Chronic or compulsive lying has largely been considered a mental illness. However, a new study from the University College London suggests that there may be a biological explanation as well. The researchers believe that small, self-serving lies desensitize our brains to the negative emotions connected to dishonesty, paving the way for bigger lies....

On December 5, San Francisco Airport (SFO) officials introduced LiLou, the newest member of the Wag Brigade, family, a group of friendly therapy dogs that roam the airport terminals to provide comfort to harried travelers. However, Lilou is not a canine, but a small breed of pig called Juliana. The two-year-old is the first pig to be certified with the SPCA, Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) Program, in the United States....

Since 2013, Torobo, a robotic arm designed to test the limits of artificial intelligence, has had one aspiration — to be admitted to the University of Tokyo, one of Asia’s top-ranked educational institutions. However, despite having an extensive database of textbooks and other teaching materials to draw upon, Torobo, (short for Todai Robot) has repeatedly failed to obtain the university's required minimum 80% score in the National Center Test, a standardized entrance examination adopted by Japanese universities. This year was no exception....

On Monday, December 5, online retailing giant Amazon announced the opening of its first brick and mortar grocery store. Called Amazon Go, the Seattle-based store that is currently being tested by company employees, closely mimics regular convenience stores except for one thing — thanks to Amazon’s proprietary “Just Walk Out” technology, all purchases are handled electronically. This means that there are no cashiers, checkouts, or lines. Shoppers simply grab what they want and leave....

The thorny devil, named for the sharp spikes that cover its head and body, is a lizard that dwells in the Australian Outback’s hot and arid desert. Though its scary appearance has earned it other equally alarming names like the thorny dragon or the mountain devil, the palm-sized reptile is a harmless, slow-moving animal that has managed to adapt to one of the world’s most inhospitable environments. While researchers know a lot about these hardy lizards, the one mystery that had never been completely solved, is how they keep hydrated....

During the past 15 years, Yves “Jetman” Rossy has strapped on his jetpack — carbon fiber wings powered by four small engines — to conduct many heart-stopping stunts. The former Swiss Air Force pilot has soared across the Grand Canyon, circled Japan's Mt. Fuji and even flown alongside the world's largest commercial airplane, the Airbus A380. On November 25, the daredevil upped the ante when he and protégés Vince Reffet and Frédéric ‘Fred’ Fugen, flew in formation with eight Alpha Jets from the Patrouille de France, the precision aerobatics demonstration team of the French Air Force....

With Christmas around the corner, Valentine’s Day is probably the last thing on your mind. However, don’t tell that to Motohiro Okai. The chocolatier who works at the Rihga Royal Hotel Chocolate Boutique L’éclat in Osaka, Japan, has been feverishly working to perfect an exclusive line of “shoes” that will delight even the most discerning man....

On Sunday, December 4, Fidel Castro, Cuba’s former President and leader of the Communist revolution, will be laid to rest at the Santa Ifigenia cemetery in Santiago de Cuba, the island's second-largest city. Fidel, who passed away on Friday, November 25 at age 90, ruled the country with an iron fist for 47 years (1959-2006) and was one of the most controversial leaders of our time. Supporters maintain that Fidel was a champion of socialism and think his revolutionary regime protected Cuba from American imperialism. Critics, which include his daughter Alina Fernández, considered him a dictator who allowed human rights abuses and impoverished the country’s economy....

From December 5-11, millions of kids in over 180 countries will take the Hour of Code challenge. The annual initiative, which coincides with Computer Science week, is organized by Seattle-based non-profit Code.org to demystify the world of coding, and inspire students of all backgrounds and ages to consider a career in software engineering....

With only about 1,800 specimens left in the wild, all giant pandas are precious. However, Qi Zai, a seven-year-old that resides at the Foping Panda Valley in China’s Shaanxi province, is even more so. That’s because he is amongst a handful of giant pandas known to have brown and white fur and the only such specimen in captivity. However, while the 220-pound Qi Zai is now the superstar of the animal world, life has not always been easy....

American rock band OK Go has been entertaining fans with their original music videos since 2006. The inaugural creation for their song "Here It Goes Again" filmed with the group’s four members performing atop fast-moving treadmills became one of the year’s biggest hits and even won a Grammy. The video for “This Too Shall Pass” released in 2010, featured a Rube Goldberg machine. Now, the group has done it again with a video so complex, that it can only be fully appreciated in slow motion!...

