Remember ROY.G. BIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), the mnemonic that helped you to memorize the order and colors of the rainbow? Well, you can forget it because as it turns out, not all rainbows are equal. They can vary drastically depending on the conditions under which they occur. A team led by atmospheric scientist Jean Ricard of the National Centre for Meteorological Research in Toulouse, France, has identified twelve rainbow 'flavors', each with its own distinct characteristics....

When Pluto was demoted to dwarf status in 2006 we were left with a mere eight planets in our solar system. Now Planetary Astronomy Professor Mike Brown, the researcher responsible for 'killing' Pluto may have redeemed himself with the discovery of a massive ninth planet - One he believes is worthy of being added to the elite group of eight....

Being famous for having one of the most bitter winters in China and most likely the world does not sound like a good way to market a city. However, it works for Harbin. That's because for the residents of the capital of China's Heilongjiang Province it means a chance to stage a spectacular winter festival....

Thanks to strict regulations imposed by the US Environmental and Protection Agency, clean tap water is something Americans take for granted. But such is not the case for the residents of Flint, Michigan. Their water supply is so tainted that President Obama declared a federal state of emergency in Flint releasing up to $5 million USD to help the city combat what is probably one of the biggest public health crisis of recent times....

On December 30, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announced that elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 are now approved to join the prestigious periodic table. Their addition completes the group of man-made elements that make up the table's 7th row, and brings the total number that will need to be memorized by students to 118!...

On January 16, hundreds of panda lovers lined up outside the gates of the National Zoo in Washington D.C. to be the first to get a glimpse at Bei Bei. While the giant panda cub that was born on August 22, 2015 has been visible on the zoo's video camera, this was his first public appearance....

In an attempt to attract more female visitors to the area, officials of the Budai Township in Chiayi County, Taiwan have come up with an unusual idea - A church in the shape of a glass slipper. Though the design closely resembles Cinderella's shoe, it was inspired by a local, albeit sad folklore....

Food waste is a growing problem both in the United States and across the globe. In North America alone anywhere from 30-40% of perfectly edible food ends up in the trash each year. To put it in perspective that is almost 20 pounds of food per person, per month! While the fact that most ends up in our landfills is bad enough, what's worse is that over 48 million Americans, including 15.3 million kids, live in households that do not have sufficient food! Now, concerned citizens are trying to raise awareness of the issue with some innovative ideas....

Time and again we hear about alliances between animals that would ordinarily be prey and predator. But in most cases they are a result of a strategic decision made by zoo keepers trying to help one or both animals. However, that was not the intention of the workers at Russia's Safari Park when they allowed a goat into their resident Siberian tiger Amur's enclosure in November 2015. They were just serving him dinner! Hence, you can only imagine how surprised they were to find the goat alive and well the following day....

Every year on the third Monday of January, Americans celebrate the life and legacy of the extraordinary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK). It is thanks to the vision and courage of this tireless clergyman turned civil rights activist that America is today a nation where everyone has equal rights, regardless of race, color, creed, or national origin....

It is the beginning of a new year. This means that most of us have a lengthy list of goals laid out for the next 365 days. Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg is no exception. While his past resolutions have been mundane challenges like reading two books a month, meeting a new person every day of the year and mastering Mandarin, this year the Internet mogul has a loftier goal. He wants to build his own version of Tony Stark's (AKA Iron Man's) digital assistant and closest friend, Jarvis (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System)....

WestJet Airlines began the tradition of delighting unsuspecting passengers with well-deserved Christmas cheer in 2012, when they surprised weary travelers with free iPods. In 2013, the Canadian Airline granted the Christmas wishes of passengers on two late-night flights. The following year, the company upped the ante with Christmas deliveries to an impoverished community in the Dominican Republic. For 2015, the Airline's management went a step further by challenging each of its 12,000 employees to perform at least one Christmas 'miracle' within a stipulated 24-hour period....

The 2015 holiday season brought little cheer to the thousands of Southern California residents affected by a methane leak from an underground gas storage facility. Since late November, over 2,800 families from the Porter Ranch Community in Los Angeles have been forced to flee their homes to escape the adverse effects of the odorless gas. What's worse is that they have no idea when they will be able to return....

A few years ago, Douglas Long and his colleagues from the California Academy of Sciences were helping D. Ross Robertson identify some chimaeras caught off the Pacific coast of Central America in 2010. Among the images were those of a mysterious pitch black shark. Intrigued, the marine ichthyologist asked the Smithsonian Institute researcher to lend him the preserved specimens so that his team could study the fish in detail....

Access to clean water is something many of us take for granted. However, for millions of people living in developing nations, it is a scarce commodity. According to the World Health Organization 3.4 million people, mostly children, die annually from water-related diseases. But that could change soon thanks to 'Row-bot', a tiny autonomous robot that powers itself by eating harmful water microbes....

Manatees or sea cows as they are often called, are large, rotund marine animals that can weigh as much as 1,000 pounds. But despite their enormous size, the mostly herbivorous animals have no blubber to protect them from chilly winter waters. Hence, every winter, the gentle giants seek out warmer waters. For the approximately 6,000 Florida manatees that reside in the Gulf of Mexico it means heading to the balmy 72°F waters of the roughly one-acre Three Sisters Spring in Florida's Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge....

With smart technology increasingly infiltrating all aspects of our lives it was only a matter of time before someone invented 'smart' shoes - Ones that can be customized at the owner's whim. Called ‘ShiftWear,' the animated sneakers are the brainchild of a team of entrepreneurs, futurists, and engineers led by New York-based designer David Coelho....

At the stroke of midnight on December 31, cities around the world welcomed the new year with elaborate fireworks shows. Here are some of 2016's most spectacular displays. So cuddle up with a warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy the shows!...

In November 1966, Fred Thrower, the President of New York-based television station WPIX was faced with a dilemma. He had to figure out some exciting Christmas Eve programming to replace a three-hour slot left vacant by the cancelation of the regular Saturday night college basketball game....

When Disney acquired Lucas Films in 2012, fans were a little skeptical. After all, how can a company that is known for its feel-good princess movies do justice to epic franchises like Indiana Jones and Star Wars? The release of the first Star Wars movie under the Disney banner has alleviated those doubts....

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All hotels renovate periodically. However very few do it as frequently as Sweden's ICEHOTEL. As the name indicates the hotel that is located in the remote village of Jukkasjärvi is constructed entirely from ice and therefore, has to be rebuilt annually!...

Two weeks ago, representatives from 196 countries arrived in Paris to resolve one of the world's most pressing problems — Climate change. On Saturday, December 12th, the group emerged victorious with the first-ever global accord in the fight against global warming — One that U.S. President Obama hailed as the "turning point for the world" and the "best chance to save the one planet we've got."...

During a recent trip to the Barcelona Zoo in Spain, Dan Zaleski decided to entertain the resident orangutan with a magic trick. In the video, the orangutan is seen carefully observing the Connecticut resident as he places a chestnut inside a Styrofoam cup, seals it with a lid and then shakes it vigorously....