How Researchers Trained Australian Monitor Lizards To Avoid Toxic ToadsAustralia is home to some of the world's deadliest animals. However, few are as dangerous as the cane toad. Native to Central and South America, the innocent looking amphibian is an invasive species that was imported to Australia in 1935 to control the native grey-backed cane beetles that were harming sugarcane crops. With very few natural predators, their population began to grow rapidly. Experts estimate that there are currently over 200 million specimens spread across Northern Australia and the numbers are only growing....
Read news articleSpain's Bizarre Food FestivalsWhile Spain's tomato-throwing festival, La Tomatina, that is celebrated in Bunol every summer is world-renowned, the country's other food-centric celebrations are not as well known. The Els Enfarinats and the Jarramplas festivals that are held in December and January respectively, also involve food fights, except the produce being tossed, is not as gentle as tomatoes....
Read news articleCaltech Scientists Find Evidence Of A Massive Ninth Planet In Our Solar SystemWhen Pluto was demoted to dwarf status in 2006 we were left with a mere eight planets in our solar system. Now Planetary Astronomy Professor Mike Brown, the researcher responsible for 'killing' Pluto may have redeemed himself with the discovery of a massive ninth planet - One he believes is worthy of being added to the elite group of eight....
Read news articleChina's Spectacular Harbin Ice And Snow Festival Expected To Attract Over A Million VisitorsBeing famous for having one of the most bitter winters in China and most likely the world does not sound like a good way to market a city. However, it works for Harbin. That's because for the residents of the capital of China's Heilongjiang Province it means a chance to stage a spectacular winter festival....
Read news articleNew Taiwanese Church Resembles Cinderella's Glass-SlipperIn an attempt to attract more female visitors to the area, officials of the Budai Township in Chiayi County, Taiwan have come up with an unusual idea - A church in the shape of a glass slipper. Though the design closely resembles Cinderella's shoe, it was inspired by a local, albeit sad folklore....
Read news articleRussian Zoo Tiger Becomes Best Pals With Goat That Was Served For DinnerTime and again we hear about alliances between animals that would ordinarily be prey and predator. But in most cases they are a result of a strategic decision made by zoo keepers trying to help one or both animals. However, that was not the intention of the workers at Russia's Safari Park when they allowed a goat into their resident Siberian tiger Amur's enclosure in November 2015. They were just serving him dinner! Hence, you can only imagine how surprised they were to find the goat alive and well the following day....
Read news articleIngenious 'Row-bot' Devours Microbes From Polluted Water To Fuel ItselfAccess to clean water is something many of us take for granted. However, for millions of people living in developing nations, it is a scarce commodity. According to the World Health Organization 3.4 million people, mostly children, die annually from water-related diseases. But that could change soon thanks to 'Row-bot', a tiny autonomous robot that powers itself by eating harmful water microbes....
Read news articleNot Feeling The Chill Yet? (Astronomical) Winter Is About To Begin!...
Read news articleSweden's ICEHOTEL Never Fails To ImpressAll hotels renovate periodically. However very few do it as frequently as Sweden's ICEHOTEL. As the name indicates the hotel that is located in the remote village of Jukkasjärvi is constructed entirely from ice and therefore, has to be rebuilt annually!...
Read news articleParis Climate Conference Results In Landmark Agreement To Curb Greenhouse Gas EmissionsTwo weeks ago, representatives from 196 countries arrived in Paris to resolve one of the world's most pressing problems — Climate change. On Saturday, December 12th, the group emerged victorious with the first-ever global accord in the fight against global warming — One that U.S. President Obama hailed as the "turning point for the world" and the "best chance to save the one planet we've got."...
Read news articleSpecial Tunnels Save Turtles From Train Deaths In JapanThe Suma Aqualife Park in Kobe, Japan is no stranger to turtle traffic. Every summer from May to September, hundreds of reptiles make their way to and from the nearby ocean. While most manage to cover the short distance safely, a handful get trapped inside the railway tracks that lie between the ocean and the popular park....
Read news articleCreativity and Innovation Help Those in Need During the Season of GivingThis is the time of the year when most people reach out to help those in need. For some, it means donating to a local food bank. For others in involves participating in clothing and toy drives. This year, two remarkable people have taken the season of giving to a new level with their simple but ingenious ideas....
Read news articleClimate Change May Be Responsible For Northern Russia's Mysterious CratersIn July 2014, a helicopter pilot flying over Northern Russia's remote Yamal Peninsula came across a massive crater in the thick, permanently frozen subsurface layer of soil known as permafrost. As news of the gaping hole that measured an impressive 100-meters in diameter spread, people all over the world began wondering about its origin....
