Anti-bird spikes are commonplace in urban cities. The sharp pins and poles fitted on rooftops are meant to prevent birds from perching or nesting on buildings. But in an ironic turn of events, some intelligent birds are ripping out the metal rods and using them to build nests....

What kind of sculpture would five famous artists who lived 500 years apart create if they worked together? That was the challenge two Swedish companies set up for themselves in August 2022. The result is "The Impossible Statue," the world's first sculpture designed with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) software....

Charles Martinet, the beloved voice behind Nintendo's cheerful Italian plumber Mario, has retired. The 67-year-old has been delighting young gamers with catchphrases like "mama mia," "let's a-go," and "it's-a me" for over 25 years. Nintendo made the announcement in late August 2023....

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday are all about purchasing holiday gifts for loved ones. However, GivingTuesday, which will be observed on November 28, 2023, has a more altruistic purpose. "The Global Day of Giving" is marked annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It encourages people worldwide to "give their voice, time, money, goods, and advocacy to support communities and causes."...

President Joe Biden marked his 81st birthday by partaking in a cherished Thanksgiving tradition on November 20, 2023. The US leader used his executive powers to spare two lucky turkeys named "Liberty" and "Bell" from the Thanksgiving table. The gorgeous toms were named after the famous Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. They will spend the rest of their lives under the watchful eyes of students studying animal science at the University of Minnesota....

A massive pumpkin display at Sunnyfield Farms in the United Kingdom set a new world record for the largest Cucurbita mosaic on October 22, 2023. Cucurbita includes squashes, pumpkins, zucchinis, and some gourds. The 2,081-square-foot (193 square meters) artwork was created to mark the 30th anniversary of Tim Burton's animated movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas....

In late August 2023, over 300 amateur detectives from around the world gathered in the United Kingdom's Scottish Highlands to look for the Loch Ness Monster. The two-day search in the Loch Ness lake, where the creature is said to dwell, was the most extensive one conducted in over 50 years. The investigators used various technologies, including surveying equipment and drones with infrared cameras....

Historians have long suspected that Queen Meret-Neith was the most powerful woman in Egypt around 3,000 BC. Now, archeologists have found evidence that indicates she may have been ancient Egypt's first female ruler. Before this, that honor belonged to Queen Hatshepsut (1507 BC - 1458 BC)....

Australian researchers recently unveiled an exceptionally well-preserved fossil of an ancient spider. The arachnid roamed the continent between 16 million and 11 million years ago. Megamonodontium mccluskyi was unearthed at the McGraths Flat in New South Wales. Once covered with lush rainforests, the site has an abundance of insect and plant fossils that existed during the Miocene era. Many are new to science....

A team of underwater archaeologists led by Franck Goddio has found a submerged Egyptian temple and Greek sanctuary brimming with ancient treasures. Both structures were part of the ancient Egyptian city of Thonis-Heracleion. It was once Egypt's largest port along the Mediterranean Sea. However, a major earthquake and tidal waves caused the entire city to sink in the 8th century AD....

For most Americans, the fall holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving go hand in hand with pumpkins. Some transform the fruit into spooky jack-o'-lanterns, while others use them as decor. Unfortunately, the fascination with the colorful gourds fades soon after the holidays end. Experts estimate that between 164 million to 344 million pumpkins get tossed out and left to rot in landfills every November....

Plastic pollution gets a lot of attention. However, the ever-increasing pile of discarded electronics is not as well-publicized. In 2014, over 49 million tons of toxic "e-waste" ended up in landfills. This includes computers, smartphones, and televisions. If left unchecked, the number is expected to increase to 82 million tons by 2030. Envision Racing hopes to raise awareness about the urgent need to recycle and repurpose our gadgets with a racing car made entirely from e-waste....

The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a vibrant and colorful celebration of life and death and an important part of Mexican culture. The annual holiday, held from November 1st to November 2nd, offers a unique opportunity to remember and honor loved ones who have passed away....

Need inspiration for your Halloween pumpkin? You might want to check out American sculptor and artist Ray Villafane's masterpieces. The two-time winner of the Food Network show Outrageous Pumpkins does not just "carve" the fruits. He transforms them into 3-D sculptures — ghoulish ones, of course!...

A recently discovered sketch of Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet, signed by E. H. Shepard, the original illustrator of the beloved series, could fetch as much as $36,000. The pen-and-ink image depicts Pooh and Piglet walking home after bidding farewell to their friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. It was the final scene before the characters turned back into toys....

Any doubt that Simone Biles is the greatest gymnast in history was erased at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. The 26-year-old phenom took home five medals — including four gold — at the competition, which took place from September 30 to October 8, 2023. Biles won the gold medal in the all-around, balance beam, floor exercise, and team competition events. She took home a silver in the vault....

Glue manufacturers must find a balance between two things when making the sticky substance — how strong it holds and how easily it can be pulled apart. That's because boosting one attribute usually weakens the other. As a result, the end product is either not sticky enough or extremely strong. The latter makes it hard to undo to adjust for mistakes or when the product is no longer useful. Now, scientists in Japan have created an intriguing, reusable glue that can instantly be stuck on and off....

Frank Rubio has inadvertently set a new record for the longest time in space by an American. The NASA astronaut who returned to Earth on September 23, 2023, was supposed to have been at the International Space Station (ISS) for 180 days. Instead, he was stuck there for 371 days. Rubio's time in space surpasses Mark Vande Hei's US spaceflight record of 355 days set in 2022. Russia holds the world record of 437 days, set in the mid-1990s....

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully sent asteroid Bennu's samples to Earth on September 24, 2023. The capsule, carrying the rocks and dust, entered Earth's atmosphere around 10:42 AM EDT (7:42 AM PT). Soon after, it made a picture-perfect landing on the sandy floor of the Utah desert....

Live concerts can be challenging for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. While they sometimes have access to an interpreter, their sensory experience is limited to tricks like holding a balloon or standing close to the speakers to feel the vibrations. Now, thanks to the innovative haptic suits created by Not Impossible Labs, deaf people will be able to "feel" music in a whole new way....

Full Moons are always a stunning sight. However, the "Harvest Moon" that will light up the skies on September 29, 2023, promises to be even more spectacular given that it is a supermoon. More importantly, it will be this year's fourth and final supermoon!...

North America's Great Lakes — Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario — were a hub of maritime activity in the 1800s. Thousands of ships used the inland waterways to move cargo and passengers between cities. Among them was a sailing ship named Trinidad that sank in Lake Michigan about 150 years ago. On September 2, 2023, the Wisconsin Historical Society announced that the remains of the long-lost boat had finally been found....

The Beatles were one of the most successful and influential pop music groups of the 1960s. The English rock band, comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, produced numerous hits before breaking up in 1970. Any hope of the group recording another song was dashed when a jealous fan killed John Lennon in December 1980. But now, thanks to advances in artificial intelligence (AI), fans will be able to listen to one final song from the iconic band....

This year's summer was the Earth's hottest since global record-keeping began in 1880. Large parts of the Northern Hemisphere – including areas of the United States, Europe, and Japan – experienced scorching heatwaves. Humans comfortably rode out the extreme weather inside air-conditioned homes and offices. However, the option was not available to most zoo animals. Here are some creative ways that zookeepers used to keep the animals safe in the heat....