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....

Having inhabited the earth for hundreds of thousands of years, one would think that we have explored every nook and cranny and found every possible species. Turns out that such is not the case! A team of scientists recently stumbled upon a magical 'lost world' complete with its own unique ecosystem and species....

A little worn out after all the Halloween festivities? Then you are in luck because this weekend, it's time to 'Fall Back,' which means that at 2 am on Sunday, November 3rd, most Americans will add an extra hour to their day by moving the clocks back. This age-old tradition that goes all the way back to World War One is observed in other parts of the world too - However, the dates differ, with most changing their clocks about a month earlier....

Having lived in Florida all his life, 11-year-old Peyton Robertson is well aware of the havoc caused by hurricanes. At the tender age of 4 he suffered through Hurricane Wilma, one of the most intense tropical cyclones from the Atlantic and then just last year experienced the deadliest, most destructive storm of the 2012 season and the second most costliest of all US storms....

With the advent of smart devices, classroom curriculum is starting to become increasingly interactive. Now neuroscience PHD student Greg Gage and his team at Backyard Brains are taking it to a new level with their robo kits that can transform any cockroach into a RoboRoach! All that is required is a smart phone, steady hands and a living insect....

Mention oysters and the two things that come to mind are slurping them down or wrenching them open for pearls. But now these mollusks may have a bigger role - that of protecting our waterfront cities from rising sea levels and giant storm surges like the one experienced by New York during Hurricane Sandy and helping clean our increasingly polluted waters....

They say that when it rains, it pours. That certainly seemed to be case in Southern California last week, except that it was not water falling from the skies, but ginormous rare oarfishes that appeared from deep inside the oceans....

With thousands of beautiful flamingos crowding around, at first glance Lake Natron, a salt lake in Northern Tanzania looks like your typical picturesque African landscape. But look closer and you will find something eerily unusual - Perfectly preserved dead animals strewn all along its shores. And while many have likened the lake to Medusa, the monster from Greek mythology who turned anyone that looked her in the eye to stone, most experts assert that the lake itself is not deadly....

Similar to the giant crop circles that sporadically appear in different parts of the world, strange grass circles that mysteriously emerge in South Africa's Namib Desert have dumbfounded both locals and scientists for many years. Measuring between 6 - 40 feet across, each 'fairy circle' is outlined by a ring of vegetation taller, than the surrounding grassland....

It has taken over a decade and faced numerous design hurdles, but the new $100 USD bill that Americans fondly call 'Benjamin' finally made its debut on October 8th, 2013. The largest U.S. denomination in circulation, it is not surprisingly, the most recognized form of U.S. Currency worldwide....

Meet Jeff Wilson AKA Professor Dumpster - an environmental scientist and the Dean of Huston Tillotson University in Austin, Texas. The reason for his unusual nickname? He has decided to live in a dumpster for the next year - Yes, the kind that you might find filled with trash behind a restaurant or in an alley....