Read news articleCanberra's David Richards Snags Fourth Guinness World Record In Five YearsTo say that David Richards loves to create Christmas light displays is an understatement. In the past four years, the Canberra resident has picked up three Guinness World Records - Two for 'most Christmas lights on a residential property' and one for 'largest image made of LED lights.' On November 27th, the Canberra resident broke yet another record - This time for 'most lights on an artificial Christmas tree.'...
Read news articleHour of Code - The Largest Learning Event In History Is Almost Here!While physics, chemistry, and biology are a norm at all schools, computer science is still a nascent subject. It is estimated that just 10 percent of American schools offer computer science and only 19% of high school students graduate with the course under their belt. Seattle-based non-profit Code.org wants to change that by exposing every student in the world to this all important science that is the basis of the digital world we live in....
Read news articleCan Lab Grown 'Super' Coral Rescue Our Rapidly Dwindling Reefs?Rising water temperatures and the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in our oceans are killing our beautiful coral reefs at an unprecedented rate. Add the current El Nino weather pattern that is expected to prevail through winter and spring 2016 to the mix, and things look even worse. Scientists estimate that the 1988 El Nino destroyed almost 16% of the world's coral reefs and believe things could get even worse this time around....
Read news articleChina's 'Floating City' Was Most Likely A Rare (Superior) Mirage Or Fata MorganaOn October 7th, residents of the Chinese cities of Jiangxi and Foshan reported a strange sight - Towering skyscrapers that appeared to be dangling from the clouds. As the video of the 'floating city' went viral, it resulted in various theories. Some speculated the residents had seen a window to a parallel universe while others believed they had just glimpsed into a secret NASA project. Then there were the skeptics that dismissed the whole thing as a hoax. While that may still be the case, some experts believe that it could also have been a rare, naturally occurring optical illusion called Fata Morgana....
Read news articlePlayful Gumdrop Bins Help Reduce Sticky Gum Litter And Give It A Second LifeMost people have a love-hate relationship with gum. For delicious as it is, the sticky, tasteless waste that remains is not just annoying, especially when inadvertently stepped upon, but also, harmful to the environment. That's because the primary ingredient in most modern chewing gums is synthetic rubber which is not biodegradable. With an estimated 560,000 tons of gum being chewed each year, this adds a lot of unwanted polymer to our already overwhelmed landfills. Now thanks to Gumdrop Ltd., there may be a solution to this sticky problem....
Read news articleStunning Street Art Brightens Seoul's Dreary Monsoon SeasonLike most cities, the streets of Seoul in South Korea are usually bustling with activity. However, that changes in July when a short but intense monsoon season turns the vibrant city into a ghost town. This year, a team of artists tried to change that by transforming the typically gloomy and quiet streets into a beautiful explosion of color and life....
Read news articleTired of Running? You May Want To Give 'Crunning' A Try!Every few years comes a fitness trend that has people scratching their heads in amazement. 'Crunning' will probably be one of them. In case you are wondering, the 'c' stands for 'crawling'. Yes, that's right, the new sport entails two-legged humans running on all fours!...
Read news articleHacker Group Anonymous Plans To Use Cyber Skills To Take Down ISISSince their formation in 2003, Anonymous, a loosely organized international group of hackers have conducted a series of well-orchestrated cyber attacks on corporations, governments, and individuals. Some of the crusades have been justified and necessary, while others have been viewed as vindictive. But few people have any reservations about their most recent undertaking - To bring down ISIS!...
Read news articleSolar Powered Cars Race Across the Australian OutbackDespite technological advances in fuel and engine efficiencies, vehicles remain high on the list of polluters. In the U.S alone, carbon emissions from gas-powered cars and other vehicles account for about 27% of our total greenhouse-gas output annually. The 'World Solar Challenge' hopes to change that some day with cars fueled by the biggest, cleanest, and cheapest, source of energy - The sun!...
Read news articleEl Niño Transforms World's Driest Non-Polar Desert Into A Lush Wildflower WonderlandDeserts are by definition barren areas of land with little precipitation. But few compare to Atacama Desert. Often called the world's driest non-polar desert, the 600-mile stretch of land gets an average of just 0.13 inches of rain annually, despite its location next to our planet's largest body of water, the Pacific Ocean....
Read news articleTerror In ParisOn Friday, November 13th, residents of the beautiful city of Paris suffered through what will go down in history as one of the worst acts of violence in France since World War II. The orchestrated attacks were carried out by eight members of the extremist group ISIS at seven predetermined locations of the French capital. The targets that included restaurants, bars, a soccer stadium and concert theater were carefully selected to cause maximum damage....
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