Monday, August 8, was Earth Overshoot Day. Calculated annually by the environmental advocacy group, Global Footprint Network, it is the day when humanity has consumed all the natural resources — produce, meat, fish, water, and wood — that our planet can regenerate in a single year. This means that for the rest of 2016, we will be using natural resources that are impossible to replace....

Water, or rather the lack of it, is one of the most pressing issues of our times. Unprecedented droughts and growing populations have left many countries struggling to keep up with demand. Given that agriculture is the largest single user of freshwater, providing farmers with new conservation techniques would go a long way in alleviating our water woes. It turns out that a “miracle” powder has been helping drought-stricken Mexican farmers do exactly that for over a decade!...

In July 2016, much to the dismay of environmentalists and the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) — the federal government body in charge of the nation's waterways — granted the final permits to allow construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). When completed, the 1,172-mile-long, $3.8 billion USD pipeline that snakes through four states will be able to transport up to 500,000 barrels of crude oil from the Bakken Formation area of North Dakota to refineries in Illinois, daily. The builder, Dakota Access, LLC, a subsidiary of Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, asserts that the underground pipeline is a more direct, cost-effective, safer, and environmentally responsible way to transport crude oil....

Shortly before the school year ended in June, 1,700 American kids got to do what most students can only dream of — play video games in class. No, the 100 educators that allowed this were not slacking off. They were helping Microsoft beta test a new Minecraft Education Edition, which the company plans to offer to schools across the globe within the next few weeks....

At the end of the spring semester in May, students taking Georgia Tech’s online Knowledge-Based Artificial Intelligence course received some stunning news. Jill Watson, one of the nine teaching assistants (TA’s) that had helped them navigate the challenging course for the past five months was not a “she,” but an “it” — an intelligent robot to be precise!...

In 1924, two years after he began excavating Egyptian King Tutankhamun’s (Tut) burial chamber, British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter finally discovered what he had been seeking: The young pharaoh’s well-preserved sarcophagus. In addition to the scores of precious jewels, amulets, and bracelets that had been buried alongside, Carter also unearthed two daggers wrapped around the boy king’s body. The other also featured a gold handle, but its blade appeared to be made from iron....

Sunday, September 11, 2016, marks the 15th anniversary of the most daring and deadliest terrorist attack on American soil. Planned and executed by Islamic extremist organization Al Qaeda, the unprovoked act of violence is what led to our ongoing "Global War On Terrorism” and changed life as we knew it, forever....

On Wednesday, August 24, the residents of the Apennine regions in central Italy were jolted awake at 3.36 a.m. by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake. To make matters worse, it was followed by over 80 aftershocks, including a 5.5 magnitude tremor that hit Umbria an hour later, at 4.33 a.m....

After years of planning and months of anticipation, the 2016 Summer Games finally kicked off in Brazil on August 5. The beautiful opening ceremony, held at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium, featured lots of great music and dancing, and even a supermodel. The highlight of the evening, however, was the over 10,000 athletes from 207 countries that marched across the stadium, proud to represent their respective nations at the world’s most prestigious sporting event. Though they are all champions in their own right, here are few youngsters that are expected to leave their mark at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad....

A few weeks ago, if you saw someone wandering around your neighborhood staring at their phone, you might have assumed they were lost. Now, it would not be too much of a stretch to think that they are busy locating, capturing, battling or training fictional creatures called Pokémon Welcome to Pokémon Go, the free-to-play location-based augmented reality game that has taken the world by storm since its release on July 6. For those that are unfamiliar with the Pokémon brand and wondering what the latest hoopla is all about, here is a brief rundown....

In February 2016, 22 presidential hopefuls (5 Democrats and 17 Republicans) began their quest to convince the American public to vote for them in the November 8 elections. Based on the outcomes of the caucuses and preliminary elections, it became apparent that the Republican Party had a clear winner – Donald Trump. It was therefore not surprising that at the GOP National Convention held in Cleveland, Ohio from July 19 -21, Mr. Trump easily earned the 1,237 delegates he needed to win the Republican Party’s presidential nomination....

On June 23, British voters stunned the world with their decision to leave the European Union. Almost immediately, Prime Minister David Cameron, who had lobbied hard against what has popularly become known as “Brexit,” announced his resignation, leaving officials scrambling to find a new leader....

