On Monday, January 27th, residents of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois woke up to a special treat - Giant snow rollers. Often described as nature's snow sculptures, the beautiful giant columns are a rare meteorological phenomenon....

For Americans, this year's winter has been an interesting dichotomy. While the eastern part of the country has been inundated with snow, the west has seen very little precipitation. One of the most affected is the State of California, which according to experts may be facing its worst drought since record-keeping began, about a century ago....

While powering personal devices with solar energy has become commonplace, harnessing wind energy to do the same has never been contemplated, because it would involve the arduous task of carrying around windmills. But what if the windmills could be reduced to a size so small that up to a thousand could fit comfortably inside the sleeve of a cell phone case?...

At most schools 'going green' means generating less trash or making a conscientious attempt to recycle. But at New York's Riverdale Country School, it means being encouraged to run and even jump in the hallway. That's because on January 7th, 2014, the school became the first American venue for the specially designed Pavegen floor tiles....

Water is normally thought to be the solution to extinguish fires, not ignite them. But when subjected to certain conditions, normal H2O can do the exact opposite. In order to create this magical liquid that scientists call 'supercritical water', it is first compressed at 217 times the air pressure found at sea level and then heated above 703°F (373°C)....

On Monday, January 6th, more than 140 million Americans woke up to frigid temperatures - ones that had not been experienced in at least 25 years. The Midwestern part of the country bore the brunt of the cold. Fort Wayne recorded a bone-chilling high of -13°F, while Chicago reported an even lower -16°F. And those numbers were without the windchill, (the effect the wind has on lowering the temperature), factored in....

The fact that Twitter, the social networking and microblogging site which enables users to send 'tweets' or 140 character messages to their followers is popular, is no secret. However so far the service was being used only by humans. Now it appears that some sharks that frequent the coastal regions of Western Australia have also joined the fray....

On November 21st, Japanese Coast Guards released photos of a brand new island created by an eruption of an underwater volcano in the Pacific Ocean, about a thousand kilometers south of the country's capital, Tokyo. While exciting, it received a somewhat lukewarm reception, given that most such islands tend to disappear within a short period of time. However now it seems that the volcanic landmass that has been called Niijima, may be here to stay!...

Hummingbirds have long been admired for their striking jewel-like plumage and minute size. With over 356 recognized species, these dainty creatures are found all the way from Alaska to the southernmost part of South America. And though they are the smallest members of the avian community, they have the largest brains (in proportion to their bodies) and are known to be quite smart! A hummingbird will remember every flower it has ever visited, and how long the plant will take to refill with nectar....

Sweden's ICEHOTEL is known for many things - Its 'out of this world' location, gorgeous architecture and even freezing comfort. But the one thing it is not, is longevity! The hotel located in the village of Jukkasjärvi has to be rebuilt from scratch every year because it is carved entirely from ice blocks that melt when the summer comes along. The great part about that is, each rendition gets increasingly better!...

Though the comet of the century, ISON, may have the dependable annual Geminid showers have arrived and will be in full blossom starting today, Thursday, December 12th, all the way through to Monday, December, 16th. Nicknamed the 900-pound gorilla of meteor showers by NASA, they outweigh other dust streams by factors of between 5 to 500!...

Just a week ago, ISON was being touted as the 'Comet of the Century' - one that would provide a celestial show like none other. Alas, such was not the case. It appears as though the mighty comet's close meeting with the sun did not go so well, causing it to . . . just fizzle away....

When words like 'complex machines' and 'ingenious engineers' are used to describe something, the last thing that comes to mind is the drab mushroom, the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus. But that is exactly what Emilie Dressaire, professor of experimental fluid mechanics from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, is calling them after discovering that these amazing toadstools possess the capability of creating their own microclimate....

Remember troll dolls? The ones that were all the rage in the 1960's and then for brief periods of time from the 1970's to 1990's? Well it turns out that nature has it own version and as usual, it is a lot better looking than the one created by humans....

While above-ground active volcanoes in the Antarctica are nothing new, finding one that is buried deep inside its thick ice layer is certainly a first. The exciting discovery was revealed in the November issue of Nature Geoscience by researchers from the Washington University in St. Louis, who stumbled upon the frozen continent's well-kept secret, accidentally....

While the presence of rats in homes may cause anxiety and annoyance, they rarely result in driving out the residents. But that is exactly what happened to the inhabitants of the 10-square-mile Hawadax Island off the coast of Alaska, almost 230 years ago. Now thanks to a five-year effort by conservationists, the eerily silent 'Rat Island' as it had been dubbed for many years, has been returned to its rightful owners - birds!...

Stargazers all over the world are abuzz with excitement. That's because for the first time ever, comet ISON has started making its way through our inner solar system. While comets skirting by earth are nothing new, this one is being dubbed 'Comet of the Century', thanks to its orbit that takes it so close to the sun that it could result in an unprecedented cosmic scene, caused by the distinct bright tail created when the ice on the comet's body vaporizes....

We are all familiar with the rocky, red surface of present day Mars - After all, that is why it is nicknamed the 'Red Planet'. And while It's definitely not a place most of us would want to live on in its present state, what if it had been filled with huge lakes, lush green fields and giant cliffs? Just like . . . Earth?...

The fact that non-human primates seem to like touchscreen computers as much as their human counterparts has been known for some time now - After all, the orangutans and gorillas of the Milwaukee Zoo have been 'enriching their lives' with iPads since 2011. Now, a new study asserts that exposing the animals to these devices not only makes their lives more interesting, but also, helps them relax and become friendlier....

If you live in a normal household chances are that there is constantly some bickering going on about the house being too cold or too hot. Now, thanks to an ingenious bracelet invented by the students from Cambridge-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), every household member can regulate his/her own body temperature and be perfectly comfortable....

The residents of Philippines are no strangers to typhoons - After all, an average of 19 storms brush by each year with at least 6 or 7 making landfall. However, super-typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda as the locals are calling it, that landed around 4 am local time on Friday, November 8th, 2013, was no ordinary storm. With estimated sustained winds of 200 mph and gusts rising as high as 235 mph, experts believe that it may have been the biggest typhoon to ever make landfall....

They say that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. That certainly seems to be the philosophy 19-year-old George Dennehy has adopted all his life. For how else can you explain that despite being armless, the musician plays not one, but multiple instruments, all with his feet....

The Tasmanian tiger that roamed the jungles of the Australian mainland over 2,000 years ago and those of the island of Tasmania until about the 1930's, has been declared extinct since the early 1980's. But that hasn't stopped reports of 'sightings' in both areas. Unfortunately because the people that purportedly saw the tiger were caught off-guard, there have never been any clear pictures or videos to prove that it is indeed the ancient animal. Now, a group of International researchers have arrived in Tasmania to scout the forests and solve the mystery of whether the tiger is alive or extinct, once and for all....

While creating a hot flame using ordinary water may seem like something out of a science fiction movie, it is not only possible, but may soon be available to all, thanks to the genius work of a team of researchers that are working in collaboration as part of the European Union-funded SafeFlame consortium....