Change Your Clocks: Daylight Saving Time Starts This Sunday

And in the blink of an eye, winter is over — at least when it comes to the clocks. On March 8, 2020, most Americans will "spring forward" by moving their clocks an hour ahead. Though the start of Daylight Saving Time (DST) means sacrificing sixty minutes of precious sleep or playtime on Sunday, it provides for longer spring and summer days....

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Joe Biden And Bernie Sanders Emerge As Front-Runners On Super Tuesday

March 3, 2020, marked the most significant day of voting in the Democratic Party's 2020 presidential nomination fight. Also known as Super Tuesday, it was the day when 14 states and one US territory (American Samoa) held primary elections and caucuses. The results provided the first real indication of the likely Democratic nominee for the November presidential elections against the incumbent Republican nominee, President Donald Trump....

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Overeager Service Dog Ryker Has Come A Long Way Since His Hilarious Training Test Video

Ryker, a gorgeous Belgian Malinois, achieved instant Internet fame in December 2018 after the trainers at the Double H Canine Training Academy in Louisville, Kentucky, released a hilarious training test video of the adorable puppy. Captioned "Epic Service Dog Training Failure," it showed the enthusiastic dog trying his best to follow the instructions, but miserably failing at every trick, that he was taught....

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Desert Locusts Are Wreaking Havoc In East Africa

Since the beginning of 2020, the East African country of Kenya has been battling the nation's worst desert locust outbreak in over 70 years. The destructive swarms, some as big as three times the size of New York City — an estimated 192 billion insects — are eating their way through thousands of acres of crops and animal pastures, decimating livelihoods in the process. Even worse, the locusts, which arrived from neighboring Somalia and Ethiopia, are now spreading to other countries, including Uganda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Congo....

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These Car-Sized Turtles Once Prowled The Lakes And Rivers Of Northern South America

Though it is now arid, the Urumaco region in Venezuela's Falcón State was once a mega wetland that was home to numerous colossal animal species. These included rodents the size of modern-day buffaloes and 10-foot (3-meter) tall carnivorous birds. The latest to join the list of the area's massive creatures is a giant turtle that was 100 times larger than its closest living relative, the Amazon river turtle, and about 1.5 times the size of the world's largest living turtle, the marine leatherback....

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Rejoice! February 2020 Has 29 Days!

Need an extra day to catch up on sleep or to finish an assignment this month? Then you are in luck, because 2020 is a leap year, an event that occurs once every four years. This means that instead of the customary 365 days, the year will have 366 days. Since the extra day is tacked onto the shortest month of the year, February 2020 will have 29 days....

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Yosemite National Park Waterfall Transforms Into A Mesmerizing "Firefall" Every February

California's Yosemite National Park is home to numerous stunning waterfalls. However, from mid-to-late February each year, the unlikely star of the pristine preserve is Horsetail Fall — a small, nondescript waterfall that forms over the eastern edge of the park's famous vertical rock formation, El Capitan, every winter. That's because, during the two-week-period, the temporary 1,000-foot fall frequently transforms into a spectacular "firefall" for about ten minutes a day during sunset....

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Scientists Use Plastic To Create Lightweight 18-Carat Gold

While jewelry crafted from gold can be gorgeous, even ardent fans will admit that wearing the heavy metal over long periods of time can get a little cumbersome and annoying. Now, researchers from Swiss university ETH Zurich have created a new form of lightweight gold that weighs five to ten times less than traditional 18-carat gold — which typically comprises 75 percent gold and 25 percent copper — but retains the same purity....

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11-Year-Old Skateboarding Phenom Sky Brown May Be Heading To The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics

At first sight, Sky Brown may appear to be like any other 11-year-old with a passion for skateboarding. However, spend a few minutes observing the young girl on the ramp, and you will realize that she is no ordinary skater, but a prodigy with several accolades under her belt. In addition to clinching the gold at the United Kingdom (UK) National Skateboarding Championship in 2019, she is currently ranked third in the world for women in the "park" discipline....

