McGill University think of them as protein that can be used to feed millions of malnourished people worldwide, an idea so powerful that it won them the prestigious 2013 Hult Prize on September 23rd.
Read news articleTo say that 11-year old Michal Bodzianowski knows very little about beer would be an understatement. He has of course never tasted the drink and till his dad explained, had no clue what a microbrewery was. But that didn't deter the sixth-grader from suggesting that astronauts brew the drink in Space as his entry for the Spring 2013 Student Spaceflight Experiments Challenge organized by the National Science Earth And Space Education whose main goal is to inspire the next generation of America's scientists and engineers.
Read news articleFor decades scientists lamented about the demise of the gorgeous Pinocchio lizard. Now it turns out that the reptile, while still rare, is very much around in the cloud forests of South America, an area known for its stunning flora and fauna.
Read news articleFor many years now, Dutch architect Ramon Knoester has been harboring a dream - To recycle the plastic that is polluting our oceans and transform it into a beautiful inhabitable island. He began his work in earnest in 2010, after receiving a grant from the Netherlands government. While it has taken a few years, and he has had to make some tweaks to his original plan, it seems as though this rather impossible sounding idea may actually become a reality, in the very near future.
Read news articleLiving in an era when airplanes can run on autopilot with no humans at helm, it is hard to imagine that there was once a time not too long ago, when pilots in the USA had to navigate their way across cities using rudimentary aviation maps and . . . ginormous arrows!
Read news articleThe fact that kids seem to have an inordinate amount of energy is indisputable. What if this energy could somehow be harnessed and turned into electricity? That was a question that Ben Markham, a retired Vice President of Engineering at ExxonMobil asked himself a few years ago. The result? Empower Playgrounds Inc., non-profit company that has transformed the lives of thousands of young kids in Ghana with a simple yet brilliant idea!
Read news articleIf you think conning or swindling others is something that was invented by the amazingly bright human mind, think again - the cuckoo finch has been doing it for centuries and their con is much more convincing than anything humans have been able to pull, because it entails tricking other birds into raising their chicks!
Read news articlePatrick a 23-year-old Western lowland gorilla has been a fixture at the Dallas Zoo since 1995. And while the gregarious male seems to love humans, his attitude toward his fellow gorillas especially females, has left much to be desired, leaving officials with no choice but to ship him off to a new home.
Read news articleGoing to a new school is tough - Not only does one have to seek out new friends but also be able to navigate around an unknown campus which can be a harrowing task depending on how big it is. Most schools assign seniors to help the newcomers, which is great, but wouldn't it be more fun if the campus guide was not human but a drone helicopter? Welcome to SkyCall.
Read news articleThe fact that kids love to play games is obvious. But do they love them enough to be convinced to not only eat, but also, enjoy 'yucky' vegetables like carrots, broccoli, tomatoes and even . . . green pepper? That is what Takayuki Kosaka, an assistant Professor at Japan's Kanagawa Institute for Technology is hoping to achieve with a new gaming console that he calls Food Practice Shooter!
Read news articleImagine a scenario where you get to lounge in bed all day and watch as much television, play as many video games or read as many books as you want. If that is not awesome enough, here is the icing on the cake - You even get paid for doing that and not just a tiny amount amount, but an astounding $18,000 USD, for the duration of the fifteen week study!
Read news articleWhat is better than silly putty - that gooey mixture that flows like a liquid when handled gently, but turns as hard as a rock, when punched or stomped upon? How about one that flows through your hand like sand but can still be used to shape your favorite creations?
Read news articleWith plans underway to lasso asteroids, establish settlements on Mars and send tourists out for quick jaunts, the fact that our future lies in Space is indisputable. However some of these dreams will be left unfulfilled unless we do something about all the junk we have abandoned in Space in the last 55 years.
Read news articleJust as we humans are feeling all smug about our abilities to broadcast our daily schedule and plans via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, comes news that we are no pioneers - Male orangutans have been doing it for years, without requiring computers or sophisticated technology.
Read news articleFor the last few decades, countries all over the world have been trying to outdo each other at building the world's tallest structures. Now South Korea wants to raise the stakes further with Tower Infinity, which at a height of 1,476 feet (450 meters) will not only be the sixth tallest, but also, the world's first 'invisible' tower.
Read news articleWhile we humans need every organ of our body, animals seem to adapt and even thrive when they are missing body parts that we consider crucial to survive - There is the Borneo frog that breathes without lungs, the ice fish that has no hemoglobin and now, an earless frog that can hear perfectly.
Read news articleThe struggle to recreate human tissues in the laboratory is nearly as old as the medical profession itself. The cell as you all know, is the structural, functional and biological unit of all organisms, whether it is a single celled-bacteria or a 90 trillion-celled human! While these microscopic units appear simple, they are actually quite complex and almost impossible to build from scratch, which is why for the longest time 'growing' new human body parts in the laboratory seemed like an impossible task. That perception seems to be changing somewhat, thanks to the recent advent of 3-D printing.
Read news articleHow cool would it be if instead of learning about exotic animals like Patagonian maras (large rodents that resemble rabbits) and bearded dragons from textbooks you could do it by touching, feeling and maybe even breeding them? That is how the students fortunate enough to be taught by Michael Bechtel at Saydel High School in Des Moines, Iowa experienced biology for many years.
Read news articleIf you are a space buff, visiting Mars is probably at the top of your list. It is therefore no wonder that when the Mars One Foundation announced that they were seeking four qualified applicants to send on an all expenses paid trip to the Red Planet, over 200,000 people from 140 countries expressed their interest. The only catch? It will be a one-way trip because their mission will be to establish the first human settlement on Mars!
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