A contest to crown “The World’s Ugliest Dog” may appear to be derogatory to dogs. However, that is not the intention of the organizers of the Sonoma-Marin Fair where the popular event has been held for the past 28 years. They view the unusual event as a celebration of the spirit and imperfections that make the dogs loveable and adoptable....

On June 23, residents of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom (UK)— England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales — went to the polls to determine if the country should leave the European Union (EU). Most experts believed that Britons would make the “sensible” decision and vote against what has popularly been dubbed “Brexit.” After all, the benefits of remaining with the world’s largest economy far outweigh the drawbacks. But the experts were wrong!...

To state that China has traffic issues is an understatement. A 2015 study conducted by navigation system maker TomTom revealed that the country is home to five of the top twenty most traffic congested cities in the world. Though Chinese authorities have tried to control the traffic flow with tactics that range from charging road tolls to building expressways with 50 lanes, nothing appears to be working. Now, some engineers are proposing an ingenious solution to ease the country’s traffic woes — An elevated bus that glides over cars!...

On Friday, June 10, over 100,000 fans lined up along the streets of Louisville, KY and chanted “Ali Ali” as the hearse carrying legendary boxing icon Mohammad Ali’s cherry-red casket made its way to the Cave Hill National Cemetery. The 74-year-old, who had been battling Parkinson’s disease for 32 years, passed away at a hospital near Phoenix on June 3, 2016. Ali was famous not only for his athletic prowess but also for his social activism....

Being blind is tough under any circumstances. But things were even harder for Srikanth Bolla who born in a small village near Hyderabad, India, where the common belief was that kids with disabilities were “useless” and even a “sin” and therefore, better off dead. Fortunately, Srikanth’s parents loved their son and refused to give in to societal pressure. Instead, they encouraged the blind boy to dream big and reach for the stars....

Though few people need an excuse to bite into a warm, gooey donut, it is always nice to have one. And what better reason to justify eating the treat than the fact that it is National Donut Day! Observed annually on the first Friday of June, the origins of this yummy holiday can be traced all the way back to World War I....

Though the detrimental impact of plastic waste on the environment is well-known, consumption of drinks bottled in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) —the most commonly used polymer — continues to rise at alarming levels. According to experts, over 22,000 plastic bottles are discarded every second, and the numbers are only growing. While a fraction of them do get recycled, most end up in the ocean, where they disintegrate into smaller pieces and are often mistaken for food by innocent fish and birds....

On Thursday, June 23, residents of the United Kingdom will head to the polls to vote “yes” or “no” to a single question: "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” Simple as it sounds, the outcome of the referendum will have a significant impact on the country’s future....

On Monday, May 30, Americans will celebrate Memorial Day. The Federal holiday that is observed annually on the last Monday of the month is highly anticipated by all, for various reasons. To students, it signifies the end of the school year and the start of a long lazy summer break. For adults, the holiday is a reminder to firm up vacation plans and host barbecue parties....

Hundreds of thousands of hearing-impaired people in the United States and many parts of Canada rely solely on American Sign Language (ASL) for communication. But popular as the language is, there are millions of people with normal hearing that are unable to decipher the hand and finger gestures. That may change soon thanks to the ingenious “SignAloud” glove that converts sign language into speech....

When a 91,000-acre piece of vacant land came up for sale in Southwest Florida about ten years ago, it attracted builders from across the country. After all, the chance to develop an area almost five times the size of Manhattan does not come frequently. But to everyone’s surprise, the owners did not auction the property that lies just 20 minutes from Fort Myers to the highest bidder. Instead, they sold it to Palm Beach-based Kitson & Partners who not only promised to preserve a bulk of the land, but also use the remaining acreage to build an environmentally friendly town....

To win a national award for handwriting, especially in this digital age, is an achievement in itself. But what makes Anaya Ellick’s accolade extra special is that the seven-year-old accomplished the feat despite having no hands. Even more amazing? The first-grader from Chesapeake, Virginia, who won the prestigious Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellence in Manuscript Penmanship, on April 11, does not use prosthetics. The young girl produces her perfect penmanship by standing close to her desk with her pencil firmly gripped between her forearms....