The over 48,000 orange trees that permeate all corners of Seville, Spain, not only fill the city's air with the pleasant smell of azhar, or orange blossoms, in spring; they also yield over 16,500 tons of fruit every winter. Though that gives the capital of southern Spain’s Andalusia region the bragging rights of being Europe's top orange-producing city, the fruit is too tart to be consumed fresh. While some of the produce is used to make marmalade and orange liqueur, most of it ends up in Seville's landfills. However, that may change soon thanks to an ingenious idea to use the oranges to produce clean energy....

In 2011, conservationists moved eight Rothschild's giraffes to Longicharo Island, a rocky peninsula on Lake Baringo in Western Kenya. The scientists hoped the isolated area would save the endangered animals from poachers and allow their numbers to multiply. However, intense rainfall in August 2020 caused the lake water levels to rise substantially, cutting the area off from the mainland and reducing the once lush, 100-acre habitat to about eight acres....

The deadly winter storm, which swept across 22 states — from Texas to Maine — the week of February 14, 2021, delivered large amounts of snow and ice, and established numerous low-temperature records. While over 140 million Americans were impacted, Texas was particularly hard hit. The Arctic chill caused about 60 percent of the state's energy sources to go offline and water pipes to freeze and burst, leaving millions without electricity and water....

If you have been paying any attention to the news over the past few weeks, you may have heard of the exponential rise and the equally dramatic drop in the share price of video game retailer GameStop (GME) and other "meme" stocks — those favored by millennials — like AMC Theaters. The two-week frenzy, which pitted individual amateur investors against seasoned professionals — and resulted in a Congressional inquiry— began rather innocently in an online community on Reddit....

The NASA Perseverance rover's 293 million mile (472 million km) journey to Mars ended successfully on February 18, 2021, with a picture-perfect landing inside the Jezero Crater. The car-sized, six-wheeled rover, nicknamed Percy, is the US space agency's biggest and most advanced explorer to date. Its primary mission is to search for signs of ancient microbial life on Mars....

Matthew Walzer, who was born with cerebral palsy, had overcome most of the mobility and motor skills challenges associated with the congenital disorder by the time he turned 16 in 2012. However, with limited dexterity in his right hand, one essential task remained elusive — tying his shoelaces. Realizing there were probably millions of others facing a similar challenge, he reached out to his favorite shoe company, Nike, for help. Little did the teenager know that his heartfelt request would lead to the creation of Go FlyEase — the world's first fully hands-free sneaker....

On January 13, 2021, the US House of Representatives voted to impeach former president Donald Trump for the second time. However, the verdict did not result in Mr. Trump's conviction or removal from office. It will also not prevent the former US leader from running for public office again. Those measures can only be taken if the US Senate, which began its trial on February 9, 2021, also votes in favor of the impeachment. Here is how we got here and what to expect next....

Celebrated annually on February 14, Valentine's Day is one of the few holidays that is enjoyed almost worldwide. In the United States, the romantic occasion is observed by exchanging greeting cards and treating loved ones to candy, flowers, gifts, and unforgettable meals. However, not every culture marks the day of love in the same way, or even on February 14! Here are some fascinating Valentine's Day traditions from around the world....

On February 12, 2021, over a billion people in China and millions worldwide will celebrate the first day of the Chinese New Year. Also known as the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, the exact date of the 15-day commemoration, which marks the end of winter, is determined by the lunar calendar. It falls somewhere between late January to mid-February each year....

Those hoping for some respite from the powerful nor'easter that is currently pummeling the US East Coast and Mid-Atlantic with heavy snow and near-blizzard conditions are in for a disappointment. On February 2, 2021, aka Groundhog Day, legendary woodchuck Punxsutawney Phil observed his shadow. This — according to folklore — means that the frosty weather will remain with us for an additional six weeks....

The countdown to Super Bowl LV (55) has begun! On February 7, 2021, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will battle it out for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. The National Football League's (NFL) championship game, which will pit the league's youngest Super Bowl–winning quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, against its most storied quarterback, Tom Brady, has already established numerous records....

The invention of plastic has been a double-edged sword for humanity. While the cheap, versatile material has made life convenient, it is virtually indestructible and takes centuries to decompose. Since avoiding plastic is impossible, companies worldwide are coming up with innovative ways to repurpose the millions of tons of polymer waste that end up in our landfills annually. Among the latest is California-based TechniSoil Industrial, which has devised an ingenious way to reuse plastic waste to repave roads....

