The Tiny Kiwi Bird's Colossal Cousin

Judging by their looks, one would never guess that New Zealand's national bird - the tiny flightless kiwi and the colossal African elephant bird that roamed Madagascar until the 17th Century, had much in common. While the kiwi is roughly the size of a modern chicken and weighs between three to seven pounds, the elephant bird loomed a massive ten feet tall, and could weigh as much as 600 pounds! In addition to the difference in size, the two species lived 7,000 miles apart, making any connection between the two almost impossible....

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91-Year-Old Charlotte Woman Sets New Marathon Record!

The next time you are moaning and groaning about having to run a mile or two at school, be sure to think of 91-year-old Harriet Thompson, who not only completed the San Diego Rock N' Roll marathon on Saturday, May 31st, but also broke two records. What's even more impressive is that she accomplished the feat while still recovering from burns on her legs caused by recent radiation treatments to help treat her skin cancer....

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114-Foot Tower In Budapest Is The World's Tallest Lego Structure

Anyone that has attempted to build a free-standing Lego tower knows how difficult it is to keep it from toppling over. So it is not surprising to hear that the elementary students in Budapest requested a team of official Lego builders from Denmark to help them build one that would surpass the existing record holder - a 112-ft 11-inch tower constructed in August 2013, by students from John Dickinson High School in Wilmington, Delaware....

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2014 Scripps Spelling Bee Crowns Co-Champions

This has been an exciting year for the 89-year-old Scripps National Spelling Bee. First there were the Missouri kids that exhausted the spelling list and had to have a rematch and now, two finalists who pulled off the same impossible feat in National Harbor, Maryland. This time around there was no second round. Instead, both were declared winners....

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Friday June 6th Is National Donut Day - YUM!

Looking for an excuse to chow down warm gooey donuts? Then you are in luck because Friday, June 6th, happens to be National Donut day. Since the only way to celebrate this important holiday is by eating the sweet rings, you really have no choice but to devour a few or even a few dozen!...

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Hi-Tech Fabric Changes Color When Exposed to Human Touch Or Music

Given that technology is being incorporated into every aspect of our life, it is not surprising to hear the emergence of 'smart' clothing that make lifeless fabrics fun and playful. London-based Cute Circuit has been creating interactive fashions like huggable shirts and dresses with live tweets since 2004. Now Hungarian designer Judit Eszter Karpati has joined the fray with Chromosonic, a high-tech material that changes color when exposed to touch or sound....

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Why Amazonian Butterflies Hover Over Yellow-Spotted Turtles

Visitors that dare to venture deep into the Western Amazon rainforest often encounter a strange sight - groups of butterflies hovering above yellow-spotted river turtles that are basking in the sun. What's even stranger is why they are there - To drink the tears from their eyes! And it's not because the beautiful insects are trying to comfort the reptiles, but because the tears contain the one ingredient that is lacking in their diet - sodium....

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How Matt Damon's Water. Org is Helping Transform Lives In Third World Countries

Though access to fresh water has always been an issue for many residents that live in third world countries, it has become even more so now, thanks to the increase in population as well as climate change, which is causing many previous sources to dry up. According to water. org, a non-profit organization founded by Hollywood star Matt Damon and social entrepreneur Gary White, over 750 million people around the world have no easy access to clean water - This means that they spend copious amounts of time collecting this liquid gold, that most of us obtain, by simply turning on a tap....

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The Significance of Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day weekend! With summer vacation around the corner, it is often hard to remember that the purpose of the extra day off from school, is not to lounge at the pool with friends or check out sales at the mall. It is to honor the brave men and women who have died serving our country in the United States armed forces!...

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The Disneyland Attractions That Never Made It Past Walt Disney's Imagination

In 1953, Walt Disney hired some of the country's best talent to create an eight page prospectus to convince investors to finance a new kind of amusement park - Something that we now all know as 'The 'Happiest Place on Earth' or Disneyland. While many of the attractions that the team had envisioned, made it in some form or shape when the first park opened in Anaheim, California, on July 17th, 1955, there are a few that just remained on their wish list because they were either illegal or, just too radical....

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California's Mystery Spot Defies Gravity And Logic!

Always wanted to experience what it would be like to live in a gravity-free world? Then you may want to check out the 'Mystery Spot' - a nondescript barn located in the redwood forests that lie on the outskirts of the picturesque city of in California. That's because short of flying, you will be able to experience almost everything astronauts do, without ever leaving earth....

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Vegetarian Crocodiles? You Better Believe It!

The idea that the mighty crocodile which can shred its prey to pieces within minutes, would even glance at a vegetable let alone eat it, seems almost insulting. But don't tell that to the residents of the Nyanyana crocodile farm that lies on the shores of the world's largest artificial lake, Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba. They apparently are completely vegetarian....

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Newly Unearthed Titanosaur May Be A Strong Contender For The Biggest Known Dinosaur

A team of paleontologists in South America recently announced that they have found the remains of what may be the biggest dinosaur found yet. According to their estimates, the unnamed giant, a new species of the Titanosaur, weighed at least 77 tons, stood 65-feet high and measured 130-feet long, from head to tail. In contrast, the previous record holder, the Argentinosaurus, which stood a slightly taller 70-feet, is believed to have weighed just 70 tons and measured 115-feet in length....

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San Francisco's Wacky Bay To Breakers Race Never Fails To Entertain!

The beautiful Northern Californian city of is known for many fun events. However, none are as wacky or as popular as the Bay to Breakers, a 12K (7.45 mile) road race that spans across the city. Started in 1912, as a way to bring some cheer to residents who were still recovering from the devastating 1906 , it is the oldest consecutively run annual footrace in the world....

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How Octopuses Avoid Getting Tangled Around Themselves

Scientists have often pondered over how the eight-armed octopus avoids getting tangled around itself. This mystery was particularly perplexing given that each tentacle is lined with hundreds of suckers that are strong enough to stick to almost anything. Also, unlike animals with rigid skeletons, the mollusks have no idea where their arms are at any given moment....

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