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Siba, A Standard Poodle, Crowned Top Dog At Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Though there are numerous dog shows held around the US every year, none are considered as prestigious as the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Now celebrating its 144th year, the "Super Bowl" of the canine world, is America's oldest dog show. This year's event, which took place at New York City's Madison Square Garden from February 8 to 11, 2020, attracted 2,500 competitors representing 204 breeds from 49 states and 19 countries....

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Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders Ekes Out A Narrow Victory in New Hampshire Primary

As is the case during every election year, the race for the US Presidency kicked off on February 3, 2020, with the Iowa caucus. However, after a malfunction in an app used to count and report the votes put the results of the Democratic winner in doubt, all attention turned to the year's second noteworthy poll — the New Hampshire primary, which took place on Tuesday, February 11, 2020....

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The Epic Love Saga Of Croatian Storks Malena And Klepetan Is A Valentine's Day Story For The Ages

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, people worldwide are scrambling to find the perfect way to show their appreciation for their loved ones. For most, that means buying gifts ranging from cards to chocolates, flowers, expensive outings, and even fine jewelry. However, as the world's most famous stork couple Klepetan and Malena have proved, showering family and friends with material objects is not the only way to demonstrate true love....

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US Senate Acquits President Donald Trump Of Impeachment Charges

On Wednesday, February 5, 2020, the US Senate acquitted President Donald Trump of charges that he had abused the powers of his office and obstructed Congress as it investigated his attempts to pressure Ukraine for his political gain. The historic decision concludes the lengthy judicial process that began on September 24, 2019, when Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, launched a formal impeachment inquiry into the US president....

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Researchers Discover Four New Species Of Walking Sharks!

A shark that walks in water instead of swimming might sound like a creature straight out of a science fiction thriller. However, that is precisely how the four new species of the fish — found in the tropical waters of the Indo-Australian archipelago — move across the seafloor. The unique ocean dwellers were discovered by a team of scientists, led by Dr. Christine Dudgeon from Australia's University of Queensland, during a 12-year global conservation study....

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The Sun's First Close-Up Image Is Mesmerizing!

It might be our closest star and absolutely essential for our existence, but, for the most part, the inner workings of the Sun remain a mystery to scientists. However, if the inaugural close-up of our star captured by the world's most powerful telescope — the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) — is any indication, that may soon be a thing of the past....

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Punxsutawney Phil Predicts An Early Spring For The Second Consecutive Year!

Amid the excitement of Super Bowl LIV, which ended with the Kansas City Chiefs' first championship title in fifty years, it may have slipped your mind that yesterday was Groundhog Day. Observed annually on February 2, the fun North American tradition stems from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog, emerging from its burrow, sees its shadow, winter will continue for six more weeks. Conversely, the animal's failure to observe one indicates that spring is around the corner....

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The New Coronavirus Explained

On December 31, 2019, Chinese officials announced that 27 people in Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s Hubei province, had been infected with a new strain of the coronavirus. Since then, the number of cases of the contagious affliction labeled 2019-nCoV, COVID-19, or Wuhan virus, have rapidly increased, with new cases being reported daily. On Thursday, January 30, 2020, The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global emergency, highlighting the urgency for a rapid coordinated international response to curb this global health risk....

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Rescuers In Northeast India Use The Archimedes' Principle To Save An Elephant In Distress

An elephant, who accidentally fell into a dry, 25-foot deep well in Northeast India, lived to see another day thanks to the quick-thinking rescuers' scientific knowledge. The chain of events unfolded early in the morning on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, when residents of Amliya toli village, in the state of Jharkhand, awoke to the cries of the stranded pachyderm and called the forest department for help....

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Americans Get Ready To Celebrate Super Bowl LIV

For those unfamiliar with the sport, the National Football League's (NFL) championship game, aka the Super Bowl, may seem like an ordinary season finale. However, don't tell that to the 194 million Americans who plan to watch the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs battle it out for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on February 2, 2020....

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