After shopping for deals in stores on “Black Friday”, or online on “Cyber Monday,” Americans and people worldwide, are preparing for “Giving Tuesday.” Now in its fifth year, the global event that is celebrated annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is the brainchild of the 92nd Street Y, a cultural center in New York City and the United Nations Foundation....

On November 19, after two days aboard a Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft, NASA’s Peggy Whitson, along with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and rookie ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, docked at the International Space Station (ISS). In doing so, America’s most experienced female astronaut became the oldest woman in space, breaking the former record set by Barbara Morgan who reached the ISS at age 55....

Sweden’s ICEHOTEL has been delighting visitors with its extraordinary architecture, glittering ice sculptures, and unique location since 1989. However, those not brave enough to face the Arctic winters are out of luck. That’s because the hotel, located in the village of Jukkasjarvi, 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, is built entirely from ice blocks which melt when summer comes along. But this year, adjacent to the conventional ice structure, sits the equally impressive ICEHOTEL 365. Though also built entirely from ice, it is designed to remain open year-round....

Snapchat, the popular social media app that allows users to share photos or short videos, or “snaps,” has taken the world by storm since its launch in 2012. Now, the company has done it again with the release of Snapchat Spectacles — stylish sunglasses that can record short video clips....

The fact that ants are fascinating insects has been known for some time. The tiny creatures that make their way around using their built-in GPS, survive floods by morphing into living rafts and are even reputed to predict earthquakes. Now, scientists have discovered a colony of wood ants living in a dark underground barren bunker despite having no apparent source of food....

A week from today, on Thursday, Nov 24, Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving. The annual tradition is credited to a harvest celebration between the early European settlers and the Native Americans. While that is true, there is more to that story and the other traditions observed on this secular holiday, on which family and friends get together to count their blessings over a scrumptious meal. Here is some Thanksgiving trivia that may be fun to share at the dinner table....

The Hubble Space Telescope that has been orbiting the Earth since 1990, has and continues to reveal the secrets of planets, stars, and galaxies that lie trillions of miles away. In 2018, it will finally be retired and replaced by the larger, and more powerful, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The announcement, made by NASA on November 2, culminates a 20-year quest to build a state of the art telescope that cost $8.7 billion and required the construction of new assembly and testing facilities...

The Mannequin Challenge is the latest viral Internet video trend that is taking the world by storm. As the name indicates, it involves being frozen in action for about a minute while the video is being recorded, usually with a catchy tune playing in the background....

When the international team of sailors and researchers led by Professor Jon Adams from the University of Southampton established the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project, their primary goal was to map the sea floor and study the prehistoric landscapes flooded during the last Ice Age. So you can only imagine their delight, when they stumbled upon an unexpected treasure trove of perfectly preserved shipwrecks, many of which are known from historical sources, but have never been seen before....

While parrots are usually credited as the avian world’s best mimickers, the title probably belongs to the aptly named superb lyrebirds. Endemic to Australia, the ground birds are extremely shy and difficult to approach. Hence, though researchers have known of their ability to imitate everything, from other birds, to humans, and even car alarms and chainsaws, very little was known about their lifestyle in the wild. Now thanks to a team of researchers led by Dr. Anastasia Dalziell, a Postdoctoral Associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, we finally have some insight into these amazing ancient animals that have been around for millions of years....

While full moons are always a delight to watch, the one scheduled to make an appearance on November 14 will be even more so. That’s because it is no ordinary full moon, but the brightest and biggest “supermoon” since 1948. The next time you will encounter this glorious a sight, will be on November 25, 2034....

The fact that Donald Trump was unlike other candidates has been apparent since he announced his bid for the US Presidency in January. The real-estate mogul and businessman promised to “Make America Great Again” with radical suggestions like building a wall to stop illegal immigrants and imposing tariffs to discourage imports. While many of his ideas were not ‘politically correct,’ and even bordered on being unconstitutional, they struck a chord with the American public. On November 8, much to the surprise of experts, it was not the politically astute Hillary Clinton, but the business savvy Trump who was elected the 45th President of the United States....

On Friday, November 11, Americans will celebrate Veterans Day. The federal holiday honors the brave men and women of the armed forces who risk their lives to protect our freedom. They include members of the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, National Guard, Air Force, and the Coast Guard....