Make Room In The Periodic Table (And Your Memory) For Element 115

If you are in middle school, chances are you have been exposed to and probably even asked to memorize the 118 elements that currently make up the periodic table. Now you may have to make room for one more - Element 115! Nicknamed Ununpentium (combination of Latin and Greek for 115) until it gets official approval and a permanent name from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, it is one of the heaviest man-made elements created thus far....

Read news article
SpaceX Founder Elon Musk Envisions Supersonic Rail Travel

What is futuristic, has the potential to transport passengers faster than an airplane, and resembles a Disneyland ride? It's Hyperloop - a design for a supersonic transportation system between high-traffic cities that lie within short distances conjured up Elon Musk, the visionary behind SpaceX, the world's first privately funded spacecraft....

Read news article
Tomatoes Take Center Stage At Spain's La Tomatina Festival

If you are not a big fan of tomatoes it may be best to steer away from the charming town of Bunol around this time of the year. That's because every year on the last Wednesday of August, the normally staid and sleepy Spanish town of just 9,000 residents becomes center stage for the world's largest food fight - the La Tomatina. And as the name suggests, it involves . . . A lot of tomatoes!...

Read news article
Kite Patch Makes Humans Invisible . . . To Mosquitoes!

Ever since JK Rowling planted the 'invisibility cloak' seed, scientists all over the world have been rushing to be the first ones to make it a reality. Now there seems to be a winner - A tiny square sticker called Kite Patch. The only catch? It makes humans invisible only to mosquitoes!...

Read news article
'I Have A Dream' - Four Simple Words That Galvanized A Nation

During his short but effective life as preacher and civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr. gave many speeches. However the one that seemed to resonate with the entire country, race notwithstanding, was the one he delivered fifty years ago on August 28th, 1963, whilst standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C....

Read news article
You Will Never Guess The Artist(s) Behind These Underwater 'Mystery Circles'

The unsolved mystery of the 'crop circles' - Intricately carved large designs that magically appear on farms all across the world, has been plaguing scientists for centuries. Some speculate that they are the work of farmers trying to attract tourists, whilst others believe that they are alien art. But when similar creations started to appear underwater off the coast of Southern Japan, there seemed to be no explanation - logical or otherwise!...

Read news article
Is This Ostrich Egg Globe, The Oldest Depiction Of The 'New World'?

An intricately carved globe pieced together from two bottom shells of ostrich eggs may have just taken over the title of the oldest depiction of the 'New World', from the copper etched Hunt-Lenox globe that lies in The New York Public Library. What is even more interesting is that ostrich globe which is believed to have been created between 1504-1506 used Leonardo Da Vinci's unique 'triangle' technique to transfer the 2-dimensional map drawing into a 3-dimensional sphere, leading Belgian cartographer Stefaan Missinne to speculate that it may be the work of a skilled artist from Da Vinci's Florence studio....

Read news article
Eureka! Climate Change Is Good For California's Ancient Trees!

Climate change always seems to be about things going wrong - The Arctic is melting faster, sea water levels are rising rapidly . . . and the list goes on. Now finally there is some good news. According to a team of experts led by Emily Burns, Science Director at Calfornia's Save the Redwoods League, it is actually helping the world's tallest trees thrive....

Read news article
Could Undersea Hot Springs Hold The Key To Understanding The Origins Of Life?

While scientists know that the first life found on Earth almost three billion years ago began with the simplest form, its origins still remains a mystery. Sure Charles Darwin's theory of Evolution by means of Natural Selection presented in his 1859 book 'The Origin of Species' sounds plausible, but it still does not explain how that first living microorganism came into being. A team of scientists led by University of California Santa Cruz Professor Andrew Fisher believe that an unusual ecosystem located at the bottom of our oceans may provide some clues....

Read news article
Menu For Mars Astronauts May Include Delectable Stews And Desserts

While missions to the moon or even International Space Station take a lot of meticulous planning, the one to Mars is going to require even more so, mainly due to the fact that it will be the longest one ever. Scientists estimate that it will take astronauts a total of at least 520 days or about 18 months to travel to Mars, perform a short mission and return to Earth....

Read news article
Designer Brings Smart Technology To Apparel

With 'smart' technology being incorporated into almost everything around us it is not surprising to hear that it is now also making its way to apparel. First there was Cute Circuit's 'twitter' gown and now, dresses that move to acknowledge their admirers....

Read news article
Coming To A Sky Near You - The Spectacular Perseid Meteor Showers

Though there is a slew of meteor showers that are visible from Earth every year, none comes even close to the show put on by the Perseids annually around mid-August. They are so spectacular that the experts at NASA call them the 'fireball' champion of all annual meteor showers! The best part is that this year's event is coming up soon....

Read news article
Why A 'Bland & Neutral' Flavored $325,000 USD Burger Is Being Hailed A Success

On Monday, August 5th, reporters from some of the world's most prestigious newspapers gathered in Hammersmith, London and watched attentively as award-winning chef Richard McGeown carefully sautéed a beef patty in oil and butter, placed it on a plate beside a burger bun, lettuce and tomato, and served it with great flourish to Chicago-based food writer and journalist, Josh Schonwald and Austrian food researcher, Hanni Rutzler....

Read news article
New Zealand's 'Glow-In-The-Dark' Cave is Powered By Flies!

New Zealand's North Island is known for many things - it's active volcanoes, pristine beaches, waters that harbor about 8000 marine species as well as the rich Maori culture and heritage. However, none come even close to one of nature's most amazing and unique offerings - The Glowworm Grotto Cavern....

Read news article
Smog Eating Sidewalks And Concrete Recycling Robots? Awesome!

With global warming on the rise, innovative solutions to combat pollution are becoming increasingly important. While there are many that are unveiled each week, only a few have the capability of tackling the issues on a scale large enough, to make a real difference. Here are two ingenious ones that definitely make the cut....

Read news article
72-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tail Unearthed In Mexican Desert

On July 23rd, a team of paleontologists comprising of experts from Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History and students from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, excavating in the Chihuahuan Desert in the Northeastern State of Coahuila, stumbled upon an exciting and rare discovery - An almost perfectly preserved tail of a dinosaur that inhabited the area, 72 million years ago....

Read news article
Volunteers Form Human Wall To Guide Baby Loggerhead Sea Turtles To Sea

Though it is common for the volunteers of Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire to ensure that the hundreds of loggerhead sea turtles that hatch on the beaches of the Caribbean Island make it to sea each year, the task usually involves just keeping an eye on them. This year, they had to do something they have never done before - Create a human wall for some of the little ones that were confused as to the path to the ocean....

Read news article
Solar-Powered Plane Completes Historic 'Across America' Flight

Solar Impulse, the world's first single passenger solar-powered airplane has come a long way since its first flight in 2009, when it rose a mere 3 feet above the ground and flew for just 1,150 feet in the 30 seconds it was in air. In 2012, the elegant green flying machine successfully completed an intercontinental trip from Europe to Africa and on July 6th, 2013, added another feather or should we say 'wing' to its cap, with a flight across the United States of America....

Read news article
It's Official! Chickens Are Smarter Than Human Toddlers!

First there was the revelation that roosters really do have an automatic built-in clock, alerting them to the time of day. Now, a new report claims that chickens are no bird brains - In fact they are smarter then most four-year old human toddlers! The review which was commissioned by Britain's Happy Egg Company, was compiled using twenty years of research data. Here are some of the things University of Bristol Professor Christine Nicol, was able to uncover in her recently release report entitled 'The Intelligent Hen'....

Read news article