With a series of storms unleashing their fury across the United States this week — all the way from California to New York — many Americans are experiencing the full wrath of the winter season. Freezing as the temperatures may seem, they are balmy compared to those in Yakutsk, the capital of Yakutia, or the Sakha Republic, in Russia. The residents of this remote Siberian city have been enduring average temperatures of below -30°F (-34°C) since December 8, 2020, with the mercury dipping as low as -59° F (-50.6 °C) on January 19, 2021....

Mars is famous for its orangish-red hue caused by the iron oxide in its soil. However, the Red Planet's surface, which has been drastically altered by volcanoes, impact craters, crustal movement, and atmospheric conditions such as dust storms, is also home to a wide range of fascinating topographical features. High among the list is Valles Marineris — the Solar System's longest and deepest-known canyon....

Standing over 8 feet tall would be considered intimidating or, at least, respectable for most species. Unless, of course, you are a giraffe — the world's tallest animal — and are surrounded by cohorts who are at least twice as tall! Meet Gimli and Nigel, the world's first-known "mini" giraffes!...

Just before noon (EST) on January 20, 2021, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. placed his hand on a 127-year-old family Bible, which has followed his entire career, and took the Presidential oath of office to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America." The inauguration ceremony of America's 46th President came just moments after Kamala D. Harris took her oath of office and became the first woman and first person of color to hold the country's second-highest office....

With over 4.1 billion people, or around 55 percent of the world's population, living in urban areas, cities and towns worldwide are getting increasingly congested. In addition to spending an excessive number of hours stuck in traffic, residents are also exposed to high air pollution levels caused by transportation emissions. Now, Saudi Arabia hopes to revolutionize urban living with "The Line" — a futuristic city designed around nature, without cars and roads!...

When paleontologists discover a new dinosaur species, they usually marvel at the ancient creature's size or speed. However, a new species of a chicken-sized dinosaur is making headlines for a feature rarely associated with the primitive reptiles that dominated the world for over 140 million years — dazzling looks!...

On Wednesday, January 13, 2021, members of the US House of Representatives voted (232-197) to impeach President Donald Trump for the second time in four years. The single article of impeachment charged the US leader with "incitement of insurrection" against the United States government on January 6, 2021. Here is how we got to this unprecedented moment and what to expect next....

NASA's Artemis program not only hopes to land the next man and the first woman on the lunar south pole by 2024; it also expects them to spend up to seven days in the inhospitable environment, collecting samples and conducting experiments. To provide the pioneering scientists — and future space travelers — with a comfortable shelter, two enterprising Dutch architects have built a habitat capable of withstanding the Moon's harsh conditions....

Celebrated annually on the third Monday of January, Martin Luther King Jr. Day honors the life and legacy of one of the most influential leaders of the American civil rights movement. Designated a national day of service by the US Congress, the federal holiday encourages citizens to help realize the Baptist minister's vision of a “beloved community” by bridging racial and ethnic barriers, addressing social issues, and volunteering to improve their communities....

In late November 2020, German divers, commissioned by the World Wildlife Foundation to extract abandoned fishing nets from the Baltic seafloor, stumbled upon what appeared to be a pristinely-preserved ancient typewriter. However, a closer look at the rusted, algae-covered contraption revealed that the artifact was far from a typewriter. It was a rare Enigma machine, used by German armed forces to send messages securely during the Second World War....

After erupting almost continuously for over three decades — from 1983 to 2018 — Hawaii's Kilauea volcano finally seemed to lose steam, producing no lava for nearly two years. The slumber ended on the night of December 20, 2020, when the active volcano began spewing out dramatic lava fountains and giant puffs of gas and steam from a fissure in the northwest wall of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater....

The cameraman zooms in on the anxious elephant, who paces back and forth. However, the pachyderm's demeanor instantly calms down upon hearing a soothing ballad from Disney’s Cinderella, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes," sung to him by none other than American singer and actress Cher. The now-viral poignant video, published on YouTube on November 30, 2020, was the culmination of the pop singer and animal activist's four-year-long quest to save Kaavan, “The world's loneliest elephant."...