Not a fan of tomatoes? Then, it would be best to steer clear of Buñol, Spain, in late August. That's because every year on the last Wednesday of August, the charming town of just 10,000 residents becomes center stage for La Tomatina — the world's largest food fight. As the name suggests, the exciting event involves lots of tomatoes....

Found in tropical waters worldwide, trumpetfish are elongated creatures with long snouts, which they use to swallow small fish and shrimp. The large fish are known to use a variety of tactics to avoid being detected by their prey. They include changing color to blend in with their surroundings and hiding amid the long branches of soft corals. Now, researchers have found that the crafty fish often deceive their prey by hiding behind larger, friendlier fish....

September 11, 2023, marks the 22nd anniversary of the boldest and deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil. The unprovoked act of violence was planned and executed by members of the Islamic extremist organization al-Qaeda. The tragedy killed 2,977 innocent people and altered life as we knew it forever....

A group of young environmentalists in Montana won a landmark climate change ruling on August 14, 2023. In a historic first, District Court Judge Kathy Seeley sided with the youth activists that the state's government was not doing enough to protect them from climate change. Here is a rundown of all the essential details....

Scientists at Aix-Marseille University in France believe they have identified the world's first-known "boomerang meteorite." They think the Earth rock got tossed into space, where it spent thousands of years before returning home....

A reticulated baby giraffe at Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee, is garnering worldwide attention due to her unusual looks. The female, born on July 31, 2023, lacks her characteristic patches. Instead, she has a plain brown coat. The zoo's officials believe she might be the "only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet."...

In a remarkable feat, India successfully landed its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the Moon's surface on August 23, 2023. It is only the fourth nation in the world — after the former Soviet Union, the US, and China — to accomplish this achievement. Even more impressive, India is the only country to land a spacecraft on the southern lunar pole....

A Southern sea otter, nicknamed Otter 841, has been hassling surfers at Santa Cruz, California's Steamer Lane all summer. The five-year-old appears unannounced at the famous surfing spot. She then effortlessly hoists herself out of the ocean and onto surfboards. Sometimes, the otter destroys the boards by chewing on them. Other times, she bullies the startled surfer into giving up the board entirely....

Barbie, one of this year's most anticipated releases, has more than lived up to its lofty expectations. The fantasy comedy has broken numerous records for Warner Bros. and Director Greta Gerwig since its July 21, 2023, premiere. And there is no end in sight!...

If this summer feels a little warmer than usual, you are not wrong. The global temperatures in June 2023 far exceeded the previous record set in June 2019. The sweltering weather intensified in July. On August 14, 2023, NASA reported that it was the hottest month since global temperature record-keeping began in 1880. Some experts believe July may have been the hottest month in 120,000 years. If the trend continues into the fall and winter, 2023 may surpass 2016 as the hottest year on record....

Fans of the Gran Turismo video game series have likely spent countless hours conquering tracks in the virtual world with the McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo, or VGT. The British luxury carmaker has now turned the fantasy into a reality with the introduction of the McLaren Solus GT....

On August 10, 2023, the Chicago River became a sea of yellow as thousands of rubber ducks plunged in for the Rubber Duck Derby. Celebrating its 18th year, the popular event helps raise much-needed funds for the Special Olympics Illinois....

The Hollywood writers strike marked its 100th day on August 9, 2023. The Writers Guild of America (WGA), representing 11,500 screenwriters, went on strike on May 2, 2023, after failing to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). On July 13, 2023, the SAG-AFTRA, a union representing about 160,000 Hollywood actors, joined the writers on the picket lines in solidarity....

Hundreds of firefighters are currently battling catastrophic wildfires in Maui, Hawaii. The fires ignited on August 8, 2023. The flames rapidly burnt through vegetation before exploding overnight and spreading to nearby communities. Fanned by strong winds from a distant hurricane, they moved so quickly that some residents were forced to jump into the ocean to escape....

On June 25, 2023, four Americans began their 378-day stay on a simulated version of Mars at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The mission, dubbed CHAPEA, or Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, is the first of three experiments planned by NASA. They are designed to test the mental and social challenges astronauts will face when they get to Mars....

On June 21, 2023, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) granted its first-ever approval of cell-cultured meat. The assent is restricted to products made by GOOD Meat and UPSIDE Foods. It was the final step the California-based startups needed to sell their lab-grown chicken in the US....

There are thousands of stunning waterfalls worldwide. However, none are as unique as Antarctica's Blood Falls. The aptly-named waterfall, which flows from the tip of the Taylor Glacier, spurts out bright red water. The existence of this five-story-tall waterfall has been known for over a century. But the reason behind its crimson waters has remained a mystery. Now, a team led by W. Berry Lyons of The Ohio State University may have finally found the answer....

There are over 30 meteor showers annually. But few can compare to the spectacular Perseids. The "shooting stars" have been blazing through the sky at a rate of about a dozen an hour since mid-July and will continue until the end of August. But the best time to view them is when Earth passes through the area with the densest comet dust. That's when the meteors' pace increases to between 50 and 100 an hour. This year that will be during the pre-dawn hours of August 13....

Like most fish, sharks are largely ectothermic, or cold-blooded. This means their body temperature depends on the water around them. To avoid freezing, most shark species remain close to the ocean's surface, where the water temperatures are warmer. However, scalloped hammerheads have long been known to dive thousands of feet into the ocean's cold depths in search of prey. Researchers from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa have now uncovered the shark's long-kept secret. The smart fish shut their gills and "hold their breath" to stay warm....

The US Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT) has been a dominant force in world soccer for the past three decades. The impressive team boasts four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals. Team USA now hopes to win its third consecutive title at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. No team, men's or women's, has achieved this feat. Also, a fifth title would put the USWNT behind only Brazil's men, who have won six....

It is no secret that play-based learning improves the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children. Researchers now believe that certain board games, like Chutes and Ladders and Monopoly, can also help enhance their math skills....

In most countries, a person's age is determined by subtracting the date of birth from the given date. However, in South Korea, an individual's age can be calculated in three different ways. A new law that took effect on June 26, 2023, aims to simplify the confusing system....

Former US President Ronald Reagan's love for jelly beans was well-known. However, the country's 40th leader also had another guilty pleasure — ice cream. In 1984, Mr. Reagan gave the "nutritious and wholesome food" the respect it deserved by declaring July as National Ice Cream Month!...

In what can only be described as a miracle, four children from an indigenous community in Colombia were rescued after being stranded in the Amazon rainforest for 40 days. On May 1, 2023, 13-year-old Lesly, nine-year-old Soleiny, four-year-old Tien Norie and 11-month old Cristin, were flying with their mother to the town of San José del Guaviare. Midway through the journey, their small airplane suffered an engine failure and crashed in a remote part of the Colombian Amazon jungle....