On November 15th, children aged 8 to 12 got together at a designated location in five cities around the world - Berlin, Rio de Janeiro, Nairobi, Dublin and Amsterdam, to participate in the first Global Children's Designathon. The event that was organized by Dutch design agency Unexpect, challenged kids to come up with solutions for some of the world's most pressing issues - food, waste and traffic - in a single day!...

Concerned about the city's growing obesity rates, in July 2013, the Dubai Municipality came up with an innovative plan to incentivize residents to lose weight. Called 'Your Weight In Gold', it promised to reward contestants with the precious metal if they shed weight, during a specified two-month period. The challenge was so successful that the officials not only decided to offer it again, but also make it a family affair....

Rising sea levels are a growing worry for many coastal cities around the world. While all are expected to be impacted, some like Indonesia's capital Jakarta, are more vulnerable. Located in the northwest coast of the Java Sea, Southeast Asia's most populous city lies on a low flat basin at the mouth of the Ciliwung River on the Jakarta Bay. Though its average elevation is 8-meters (26 feet), 40% of the city lies below sea level and is sinking by as much as six inches, annually. Experts speculate that if this pace continues, much of northern Jakarta will be underwater by 2030....

With its slightly elongated frame, thick tires, normal brakes and pedals, Francois Gissy's two-wheeler looks just like any other high-end customized bike. However look closer, and you will notice a modification like none other - rocket thrusters that are filled with concentrated hydrogen peroxide that help the daredevil attain speeds that no man has reached before, on a bicycle....

Tiny monitoring devices have become an increasingly common way for scientists to study elusive animals that are difficult to track on a day-to-day basis. However, now it seems that smart seals have caught on to the trick and are using it to their advantage to catch fish!...

On November 12th, hundreds of biking enthusiasts in the Amsterdam suburbs of Krommenie and Wormerveer hopped onto their two-wheelers, to test out SolaRoad, the world's first solar bike path. The 100-meter test project is the result of a collaboration between the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), local authorities and a consortium of Dutch companies....

The recent report of the sighting of a few Kashmir musk deer has given conservationists hope that the species may be alive and well amongst the forests in Afghanistan. The study published by the World Wildlife Foundation in the November edition of the journal Oryx, states that a team of researchers scouring the country's Nuristan Province in 2008 and 2009, encountered the animals on five separate occasions....

Sunday, November 9th, marked the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a barrier that had divided the city of Berlin and the country in two - democratic West Germany and communist-controlled East Germany. When the barrier was finally removed on November 9th, 1989, the decision was met with much joy and enthusiasm with more than two million East Berliners crossing over to the West, that weekend....

It was the classic David vs. Goliath scenario, except in this case, the boy was represented by a seemingly helpless porcupine and Goliath, by a pride of 17 hungry lions that would have loved to add the quill-bearing rodent to their dinner menu. Fortunately, the struggle ended just like the story, with the lions scurrying away in defeat!...

With a population of 156 million, Bangladesh ranks amongst the world's most populous nations. What makes the situation worse is that most of the country is situated on the low-lying Ganges delta, formed by the confluence of three major rivers - Ganges, Brahamputra and Meghna. As a result, it is highly susceptible to flooding especially during the rainy season from July to October, when the rivers rise as much as 12-feet, making many areas accessible only by boat....

Though the last book of the spectacular Harry Potter series was released seven years ago in 2007, the young wizard continues to be extremely popular with both kids and adults. Over the years, Potter fans have been able to experience numerous aspects of the young wizard's life, right down to his favorite drink - Butterbeer. Now thanks to a British hotel, they can also spend a night in the wizard's Hogwarts Castle dormitory room....

Artists generally have a better perception of colors than the average person. However, very few can discern colors quite like Concetta Antico, a San Diego-based contemporary artist. That's because this talented painter happens to be a tetrachromat - a select group of people that have the ability to distinguish 100 million nuances of color, an astounding hundred times what a normal person can observe! This means that their world is full of vivid colors that most of us will never experience....

In 2012, the world mourned the loss of Lonesome George, a 100-year-old giant tortoise that resided on the Galapagos Island of Pinta. While losing any member of these ancient species that outlive most humans is sad, what made it worse was that George was believed to be the last known living member of the Pinta Island giant tortoise subspecies. Fortunately, the same fate does not await the Hood Island giant tortoises of Española Island....

First there were the delicious cotton candy grapes and now an effervescent apple that will have your mouth tingling with joy! Called "Paradis Sparkling", the unusual fruit is the result of eight years of research by Swiss fruit nursery Lubera....

On October 14th, 2012, 43-year-old Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner mesmerized the world when he skydived from an altitude of 128,000 feet. Along the way, he became the first man to break through the sound barrier without vehicular power on his descent and also broke skydiving records for exit altitude, vertical free-fall distance without drogue and vertical speed without drogue. Now just about two years later, Google Vice President Alan Eustace has completed a similar feat by skydiving from an even higher altitude - 135,908 feet!...

If you shriek in fear at the sight of the tiniest of spiders, you may want to avoid the rainforests of Suriname, Guyana, northern Brazil and southern Venezuela, where the Goliath birdeater dwells! Listed in the Guinness World Records as the world's biggest spider, the terrifying-looking arachnid weighs a hefty six ounces, (almost the same weight as a newborn puppy), and has a leg span that extends out 11-inches (the size of a child's forearm)....

If you happen to visit the Penguin Foundation at Australia's Phillip Island Nature Park, you may encounter an unusual sight - Little penguins waddling around in brightly colored turtleneck sweaters. Unfortunately, it is not because the flightless birds are trying to establish a new fashion trend, but because they are victims of oil spills. Confused? Read on!...

In 1993, 17-year-old He Rongfeng and his two friends left their village and made their way to in China's Zheijang Province, to look for work to help support their struggling families. Unfortunately, jobs were not easy to come by, and the trio were forced to resort to begging....

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....

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....

On 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 . . ....

As 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....

First 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....

The 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!...