Prepare Your Pranks: April Fools' Day Is Just Around The Corner!For people who enjoy pranks, there is no better holiday than April Fools' Day. Celebrated annually on April 1, it is the only day of the year when light-hearted tricks are not frowned upon. The origin of this fun tradition is hazy. Some maintain that it started in 1582 when the world moved from the Julian calendar — which began the new year in April — to the current Gregorian calendar. Others think it was to celebrate the onset of spring....
Read news articleEaster Celebrations And Traditions From Around The WorldEaster, the oldest and most important Christian festival, will be observed on March 31, 2024. The holiday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many American adults mark the event by attending special church services. For children in the US, Easter means egg hunts, parades, and the Easter Bunny. But not everyone celebrates the holiday with these traditions. Here are a few fun customs from around the world....
Read news articleIngenious "Fish Doorbell" Helps Fish Migration In The NetherlandsEvery spring, many fish species migrate from the Vecht, a branch of the Rhine River, to the shallow waters of the Kromme Rijn River to spawn and reproduce. However, their journey often stops at the Weerdsluis lock in Utrecht, Netherlands. The manually operated lock, designed to maintain the canal's water levels, rarely opens in the spring months. But now, thanks to an interactive "fish doorbell," the marine animals are able to reach their destination with little or no disruption....
Read news articleEarth Hour 2024 Shines A Spotlight On The Health Of Our PlanetEarth Hour 2024 will occur on March 23 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time. The event, held annually toward the end of March, encourages individuals, communities, and businesses worldwide to turn off non-essential electric lights for one hour. The voluntary rolling blackouts are also observed by landmark structures such as the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building. They remind us of the urgent need to protect our planet....
Read news articleShape-Shifting Plastic May Be In Your FutureWhat if you could transform the plastic spoon you used at lunch into a cup for your water and then change it back to a spoon? That is precisely what researchers at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering had in mind when they created "pluripotent plastic."...
Read news articleNew Gene Therapy Enables Five Deaf Children To Hear For The First TimeA novel gene therapy is bringing hope to children born with a specific type of hereditary deafness. On January 25, 2024, researchers at China's Fudan University and Harvard Medical School (HMS) announced that the groundbreaking treatment had restored the hearing of five of the six test patients....
Read news articleCursive Writing Is Making A Comeback In US Public SchoolsAfter being removed from the curriculum for over 14 years, cursive writing is making a comeback in some US public schools. For those unfamiliar with the term, it is the elegant form of penmanship where letters or characters are joined together in a flowing manner, generally to make writing faster....
Read news articleSuper Tuesday Results Suggest A Joe Biden And Donald Trump Rematch In November ElectionsMarch 5, 2024, was Super Tuesday. It was the day when 16 American states held primary elections and caucuses. This all-important day is crucial for US presidential hopefuls because front-runners frequently receive their respective political party's nomination....
Read news articleEight-Year-Old Ashwath Kaushik Is The Youngest To Defeat A Chess GrandmasterAn 8-year-old has become the youngest player ever to defeat a grandmaster (GM) in classical chess. For those unfamiliar with the term, GM is the highest title a chess player can attain. Ashwath Kaushik achieved the incredible feat on February 18, 2024, after beating 37-year-old Jacek Stopa in round four of an international chess competition in Switzerland. Kaushik went on to finish in 12th place, but his victory over Stopa was the talk of the tournament....
Read news articleStink Alert! A Giant Corpse Flower Is In Full Bloom In San FranciscoOn February 27, 2024, biologists at San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences revealed that "Mirage," its resident titan arum, or corpse flower, had bloomed. The massive plants bloom once every seven to ten years. The flowers last just one to three days and emit a pungent odor reminiscent of rotting flesh. It is no wonder that titan arums are deemed the "world's stinkiest flower."...
Read news articleArcheologists Uncover Huge Network Of Ancient Cities In Amazon RainforestResearchers have always suspected that the Amazonian rainforests were once home to ancient cities. However, looking for remains of urban structures in the thick, remote forests was a difficult endeavor. But the use of Light Detection and Ranging, or Lidar, has been a game changer. The remote sensing technology uses laser light to help identify human-made features on the ground, such as walls, roads, or buildings. It has led to several exciting discoveries. The latest to be revealed is a network of 15 ancient settlements in the Upano Valley of eastern Ecuador in South America....
