Say Goodbye to Peanut Allergies!Peanuts! Who knew they could be such a hassle? As the world’s leading cause of food allergies, the tiny members of the legume family sure are a nuisance for the intolerant, resulting in reactions that range from minor skin rashes to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Even worse, according to experts at FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education), the incidences of peanut allergies have actually tripled in the last fifteen years!...
Read news articleAt This Spanish Comedy Club Patrons "Pay Per Laugh"In September 2013, the government of Spain increased taxes on cultural events from 8% to 21%, making the cost of live theater performances prohibitive for most people. Within four months, venues reported a 30% decline in audience. While most theater owners sat around fuming at the officials, Barcelona-based Teatreneu, decided to tackle the challenge with an innovative approach to attract audience....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - KLM's Detective Beagle May Be A Marketing Stunt But It Sure Is Cute!On September 23rd, 2014, Dutch airline KLM released a YouTube video that made everyone who saw it, wish they could travel on the airline, and forget a possession or two. That's because the short clip depicted a cute beagle aptly named "Sherlock" as the newest and most efficient member of the airline's lost and found service....
Read news articlePakistan's Malala Yousafzai and India's Kailash Satyarthi Win Nobel Peace PrizeOn October 10th, 2014, the Nobel Committee announced that this year's Noble Peace Prize would be awarded to two extraordinary individuals that have dedicated their lives to fighting for the rights of others - 17-year-old girls' education activist Malala Yousafzai, and 60-year-old children's activist Kailash Satyarthi. So what inspired the two to devote their lives to these worthy causes? Read on to find out . . ....
Read news articleA Peek Inside The World's First Carbon Neutral CityAs the world becomes more aware of the risks of climate change and the importance of sustainable energy sources, individuals and communities are increasingly taking measures to reduce their carbon footprint. Some are building "passive homes", to take advantage of natural sun and wind patterns, while others are installing solar panels or windmills, to power their homes. But never before has there been an entire "green" city - one that relies solely on renewable energy sources and smart design elements, to eliminate its carbon footprint....
Read news articleGuess What? Acing Those "Mad Minute" Tests Could Make You A Math WhizThe next time you are asked to test your math computational skills with the dreaded "Mad Minute" test, do not groan and moan! According to Stanford scientists, it is the mastery of these basic facts that will help transform you into math whizzes, as you grow older! And given that they have peeked inside the brains of elementary school-age kids, adolescents and adults, they should know....
Read news articleWingardium Leviosa! British Artist "Levitates" Covent Garden's Historic Market BuildingFirst there was the invisibility cloak created by scientists from the University of Rochester and now, this levitation of a section of Covent Garden's historic Market Building in London! And though it may appear to be the work of wizard extraordinaire Hermione Granger, this is no magic spell - just a clever illusion, created by 30-year-old British artist and designer, Alex Chinneck....
Read news articleNo Step Goes Wasted On This Soccer FieldThe kids that live at the Morro da Mineira slum in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro love to play soccer on the nearby community field. However, thanks to constant power shortages, they could rarely extend their games beyond sunset. Now, thanks to some innovative thinking and extraordinary technology, the young players will be able to use the field all night long if they wish, provided . . . they keep running!...
Read news articleRussian Fisherman Catches Fish With "Human Teeth"A Russian fisherman out on a routine fishing trip on the Northern Dvina River is making headlines across the world, thanks to his unusual catch - a fish with a full set of teeth that eerily resemble ours. 50-year-old Aleks Korbov who revealed his find on September 29th, said that when he first pulled the fish up, he thought it was a common bream, a freshwater fish that is prevalent in the river....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Potato Chip Bags Double Up As Flotation DevicesWhile most of us are just resigned to the fact that potato chip bags contain more air than snack, some South Korean college students decided it was time to show manufacturers that consumers were well aware of the fact, and were not too thrilled about it....
Read news articleSuper Crystal Could Allow Mere Mortals To Be "Aquaman" (Or Woman)!Here is some good news for the fans of DC comics superhero "Aquaman" - Thanks to its namesake "Aquaman crystal" they too may soon be able to swim deep into the oceans without lugging around heavy air tanks. That's because the man-made chemical compound which was unveiled by a team of researchers from the University of Southern Denmark on September 30th, has the capacity to absorb as much as 160 times the amount of oxygen that is in the atmosphere. According to the scientists, a spoonful of the substance could store all the oxygen that is present in a normal-sized room....
