Video(s) Of The Week - In Celebration Of YouTube's Eighth Birthday!

We have all become so reliant on YouTube for things ranging from tutorials to cooking tips and of course, entertainment, it appears as though the video-sharing site has been around forever. But believe it or not, it was just eight years ago, on April 23rd, 2005, that the first 20-second video was uploaded on this now popular destination....

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Will The World's Newest Lightest Material Be Instrumental In Cleaning Up Toxic Oil Spills?

It weighs less than air and is extremely strong, yet flexible enough to bounce back to its original shape, after being compressed. And, it does not float away either, because a 10cm×10cm×10cm cube does not displace 1000 cubic centimeters of air, since a lot of air stays in the pores of the 'sponge'. But best of all, it can absorb up to 250-500 times its own weight of oil at a rapid pace of 68.8 grams per second. This is not a material scientist's dream, but a description of the most recent 'lightest' solid created by a research team from China's Zheijang University....

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Humpback Whales Share New Hunting Techniques

It is a well-documented fact that humpback whales gather their prey by creating 'bubble nets'- that is, blow bubbles underwater to confuse shoals of fish and cause them to herd together, giving the whales a perfect opportunity to devour them in one gulp....

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Four Year-Old Huckleberry Is World's 'Most Beautiful Bulldog'

On Monday, April 22nd, 47 drooling, wrinkle-skinned bulldogs convened inside Drake University's athletic field house with one purpose in mind - To be crowned the 'World's Most Beautiful Bulldog', an honor that among other things, earns them the right to be the official mascot of the 104th Drake Relays - The nation's oldest and most prestigious track and field competition....

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Ingenious Coralbots May Help Restore Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are not just beautiful to look at, but also, extremely useful. Considered the marine equivalent of tropical rainforests, they cover only 2% of the ocean bottom but harbor almost 25% of all marine life. However, like many other species, this amazing ecosystem that has been around for five hundred million years is in danger of being eradicated completely, if something is not done soon....

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The 'March To The Sea' That Instigated India's Quest For Independence

With a population of over 1.2 billion, the South Asian country of India is not only the world's largest democracy, but also, the third largest economic power. It is therefore hard to believe that from 1850-1947, this powerhouse had been a British colony. Though there had been some isolated regional struggles for independence, it was a seemingly insignificant 'March To The Sea' protest organized 83 years ago by civil rights leader Mohandas Gandhi, that instigated a countrywide nationalist movement. This eventually, led to the birth of India as an independent nation....

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Our Beautiful Earth!

Time to get off the couch and make your mark . . . after all, it is Earth Day! Originally celebrated in North America on April 22, 1970, this year's theme is 'The Face of Climate Change' - aptly reflecting the dire situation our planet is going to be in, if something is not done to turn around global warming soon. In case you are still procrastinating, here is a visual reminder of why we should do all pitch in, to save our beautiful planet....

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Iron Man Fan? Then You May Want To Head To Japan For The 4DX Experience

If you are a superhero fan, chances are you have already pre-purchased the ticket for the May 3rd midnight premier of Iron Man 3 and are looking forward to your interactive 3D experience with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. But, if you are a little late to the game, you may want to skip the US party and instead, head over to Nagoya, Japan where one theater is screening the experience in 4DX....

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Applications Pour In For First Private Mission To Mars

In February 2013, US multimillionaire Dennis Tito announced that his non-profit organization, Inspiration Mars Foundation, was planning to sponsor two 'qualified' people for a flyby to Mars in 2018. While one would think that an announcement this ambitious from a man whose closest encounter with Space has been as the first paying guest of the International Space Station would arouse some skepticism, such is not the case....

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Can Red Wood Ants Predict Earthquakes?

While ants may appear to be just pesky insects whose sole purpose in life is to annoy humans, they are in reality, quite amazing - they can survive the biggest floods by morphing into living rafts, find their way anywhere, thanks to a built-in GPS and now it turns out, may even have the ability to predict earthquakes - Something even the world's best brains have been unable to do so far!...

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Earth Day 2013 - Remembering Early Environmentalists

On April 22nd, people all over the world will celebrate the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day. Besides conducting environmentally friendly projects within their communities, over one billion people are also expected to participate in rallies to voice their concern about the dire effects of global warming on our planet and vow to take actions to help reverse the trends....

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Video Of The Week - Why Astronauts Never Shed Tears

Though it is common knowledge that lack of gravity makes life in space a tad different from that on earth, very few of us ever think about how different. There is of course the fact that Astronauts are always suspended and floating around, but what about beyond that? Something as basic as shedding a tear or two of joy or sorrow?...

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Teen Polyglot Has Mastered 23 Languages

New York teen Timothy Doner, has an unusual hobby - He likes to learn languages! And not the way most of us do to get through basic school requirements, but thoroughly enough so that he can conduct a decent conversation. Over the last five years, the 17-year old has been able to master 23! While this has earned him the title of the world's youngest polyglot, he is still not satisfied....

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Vietnam's Dragon Bridge Actually Breathes Out Fire!

Though bridge designs have come a long way since humans began using fallen tree trunks or stones to get across stretches of water, they have until now been boring inert structures. That however changed on March 29th, 2013, with the unveiling of Vietnam's Dragon bridge. It not only resembles the legendary mythical creature, but also, acts like it, by breathing out fire!...

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