On Saturday, January 28, Chinese communities around the world will begin a two-week celebration to usher in the Chinese New Year. Also called the Spring Festival, the holiday whose dates are determined by the lunar calendar, is the grandest and most famous of all Chinese festivals. To enable residents to be with their families and friends, most employers in China give their workers at least seven days of vacation. Schools and universities are closed for an entire month....

Disney is famous for creating interrelated plot lines across its superhero blockbusters – from Iron Man to The Avengers to even the television series, Agents of Shield. Now the movie studio has confirmed a theory first suggested by a fan in 2013 — the animated movies made by its subsidiary, Pixar, also share a common universe....

On November 8, discouraged and upset by the outcome of the US election, retired lawyer Theresa Shook set up a Facebook event inviting women to stage a peaceful protest in Washington, the day after the Presidential inauguration. The Hawaiian resident wanted the Trump Administration to know on its first day in office that women’s rights are human rights. By the time she woke up on November 9, over 10,000 people had expressed their desire to attend the rally....

On Friday, January 20, thousands of supporters gathered at the US Capitol in Washington D.C to witness the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States. The 35-word oath of office to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States” culminated Mr. Trump’s stunning trajectory from real-estate tycoon to holding the country’s highest office....

If you thought the captivating creatures in the movie adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, looked and acted somewhat familiar, you are not wrong. That’s because to create the mythical creatures, animators from three visual effects companies, Framestore, Rodeo FX, and MPC, drew inspiration from real-life animal physiology and behavior....

Though they have been around since the late 1990’s, emoji use has escalated sharply with the proliferation of smartphones. A survey conducted by digital start-up Swyft Media revealed that over six billion emoticons or stickers are sent around the world every day. The digital icons have become so ubiquitous that in 2015, the Oxford Dictionary selected the “Face with Tears of Joy” as its “word” of the year. Given their widespread use and popularity, it is not surprising that the tiny images are starting to intrigue researchers as well....

On January 20, after eight years in office, President Barack Obama, his wife, Michelle, daughters, Malia and Sasha, and dogs, Bo and Sunny, will leave the White House to President-elect Donald Trump. In his January 10 farewell address, the US leader reflected on his legacy and encouraged Americans to remain optimistic about the country’s future....

The fact that New Yorkers take their pizza seriously is well-known. Pizzeria owners are always striving to create the sauciest, cheesiest, and crunchiest pies to delight their customers. Now, Industry Kitchen, a South Street Seaport restaurant, has upped the ante with “the fance’za” — a pizza so decadent, it will set back the consumer $2,000 USD....

Harbin, the largest city in the Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, that boasts winter temperatures of -13°F (-25°C) may not appear to be the ideal vacation destination. But don’t tell that to the millions of visitors who brave the area’s frigid weather annually, to experience one of the world’s biggest and most unique snow and ice festivals....

On Monday, January 16, Americans will celebrate Martin Luther King Day to honor the clergyman who spearheaded the African-American Civil Rights Movement. It is largely thanks to his efforts that America is today, the land of opportunity for all....

The decision to bestow the 2016 Good Design Award, Japan’s most prestigious design honor, upon the AuthaGraph World Map came as a surprise to many. Given that previous winners have been innovations like personal mobility chairs and robotic arms, people wondered what had impressed the judges about the design of a map. It turns out that this strange-looking map is the most proportionate depiction of our planet....

For most people, this Friday, which happens to fall on the 13th, will be just the end of a long week. However, those who have friggatriskaidekaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia, consider it to be the unluckiest day of the year. This unfounded fear of Friday the 13th affects over twenty million people in the US and scores more worldwide....

In 2015, while browsing at a market in Myanmar, Lida Xing, a paleontologist at Beijing’s China University of Geosciences, was offered a piece of amber. Believed to contain a preserved plant it was meant for use as jewelry. Suspecting that the semitranslucent precious stone was harboring something more valuable, the scientist convinced the Dexu Institute of Paleontology to purchase it....

Though 3D printing technology has been available for over two decades, it has not gone mainstream as hoped because of the high cost and slow print speeds. But that may change soon, thanks to German sportswear manufacturer Adidas. On December 15, 2016, the company revealed Adidas 3D Runners, stylish sports sneakers featuring a 3D printed midsole that provides athletes with the extra cushioning needed for optimal performance....

On December 27, 2016, the world mourned the loss of the galaxy’s most beloved princess. Carrie Fisher, who was perhaps best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, passed away at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles. In a tragic turn of events, her 84-year-old mother, Oscar-nominated actress-singer Debbie Reynolds, died a day later as a result of a stroke....

At midnight on December 31, cities worldwide, bid farewell to 2016 and welcomed the new year with dazzling fireworks shows. In case you missed them, here are some of 2017’s most spectacular displays....

This year, Christmas came early for the lucky residents of the London Zoo. On Thursday, December 15, when Sumatran tiger cubs Achilles and Karis emerged from their dens, they saw what every kid (and adult) dreams about during this time of the year — piles of colorfully wrapped gifts!...

In 2013, Jeff Bezos, the CEO and founder of Amazon Inc., made headlines when he proclaimed that within a few years, the company would deploy unmanned drones to deliver packages within 30 minutes after an order was placed. Since Amazon Prime Air was unveiled the night before “Cyber Monday,” skeptics dismissed it as a publicity stunt, designed to draw attention to the company. It turns out they were wrong....

Echidnas, medium-sized animals that closely resemble porcupines or hedgehogs, are one of only two egg-laying mammals (the other being the duck-billed platypus) left in the world. Also called spiny anteaters, the timid creatures that are native to Australia, are very elusive and hard to observe in the wild. Therefore, though they have been around for millions of years, very little is known about their lifestyle, making it almost impossible to breed the mammals in captivity....

Love to laugh out loud? Then you may be the perfect candidate for #laugh, a global collaborative project to create the first piece of art in outer space using the International Space Station’s (ISS) newly acquired 3D printer. While transforming an emotion into art may seem a little far-fetched, Eyal Gever, is known for his aptitude for combining art and technology to make 3D sculptures from life-like digital simulations based on moments in time....

New York-based Ecovative has been creating environmentally friendly packaging made from mushrooms and agricultural waste since 2009. Now, the company wants to bring their innovative material into homes and offices with a new line of compostable furnishings that are grown using just three ingredients: mycelium (the vegetative part of mushrooms), hemp, and salt....

The “Muriwai Monster,” a twitching black mass that washed up on Muriwai Beach, 25 miles northwest of Auckland, New Zealand, has taken the world by storm since its discovery about a week ago. Melissa Doubleday, who stumbled upon it while driving by, initially suspected it to be a whale carcass. However, when she shared images of the mysterious “creature,” which was covered in seaweed and wiggling black tendrils with white shells on social media, people around the world began speculating it was a sea monster, a “beach Christmas tree,” or even an alien time travel capsule....

Deep below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico lies a salt lake so deadly that researchers are calling it the ‘Jacuzzi of Despair.’ Measuring 100 ft in circumference and 12 ft deep, the brine pool gets its well-deserved reputation due to its warm temperature and high methane and salt content — a fatal combination for many unfortunate sea creatures that wander in....

Hawaii’s Big Island is known for many things — its rich culture, active volcanoes, black sand beaches, green rainforests, and of course year-round warm, humid, weather. This year, the sunny paradise can add snow to this impressive list. Since early December, almost three feet of snow has blanketed the over 13,000-feet high volcano peaks of the Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, and more is expected....