Read news articlePrivately-Owned Odysseus Is The First US Spacecraft To Land On The Moon In 50 YearsA week after launching aboard a SpaceX rocket, the uncrewed Odysseus spacecraft gently landed near the Moon's south pole at 6:32 pm ET on February 22, 2024. The 14-foot-tall (4.3 meters) lander was developed and flown by Texas-based Intuitive Machines. It is the first privately-built spacecraft to make a moon landing. More significantly, Odysseus is the first American lander to successfully touch down on the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in December 1972....
Read news articleMeet Methuselah, The World's Oldest Living Aquarium FishMethuselah, a female Australian lungfish at San Francisco's Steinhart Aquarium, has always been a favorite with locals. But she has achieved global fame since September 2023, after scientists announced that she was at least 93 years old, making Methuselah the world's oldest living aquarium fish. The title was previously held by Grandad, an Australian lungfish who lived at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. He was believed to be between 109 and 115 years old when he died in 2017....
Read news article90,000-Year-Old Human Footprints Found On Moroccan BeachAn international team of archeologists examining boulders in Larache, Morocco, in June 2022 stumbled upon an exciting find — 85 ancient human footprints pressed on the beach. The two trails of intact prints are estimated to be around 90,000 years old. They are the first such tracks found in North Africa. They are also among the oldest ones attributed to modern humans. The details of the fascinating discovery were published in the journal Nature in January 2024....
Read news articleNew Research Suggests Starfish Bodies Are Really Just HeadsAs far as anatomy goes, there have been few animals as puzzling to researchers as the starfish. Most animals have easily identifiable heads, bodies, and legs. However, starfish bodies are made up of five identical arms with a layer of "tube feet," to help them propel forward. The lack of a discernable head led some to even suggest they did not have one. But, a new study asserts that the opposite is true. The sea star's body is just one big head and no tail!...
Read news articleSix Unpaired Michael Jordan Sneakers Fetch A Record $8 MillionSix single Nike Air Jordans, worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan, fetched $8 million at a Sotheby's auction on February 2, 2024. The jaw-dropping price set a new global auction record for game-worn sneakers....
Read news articleNesting Chinstrap Penguins Take About 10,000 Naps A Day!Adult Chinstrap penguins love their naps. A recent study found that the flightless birds take as many as 10,000 naps a day when nesting! Each snooze lasts about four seconds, adding up to a total of 11 hours. But at no point do the penguins fall into deep sleep....
Read news articleYosemite National Park's Firefall Season Has BegunCalifornia's Yosemite National Park is famous for its giant, ancient sequoia trees and impressive rock formations. They include El Capitan and Half Dome. But from mid to late February, the park's main attraction is Horsetail Fall, located at the edge of the eastern side of El Capitan. During this time, the setting Sun hits the seasonal waterfall at just the right angle, creating the illusion that it is on fire....
Read news articleGroundbreaking Study Finds Light Can Evaporate WaterEvaporation has long been thought to happen only when a liquid absorbs enough heat to turn into vapor. However, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently found the process can also occur in the presence of just light....
Read news articleHow The Stanley Cup Became A Must-Have Fashion AccessoryThere is no shortage of reusable water bottles available to consumers. However, few can claim the popularity of the Stanley Quencher. Social media sites like TikTok are rampant with videos of individuals showing off their extensive collections or camping outside Target to get a limited edition "Stanley." Though now considered a status symbol, the company and its tumblers have been around for over a century....
Read news articleGet Ready To Welcome The Year Of The Dragon!On February 10, 2024, over two billion people worldwide will celebrate the first day of the Chinese New Year. Also called Lunar or Spring New Year, it is one of China's most important holidays....
Read news articleVolcanic Eruptions Rock Iceland's Reykjanes PeninsulaAfter lying dormant for 6,000 years, the Fagradalsfjall volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula suddenly came to life in 2021. The eruption lasted six months. But it was considered minor, and posed no risk to nearby residents. However, the volcano's most recent outbursts are threatening the survival of Grindavík. The small fishing village of 3,800 residents is located about 6 miles (9.9 km) from the volcano....
Read news articleGroundhogs Predict An Early Spring!Tired of winter? Then, you will be delighted to know that spring is around the corner. On February 2, 2024, aka Groundhog Day, legendary woodchuck Punxsutawney Phil failed to see his shadow. This means the year's frosty weather will soon be a distant memory....
Read news article13-Year-Old Gamer Becomes The First Person Ever To Beat TetrisThe classic version of Tetris for Nintendo, released in 1985, has achieved remarkable success, with over 520 million copies sold worldwide. The game's objective is to stop the accumulation of falling geometric shapes by rotating and placing them into straight lines. In theory, the game can go on forever since there is no end screen. However, the accelerating pace of the falling blocks causes players to make mistakes, and the game always wins....
Read news article