A few weeks ago, Apple Inc. released a new advertisement to highlight the new "Hey Siri" feature that allows iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus users to summon the personal digital assistant hands-free. In the minute-long commercial, the Sesame Street star asks Siri to set the kitchen timer for the cookies that he had just put to bake and also turn on a "waiting" playlist....

Residents of Nagoya, Japan will no longer have to subject themselves to eating wilted lettuce and soggy tomatoes to be healthy. They can instead fulfill the daily recommended requirement of fruits and vegetables with a slice or two of one of the delicious cakes crafted by Japanese food artist, Mitsuki Moriyasu....

A recent study conducted by a team of researchers from Canada's McGill University has uncovered that birds who live in urban environments are not just better at problem-solving and more skilled in tasks that require innovation than their rural counterparts: they also have stronger immune systems!...

History was made on March 2, 2016 when a Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft traveling from the International Space Station landed in a remote part of Kazakhstan. The landing was cause for celebration as the craft carried American astronaut, Scott Kelly, and Russian cosmonaut, Mikhail Kornienko, home from their 340-day mission aboard the International Space Station....

On April 6, an anonymous donor paid an astounding $394,000 USD for a rickety old wooden chair. This, of course, was no ordinary chair, but the one J.K. Rowling sat on when she wrote the first two Harry Potter books — Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s (Sorcerer's in the US) Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets....

From a distance, the Casa del Acantilado (Cliff House) in Salobrena, Spain looks like something you would expect to encounter in "Game of Thrones" or "The Hobbit." However, come closer and you will realize that this three bedroom home that closely resembles a scaled dragon is an architectural wonder — One that has been designed to fully embrace its beautiful natural surroundings....

In September 2015, Purin, a nine-year-old female beagle made headlines when she broke the record for the most goals (14) caught by a dog with the paws in a single minute. On March 22, which happened to be National Puppy Day, the talented dog that lives in Japan, did it again....

Here is some good news for those that are looking for adventure in their lives. Peer-to-peer rental site Airbnb is accepting applications for people that are brave enough to spend a night inside the shark tank at France's Aquarium de Paris....

What's more exciting than having a fresh hot pizza delivered to your door? How about having it brought to you by a robot? Thanks to Domino’s Robotic Unit or DRU, that just became a reality! On March 8, the three-feet tall robot made its first delivery to some lucky residents in Brisbane, Australia....

Every year more than 2 million people, a quarter of them children, end up in hospital emergency rooms with concussions — And those are the lucky ones! That's because there are millions more that postpone treatment or even worse, never get themselves examined simply because they don't experience the classic concussion symptoms that include vomiting, blurred vision, and loss of balance....

The fact that computers are getting increasingly smarter is evident. However, they still lack creativity and intuition and hence cannot learn, think and understand like humans — At least, that was the consensus until Google's AlphaGo computer algorithm beat 18-time world champion Lee Se-dol, 4 to 1 at the ancient Chinese game, Go....

When one thinks of a spider, the image that comes to mind is the crafty arthropod feasting on an innocent insect it has lured into its web. It turns out that the arachnids have a much more sophisticated palate. In addition to relishing the occasional fish and frog, they also have a strong penchant for vegetables. At least, that's the conclusion reached by a team of zoologists from the USA, United Kingdom and Switzerland, after an extensive worldwide study of the eight-legged arthropods....

For those that enjoy pranks, there is no better day than April 1. Also known as 'Fool's Day' it is the one day of the year when light-hearted tricks are not just accepted but welcomed! Nobody knows how this fun tradition started. Some think it began in 1582 when the world moved away from the Julian calendar, (that began the new year in April) to the current Gregorian calendar. Others think it was to celebrate the onset of spring....

If you think Easter egg hunts are meant only for humans, think again. At Ohio's Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, even the animals join in the fun. On Saturday, March 19, park officials organized the annual egg hunt for the resident western lowland gorillas by hiding brightly colored boiled eggs and other treats inside their enclosure....

Just when we think there couldn't possibly be any more mysteries left to solve about the human anatomy, comes another discovery. This one has to do with sighing. It turns out that the involuntary reflex that is generally associated with sadness or despair is crucial to our well-being. That is why researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles and Stanford University were determined to find out what triggers this spontaneous action, without which our lungs would collapse!...

This past week was an exciting one for astronomy fans. That's because two comets — 252P and the P/2016 BA14 — were scheduled to make their closest approach to Earth, back-to-back. The icy celestial bodies did not disappoint....

In November 2015, Suva Al Alaf and her five children fled the ISIS-controlled town of Mosul in Iraq and set sail aboard a small boat to Lesbos, Greece. Though the family had to leave behind almost everything they owned, the one thing they were unwilling to give up was their cat, Kunkush, who was safely tucked inside a basket....

Easter weekend is upon us! For most of you, that means going to an egg roll or two, meeting the Easter bunny, participating in parades and best of all binging on delicious foods like honey-baked ham and potatoes with friends and family. It turns out that not all countries celebrate this important Christian holiday with these traditions. They have their own rituals which may not include egg hunts and Easter bunnies, but are equally fun!...

Just four months after the well-orchestrated attacks killed 130 people in Paris, ISIS has struck Europe again. This time, the radical Islamic group's target was the beautiful city of Brussels in Belgium. The first explosions rocked the Brussels Airport on Tuesday, March 22 at 8 am local time. The simultaneous attacks, both caused by suicide bombers, occurred close to airline check-in gates and outside security checkpoints for ticketed passengers. According to initial estimates, 11 people lost their lives, while 100 more were injured....

On Thursday, March 24, the streets of India will be awash with color as residents celebrate the spring festival of Holi. The annual event that is the inspiration behind the 'color runs' in the US, is observed on the last full moon day of the lunar month, Phalguna (in the Hindu calendar). However, unlike the copycat runs, festival participants do not have to compete in five or ten-kilometer races to have fun. All they have to do is take to the streets early in the morning and chant "Holi Hai" (It's Holi) while dousing strangers and friends alike, with colored powder....

On March 18, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Ohio released the first pictures and video of its newest residents - Five adorable cheetah cubs. The cute newborns that include three males, and two females had to be born via a rare C-section surgery on March 8, due to some medical complications with their mother, five-year-old resident cheetah, Willow....

On January 17, Brigitte Barthélémy was walking along the seashore just north of France's famous Bordeaux wine region when she stumbled upon a bottle nestled among a pile of seashells. Inside were two tightly rolled pieces of paper. One contained a beautiful hand-drawn sketch of a cormorant, while the other was a message from the New York Pelagic outlining how litter caught in the ocean currents is often fatal for the water birds that mistake the bright plastic debris for food....

Once underground mines have served their purpose, most are sealed and forgotten. The 2000-year-old Salina Turda Salt Mine in the city of Turda, Romania was no exception. The mine which is believed to have opened in the Middle Ages (as far back as 1075) was shuttered in 1932 after competition from neighboring mines rendered its operation unprofitable....

On Saturday, March 19, millions of businesses and individuals worldwide will celebrate Earth Hour by turning off all lights and electronics from 8:30 - 9:30 PM local time. The voluntary rolling blackout that includes 350 of the world’s most iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, Taipei 101 and the Sydney Opera House, is more than a symbolic gesture — It is proof of what can be achieved if we all unite to reverse climate change....