Making Sense Of The Ebola Virus

Every few years, a new pandemic hits the globe and sends shivers down everyone's spines. The latest one making headlines is the Ebola virus, that has infected 6,263 people and caused 2,917 deaths in five West African countries, since the latest outbreak began in March 2014. So what is this disease that scientists have yet to find a cure for, and how do people catch it? Read on!...

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Get Ready For 2014's Second And Final Total Lunar Eclipse

During the early hours of Wednesday, October 8th, North American residents will experience the second of the four total lunar eclipses that are scheduled to occur before the end of 2015. The 'tetrad' lunar eclipses are a rare phenomenon - one that has been encountered only a handful of times during this century. NASA experts say that thanks to the time of occurrence, the stunning sight of the bright full moon turning a lovely shade of celestial red, will be visible in even the most light-polluted cities....

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Why 21st Century Classrooms May Soon Have "Standing" Room Only

Love to sink into your chairs and relax when you get to school? Then you will not be thrilled to hear that schools all over the world are seriously considering swapping out conventional desks for ones with no seats at all - Yes, that means you will be encouraged to stand through those already excruciatingly long, math and science sessions! But before you get all nervous, there will be movable stools available for those that are unable or unwilling to stay on their feet for the entire school day....

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MIT's Robotic Cheetah Gets Ready To Take On The World (And Usain Bolt)

At first sight, MIT's recently unveiled "Cheetah", may look like an assortment of gears, batteries and motors, but watch it in action and you will soon be reminded of its spotted namesake that also happens to be nature's fastest land predator. Though the robot cannot attain speeds of 60 mph like the real cheetah, the researchers believe they can bring it to race at least 30 mph making it the world's fastest quadruped robot and also, the fastest human (if it were one), since it would easily outrun Usain Bolt's maximum speed of 28 mph!...

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How The Removal Of A 'Nuisance' Predator Wreaked Havoc On Yellowstone National Park's Ecosystem

In the 1800's the Rocky Mountain West area of the USA that now includes Yellowstone National Park, was teeming with gray wolves. However they were considered nuisance predators who killed livestock and therefore, actively hunted down. By the time the National Park was established in 1827, the number of gray wolves had diminished substantially, a trend that continued thanks to a government predator control program that ensured that by 1926, there were none left....

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Always Craving Chips And Cookies? Blame It On Your Gut Bacteria!

Always craving junk food? Now you can blame it on the millions of bacteria that live in your gut - At least that's what some researchers from UC San Francisco, Arizona State University and University of New Mexico, have concluded after reviewing the latest scientific literature about microbes. According to Athena Aktipis, one of the authors of the study, which was published in the journal Bio Essays in mid-August, these microscopic organisms are extremely bossy and have the power to influence not just our food cravings but also moods and overall well-being....

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Yay! Simultaneous Solar Flares Create Beautiful Auroras But No Disruptions

Last week, scientists waited in anticipation for two massive solar flares that were scheduled to hit the earth's magnetic field on September 11th and 12th, respectively. While the outbursts were not expected to be as powerful as the ones experienced in 2012, it was the back-to-back occurrence that had experts concerned about the damage they could cause to our satellites, electric grids and GPS systems....

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Tire-Makers Turn To The Humble Dandelion For Rubber

Dandelions have long been considered a nuisance weed by most gardeners. However they, along with the rest of the world, may soon start treating the annoying plant with the respect it deserves. That's because the white milky sap of their taproot contains particles of rubber of such superior quality, that Dutch biologist Ingrid van der Meer, refers to dandelions as the future of road transport....

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Scientists Use GPS To Solve The Mystery of Death Valley's 'Rolling Stones'

Death Valley National Park in California's Mojave Desert is known for many things - Its extreme temperatures, varied altitude that ranges from 282ft. below sea level to 11,000ft. above, beautiful rugged terrain and most of all, 'rolling' or 'dancing' stones. The phenomenon whereby large boulders, some weighing as much as 500 lbs, move several hundred yards in a straight line or zigzag patterns, has confounded experts for years....