Read news articleGoogle's Young Scientists Are Out To Change The WorldSince 2011, Google has been challenging innovative teens aged 13-18 from all around the world, to use their technology and scientific know-how to transform the world into a better place. Contestants are categorized into three age categories (13-14, 15-16, 17-18) and five semi-finalists are selected from each. The fifteen youngsters are then flown to the company's headquarters in Mountain View, CA, to present their ideas to a group of judges, who select a winner from each category, one of whom is also declared the overall winner....
Read news articleHong Kong's Student Led "Umbrella Revolution" Gains SteamHong Kong is known for many things - Its thriving economy, its stellar reputation in the financial markets, unique currency, and most importantly, its ability to remain detached from all politics. However all that changed on September 28th, 2014, when tens of thousands of residents took to the streets calling for "true democracy", marking the start of what is being called the "Umbrella Revolution" thanks to the images of protestors using the parasols to shield themselves against the police pepper spray....
Read news articleCan Aerial Gondolas Alleviate New York City's Traffic Woes?For the residents of Manhattan's surrounding boroughs that commute to the island, congestion is a way of life, especially during work hours when subways and bridges are jammed with people. That is the reason New York-based developer City Realty, is proposing the construction of high-speed aerial gondolas as alternate transportation between Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens....
Read news articleNorwegian Adventurers Visit Nineteen Countries In Twenty Four Hours!Most people don't manage to visit 19 countries in twenty-four years, leave aside 24 hours! But three young Norwegian men have proven that where there is a will, there is a way especially, when the motivation is to shatter a Guinness World Record....
Read news articleNaturally Ghoulish Pumpkins Alleviate The Need For CarvingIt's October, which means that millions of Americans will head to the closest pumpkin patch to select a gourd that they will then attempt to carve into a scary monster. While some artistic ones will succeed, most will end up with a cheerful jack o'-lantern. That is probably why a Southern California farmer came up with the brilliant idea of growing pumpkins that naturally resemble Frankenstein....
Read news articleFinally, An Invisibility "Cloak" That Can Be Available To All!When J. K. Rowling conjured up the invisibility cloak to help her star wizard Harry Potter escape from sticky situations, she would have never guessed that scientists all over the world, would start scrambling to create a real one. Over the years, there have been numerous attempts. However, they all entail the use of super expensive materials and involve complicated methods, which means they are of no practical use....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Murata's Robotic Cheerleaders Make Impressive DebutThey may not be able to leap to great heights or perform summersaults like their human counterparts, but the Murata cheerleading robots that made their debut in Japan on Thursday, September 25th, were pretty impressive with the synchronized routine they showcased, while perched over wobbly balls....
Read news articleMaking Sense Of The Ebola VirusEvery 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!...
Read news articleGet Ready For 2014's Second And Final Total Lunar EclipseDuring 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....
Read news article"Listening Tree" Brings Back The Fun Of Discovering New MusicThanks to services like iTunes, Spotify and Pandora, most people have given up the quest of discovering new music and instead chosen to depend on ready-made playlists or recommendations made by others. Now thanks to the "Listening Tree", music lovers can re-discover the pleasure of unearthing their own musical gems....
Read news articleWhy 21st Century Classrooms May Soon Have "Standing" Room OnlyLove 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....
Read news articleThe World's Deepest Pool Is Scarily . . . Deep!If you like to showcase your superior diving skills you may want to check out Italy's Y-40 Deep Joy. As the name indicates, the depth of this newly opened pool extends down 40 meters (131-feet) - the height of a 12-story building or nine double-decker buses stacked atop each other!...
Read news articleMarvel Superheroes Come Together To Help "Stomp Out Bullying"Many of Marvel's superheroes know how it feels to be bullied. Hence it is not surprising to hear that this October, the biggest and bravest of them are coming together to commemorate National Bullying Prevention Month, with a series of variant covers on their comic books....
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