'Smart' Bandage Extracts Bacteria From WoundsIn 1920, Johnson and Johnson employee Earle Dickson created the first bandage to cover the frequent burns and cuts his wife Josephine inflicted on herself while cooking. The hand-made prototype was instantly adopted by his employer and marketed as Band-Aid, a brand that has become synonymous with the word bandage. However, while the adhesive strips may now look different from Dickson's creation they still perform the same job - Prevent bacteria from entering wounds....
Read news articleHow Hurricane Joaquin Contributed To South Carolina's Historic Rainfall Without Making LandfallOn October 3rd, East Coast residents were relieved to hear that Hurricane Joaquin which had been hurtling towards the U.S., was no longer a threat. According to meteorologists, the hurricane that was weakened to a category 3 after battering the Bahamas, would likely remain out to sea instead of ramming into the coastline as had been previously thought....
Read news articleNational Zoo's Adorable Newborn Giant Panda Is Named Bei Bei (Precious Treasure)On September 25th, US first lady Michelle Obama and China's first lady Peng Liyuan announced that the recently born giant panda at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington D.C. would be called Bei Bei. The name which means 'precious treasure' in Mandarin Chinese, was selected from a list suggested by officials at the zoo and the Wolong Nature Reserve in China....
Read news articleIG Nobel Prizes Honor 'Fun' Scientific ResearchThis morning, William Campbell, Satoshi Omura, and Youyou Tu, were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine for their work on parasitic diseases. Though the brilliant scientists certainly deserve the honor for their groundbreaking research, for most of us, reading about their and the achievements of other Nobel laureates can be overwhelming and perhaps even a little boring. However, the same cannot be said about the winners of the IG Nobel Prize that celebrates 'fun' scientific research....
Read news articleThis 'Glowing' Sea Turtle Is The World's First Known Biofluorescent ReptileWhen the team of marine biologists led by David Gruber of the City University of New York headed to Solomon Islands in the South Pacific in late July, they were hoping to film some biofluorescent sharks and coral reefs. What they had never expected to find was the world's first-known biofluorescent reptile....
Read news articleTwenty-Year-Old Boyan Slat Takes On The Monumental Task Of Cleaning Our OceansMost 20-year-olds are still trying to figure out what they want to do in life. Not Boyan Slat. Ever since he was 16-years old, the Dutch teenager has had one mission - To clean up the trillions of pieces of plastic that are polluting our oceans and killing precious marine life. What's amazing is that this young man who started with what sounded like an outlandish dream may actually be able to pull off this gargantuan task!...
Read news articleUkraine's Unique "Apple Tree Colony" Comprises One Ancient Apple TreeAs far as age goes, the 220-year-old apple tree in Krolevets, Ukraine, is a young pup. After all, California's giant sequoias and redwoods have been around for thousands of years. However, none can do what this unique tree has been able to - Self-propagate a colony of fifteen family trees that combined cover an area of 1,000 sq. meters (10,763 sq.feet)....
Read news articleThe Crafty Wasps That Turn Spiders Into Web-Weaving Zombie SlavesMention wasps and you are bound to hear exasperated tales of picnic sabotages and painful stings. But as it turns out, humans have it relatively easy, at least compared to some poor spiders that the wasps turn into web-weaving zombie slaves....
Read news articleRare Supermoon Lunar Eclipse Is Less Than A Week AwayOn Sunday, September 27th, skywatchers will witness the grand finale of the rare lunar eclipse tetrad (series of four consecutive total lunar eclipses). And it promises to be quite a show. That's because this one involves a full moon and perigee. This means that the celestial body will be at its closest distance to earth, giving it a larger than life appearance. The last time the world witnessed this phenomenon was in 1982, and the next one will not be until 2033!...
Read news articleIs Homo Naledi A New Species Of Human Ancestor?About two years ago, recreational cave explorers Steven Tucker and Rick Hunter, were crawling through the tight crevices of a popular cavern called Rising Star near Johannesburg, when they stumbled upon a hidden chamber. Inside was a plethora of perfectly preserved fossilized bones, many of which looked almost human....
Read news articleJapanese Fisherman Reels In Monster WolffishJapanese fisherman Hiroshi Hirasaka has an unusual hobby. He likes to catch and eat exotic and bizarre-looking creatures.The avid hunter has even outlined his conquests in a book called "Exotic Fish Species: I Caught, Judged and Tried Eating." Hence, you can only imagine his delight when he reeled in yet another scary looking specimen off the coast of Japan's Hokkaido Island, on August 30th....
Read news articleScientists Discover The Obvious - Teenage Brains Are Wired To Be Impatient And Impulsive!The words teenager and patience are rarely uttered in one sentence. Adolescents are well-known for being irritable, impulsive, and craving instant gratification. According to the researchers from Berlin-based Max Planck Institute for Human Development, it is not because of hormones or that teens like to "act up." It is simply because the structural connections inside their 'amygdala' or emotional center of the brain, are still developing, limiting their ability to think ahead about the consequences of their actions....