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Massive Dreadnoughtus And Alien-Like Spinosaurus The Latest Dinosaurs To Create Waves

Though dinosaur finds are revealed on a fairly regular basis, very few result in as much excitement as the latest two. On Thursday, September 4th, a team of scientists led by Kenneth Lacovara, an associate professor at Philadelphia's Drexel University unveiled the Dreadnoughtus schrani, which they believe is the biggest known land animal to have ever inhabited Earth. While dinosaur fans were still digesting the facts, on September 11th, came news of the re-discovery of the Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, the only known semi-aquatic dinosaur....

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Bite-Size Kilobots Demonstrate The Power Of Teamwork

Insects like ants and termites are amongst the world's best collaborators. Unlike most humans they have figured out that by working together, they can accomplish much more than they can individually. That is what some researchers are hoping to attain with Kilobots - bite size robots capable of ant-like teamwork and intelligence....

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Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Lava Inches Toward Homes

Mention Hawaii and the first thing that comes to mind are the pristine beaches. What is not as well known is that Hawaii's Big Island is also home to some of the world's most active volcanoes, including the spectacular Kilauea! While the dynamic volcano has been erupting almost nonstop since 1983, some years, the amount of magma coughed up is larger than others....

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Massive Underground 'Ocean' Probably The Source Of Our Surface Seas

Scientists have long suspected that there is water trapped deep inside the Earth's interior. However, they had never been able to verify it. Hence geologists had no choice but to adopt the theory that the water in our oceans was deposited by icy comets hitting the forming planet. Now thanks to evidence uncovered by Associate Professor Steven Jacobsen of Northwestern University and seismologist Brandon Schmandt from the University of New Mexico, there is finally proof that our oceans may have emerged from a massive reserve that lies 400 miles beneath the Earth's crust....

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Italian Adventurer Alex Bellini Plans To Live On An Iceberg Until . . . It Melts!

Though most people believe that climate change is real and likely to result in some catastrophic events if allowed to continue unabated, very few are ready to make the lifestyle changes needed to turn things around. That's why Italian adventurer Alex Bellini has come up with the radical idea of living atop an iceberg, until it melts. He believes that witnessing something this dramatic may be the key to convincing more people to take action....

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Candy That Doesn't Cause Cavities? Sweet!

One of the biggest knocks against candy is that it causes cavities. Now some genius scientists from Berlin-based biotechnology firm, OrganoBalance, may have figured out a way to manufacture the sweet treats in a way that eliminates that risk almost entirely. Sounds too good to be true? Read on . . ....

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Video Of The Week - Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Earth

While most people are curious about how Earth was formed and more importantly, how it transformed into this habitable paradise, very few, have the patience to pore over complicated science books to find out. Now, thanks to this amazing video created by Germany's Kurzgesagt, our beautiful planet's entire history can be mastered in about seven minutes!...

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Can 'Mini-Farms' Help Solve World Hunger?

Data gathered by humanitarian organization, World Food Programme, indicates that every year over 847 million people worldwide, suffer from malnutrition and about 3.1 million children under the age of five, die from starvation. While eradicating world hunger is a top priority for both scientists and philanthropists, given the increasing global population and dwindling natural resources, it is not easy. But thanks to new innovations like the recently introduced 'LivingBox', there may be some hope....

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Incredible 'Tree Of 40 Fruit' Lives Up To Its Name

Award-winning artist and professor Sam Van Aken has managed to accomplish what very few people are able to do - combine art and science together in a project that is as visually stunning, as it is biologically amazing. He has created trees that grow not one or two, but more than 40 types of stone fruit that include numerous kinds of peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines and cherries. What's even more amazing is that many of the fruits are ancient, hard-to-find, varieties....

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Our Disappearing Birds

Land animals are not the only ones being affected by the loss of habitat and climate change. The issues are taking their toll on birds too. Experts estimate that since the 1500's, over 190 bird species have become extinct. Of these, at least 12 were endemic to North America....

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Can Giant Walls Deter The Formation Of Destructive Tornadoes?

Tornados in the Midwestern and Southern United States have always been a troubling yet fascinating phenomenon - just think of Dorothy's whirlwind adventure in the Wizard of Oz! Occurring predominantly in the area east of the Rocky Mountains dubbed 'Tornado Alley', they form during severe thunderstorms called supercells that occur when cold dry polar air comes in contact with warm moist tropical air....

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