With between 600,000 and a million books being published or self-published just in America each year, it is getting increasingly hard for writers to get their books noticed. Most stick to old-fashioned tactics like book tours that allow them to connect with their existing readers and attract new ones. However, there are a few that pull some amazing marketing stunts to get their publications noticed....

Animals adapt in various ways to protect themselves from predators. Some take on the smell of the food they consume, while others build decoys. But very few are able to do what the cinereous mourner that resides in the Peruvian Amazon rainforests has done. This dull gray bird has evolved such that its chicks not only closely resemble a brightly colored toxic neighbor, but also act like it!...

The countdown has begun - in less than three days, Americans all across the country will hunker down to watch the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots battle it out for the title of National Football League Champion. Called Super Bowl Sunday or Super Sunday, it is the most watched annual television program in the United States....

While most of us want to help those in need, we are often constrained by our own finances. Now a Philadelphia man is demonstrating that sometimes it takes as little as a slice of pizza, to make a big difference in a person's life....

The world is filled with extremely talented sand artists - people that can masterfully carve up giant castles, sculptures and even paintings, using just sand and water. But very few are as adorable as Beachbot - a robot which will keep the audience entertained as it scurries around creating beautiful masterpieces....

On Thursday, January 22nd, social media sites were buzzing with excitement at the pictures of the blue patches of glimmering water along Hong Kong's coastline. However, experts were not as thrilled. That's because while the algal bloom responsible for this mesmerizing sight are not toxic to humans, they are well-known to wreak havoc on marine life....

Mention the Indian subcontinent and one of the first things that comes to mind is the Taj Mahal. Located in Agra, the mausoleum that is widely hailed as the "Jewel of Muslim art in India", was built in the 1600's by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Intricately crafted from pure white marble, the masterpiece that took about 22 years to complete, is considered one of the seven wonders of the modern world and visited by millions of people each year....

Here is a story most of you are probably familiar with. Kid gets invited to a classmate's birthday party. Parents respond with a resounding yes, but later realize they have a conflict and decide it's okay to skip the party without informing the host. End of story right? No, says this British mother who wants the errant party to pay for the cost incurred....

On March 28th, US astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft on a historic mission - a year long visit to the International Space Station. The trip, the first of many that will be undertaken before a manned mission to Mars, is a test to gather information about the psychological and physical effects of extended space travel on the human body....

Animals use many tricks to hide from predators - from blending in with the environment to disguising themselves into something unsavory and even, creating decoys. While different, they are all optical. Now scientists have uncovered a fish species that uses both visual and chemical camouflage. That means they not only blend in with the colorful coral they feed on, but also smell like it!...

First there was San Francisco-based Lava Mae that came up with the brilliant idea of mobile showers for the homeless, and now two Australian youngsters that have created a similar laundry service for those down on their luck....

On Sunday, January 11th, almost 4 million people across France and several hundred thousand more globally, marched in solidarity against terrorism. The biggest gathering was in Paris where an estimated 1.7 million people, including 40 world leaders, walked along the boulevards and avenues of central Paris. Some were carrying signs with the slogan “Je suis Charlie” (I am Charlie), while others held up large stylized pencils or wore writing implements on their hats or other items of clothing....

On January 5th, 2015, visitors from all over the globe flocked to the world-renowned Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in Northeast China to admire the beautiful snow sculptures, towering ice castles and intricately chiseled 'snice' (snow & ice) buildings. Now in its 31st year, the annual extravaganza that takes place in its namesake city of Harbin, encompasses an area of about 75,000 square meters and ranks amongst the largest ice and snow festivals in the world....

Happy 2015! As is the tradition, at the stroke of midnight on December 31st, 2014, cities all around the world welcomed the new year with elaborate fireworks. Though you may have seen the ones where you reside, chances are you missed some of the other spectacular displays that took place globally. So settle down with a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy the show!...

While holiday classics like Elf, Home Alone, and The Polar Express, can be viewed any time of the year, "The Yule Log" - a show that features a warm crackling fire - can only be seen during Christmas. It is therefore no wonder that fans look forward to it with such anticipation, year after year!...

Every New Year, millions of people make a resolution only to see it fall by the wayside within a few months, weeks, or even days. However, 26-year-old Luke Cameron is not amongst those. After losing a close family friend known for her generosity to cancer in 2013, the young man vowed to do at least one good deed a day, for 365 days - and he has not missed yet....

This holiday season, the people of Japan are dealing with an unusual food crisis - a butter shortage! Though that would not be a problem any other time of the year, it is during Christmas, because of an age-old Japanese tradition of celebrating the day with a delectable strawberry and cream sponge cake that is baked with . . . lots of butter!...

If the sun appears to set a little earlier (or later) this Sunday, it is not your imagination. That's because depending on where you live, December 21st will be the shortest or longest day of 2014. Also known as the winter (or summer) solstice, it marks the official start of winter for the residents of the Northern Hemisphere and summer for those that live in the Southern Hemisphere....

The "Field with irises near Arles" is one of Dutch artist Van Gogh's most famous paintings. Believed to have been the first of the 130 paintings the artist created while at the Saint Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Remy, France, it is amongst his most recognized and coveted masterpieces. Not surprisingly, the painting has been extremely well-preserved and looks as good as when the artist first painted it, except for one thing - the once purple irises have started to turn blue....

With their large flattened heads, small beady eyes and slimy skins, Japanese giant salamanders are not destined to take home the prize for "best-looking". However, according to a team of scientists they may just be eligible for the most "awesome dad" award, at least amongst amphibian males who are not known for their nurturing personalities....

With Christmas less than two weeks away, your neighborhood is probably aglow with beautiful lights. However they will pale in comparison to nature's own light show, the Geminids. Though this annual celestial display that has been nicknamed the 900-pound gorilla of meteor showers has been visible since December 4th, their best showing will be on the night of December 13th and the early morning of the 14th, until about 2.00 am local time....

After a day's delay caused by a wayward boat, bad weather, and some technical problems, NASA's next generation spacecraft Orion, blasted off to space from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 7.05 EST on Friday, December 5th. Perched atop a Delta 4 heavy rocket, it soared through the Earth's atmosphere and disappeared into space....

If you have ever tried a new sport or attempted learning a musical instrument, you are well aware that the hardest part is getting started. Once you figure out the technique, the skills return fairly easily, even if they are not used for long periods of time. Most experts attribute this to "muscle memory," which means the brain remembers the action and can recall it when needed. Now some researchers from John Hopkins University, believe there is another factor that may be as important in recalling previously learned motor skills - the errors made while learning the task....

An ancient Egyptian handbook that has been in the possession of Macquarie University's Museum of Ancient Cultures in Sydney, Australia, since 1981, has finally been deciphered. According to Macquarie University professor Malcolm Choat and University of Sydney professor Iain Gardner, the book contains magical spells that residents of ancient Egypt drew upon, to make all kinds of wishes come true....