Read news articleDutch Designer Joris Laarman Plans To 3D Print A Steel Bridge In Mid-AirFrom customizable figurines to prosthetics, 3D printing has revolutionized the way we build and manufacture things. However, nobody has ever attempted what Dutch designer Joris Laarman plans to do - Use the technology to "print" a pedestrian bridge exactly where it will live - Over one of Amsterdam's old city canals....
Read news articleSix "Astronauts" Embark On A Yearlong Mock Mission To MarsOn August 28, six researchers who barely know each other made their way to the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii's Big Island for a year-long "vacation." However, the crew of three men and three women that includes a soil scientist, a doctor, a post-grad architect student, and an astrobiologist, did not check into a fancy resort. Instead, they locked themselves up inside a solar-powered dome without fresh air, fresh food, or privacy....
Read news articleJohns Hopkins Researchers Attribute ALS Research Breakthrough To 2014's Ice Bucket ChallengeThe summer of 2014 was all about people pouring orange buckets of ice water over their heads and challenging others to do the same. But as fun as it was, the individuals were not just goofing off. They were rising to the Ice Bucket Challenge that encouraged people to either douse themselves or donate $100 USD towards ALS research. The dare that went viral globally enabled the Foundation to raise an astounding $115 million USD in a few short months. Now, just a year later, the generous donation is helping facilitate new breakthroughs in the disease that currently has no cure....
Read news articleLight Sensitive Proteins Enable Octopuses To "See" With Their SkinThe octopus has long fascinated scientists. The intelligent cephalopods have been known to use coconut shells for mobile homes and armor, disable their suckers to avoid becoming a tangled mess, plot escapes from aquarium enclosures, and even predict World Cup soccer game outcomes....
Read news articleCan Smarter School Designs Inspire Students To Become More Active And Make Healthier Food Choices?With childhood obesity rates on the rise, schools are going all out to encourage students to become more active and make healthier food choices. Some have added standing desks; others have revamped their cafeteria menus. In Dillwyn, Virginia, the educators have gone one step further - They have designed a school that incorporates movement and healthy eating....
Read news articleIce Cream That Does Not Melt (Immediately)? Sweet!What's better than a scoop of ice cream on a hot summer day? How about one that doesn't melt into a sticky puddle within minutes? That, believe it or not, could soon become a reality thanks to the ingenious scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee....
Read news articleNemo's Garden Takes Farming To The Next Frontier - Underwater!An agricultural experiment called Nemo's Garden is taking farming to a new level - about 20-feet below the ocean's surface! The endeavor is the brainchild of Italian entrepreneur and scuba diving enthusiast Sergio Gamberini who wanted to combine his passion for diving and farming to create a sustainable food source without disturbing the underwater ecosystem....
Read news articleFacebook And Google Vie To Bring Internet Connectivity To AllFor those living in developed countries, life without Internet connectivity is almost unimaginable. However, about 4 billion people across the world still have sketchy or no access to the massive networking structure that has transformed the world into a global village. But if social networking powerhouse Facebook and search giant Google have their way, that will soon be a thing of the past....
Read news articleISS Astronauts Enjoy First Space-Grown SaladSpace food has come a long way since John Glenn orbited Earth in 1962. He and other members of Project Mercury, the first American human spaceflight program, had to endure unappetizing foods that came in the form of bite-sized cubes, freeze-dried powders, and semi-liquids stuffed in aluminum tubes. Today astronauts can select from an extensive menu of over 70 foods and 20 beverages. The one thing they still can't get? Fresh fruits and vegetables!...
Read news articleWhy Los Angeles Reservoirs Are Covered With Black Plastic BallsOn August 13, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti along with officials from the water department watched as the last 20,000 "shade balls" rolled their way into the city's largest in-basin water reservoir. The release marked the final phase of the project that involved covering the 175-acre lake with 96-million four-inch black plastic balls. Their purpose? To provide shade and improve water quality....
Read news articleThe Color-Changing Dusky Dottyback Is A Master Of DisguiseCamouflage is not a new concept in the animal kingdom. From grasshoppers blending in with leaves to owls mimicking tree barks, many animals, birds, and insects, depend on their ability to hide in plain sight for survival. But if there were an Oscar for the species with the best disguise, it would surely go to the dusky dottyback. The crafty predator fish can change its color to mimic that of its prey's parents, allowing it to feast on their juveniles, without raising suspicion....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Talented Five-Year Old "Hypnotizes" AnimalsWhen Ying Ying walked up on the stage at a recent audition of the Amazing Chinese Show, the judges were not sure what to expect. After all, she is just five-years-old. So you can only imagine their surprise when the poised girl began showcasing her unique "hypnotizing" skills on some unsuspecting animals....
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