As the fashion industry confronts sustainability and environmental challenges, designers are exploring innovative ways to reduce waste and minimize their ecological footprint. Zsofia Kollar, the founder of Human Material Loop, is turning to an unexpected resource to reduce her impact — human hair. The Dutch entrepreneur collects hair cuttings from hairdressers and transforms them into fabric for clothes, curtains, carpets, and furniture....

This past weekend, the Sun let its presence be felt by unleashing a series of massive solar flares. The resulting auroras were visible across the Northern Hemisphere and even parts of the Southern Hemisphere, treating stargazers to a rare and breathtaking spectacle....

A Sumatran orangutan named Rakus has stunned researchers by treating a cheek wound with a medicinal plant. The male primate, believed to be about 35 years old, lives in Gunung Leuser National Park in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The protected rainforest is home to over 750 animal species, including 150 orangutans....

In a plot twist straight out of a Hollywood movie, thieves stole a staggering $30 million from a money storage facility in Southern California. The daring heist, one of the largest in US history, occurred on the night of Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024. The carefully planned operation has left the police baffled....

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in the United States (US). The month-long celebration recognizes the historical and cultural contributions of the AAPI community. The broad term includes 50 ethnic groups that speak over 100 languages. They have roots in more than 40 countries. These include China, India, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Korea....

On May 5, 2024, people from all walks of life will come together to celebrate World Laughter Day. This joyous holiday, marked annually on the first Sunday in May, is the brainchild of Indian physician Dr. Madan Kataria. It reminds us that laughter is a powerful tool for bringing people together and improving one's overall physical and mental health....

Environmental scientists Shi-Mao Wu and Jiang-Yun Gao were in a rainforest in China's Yuan Province when they noticed mosquitos buzzing around some flowers. Upon looking closer, the researchers realized they were looking at a male and a female crab spider. They had come together to resemble a single flower. The male spider was disguised as the pistils and stamens, while the female looked like the flower's lighter petals....

Do you love comic books? Then, you will be excited to know that May 4, 2024, is Free Comic Book Day (FCBD). This means you can walk into any of the 2300+ participating retailers worldwide and pick up a free comic book. Now in its 22nd year, the global event is observed annually on the first Saturday in May....

Three men stranded on a remote Pacific island for a week were successfully rescued on April 9, 2024, thanks to their clever "help" signal made using palm fronds....

On April 21, 2024, the 10.5-mile-wide (17 km) Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also called "Devil Comet," will make its closest approach to the Sun. As it comes near the star, the comet will brighten significantly and be visible in the western sky an hour after sunset. The icy rock will appear as a fuzzy glowing patch with a faint tail streaking behind....

Humans and chimpanzees share 98.8 percent of their DNA, so it's not surprising that they display similar behaviors and traits. They include communicating through gestures and vocalizations, and using tools to complete tasks. Now, new research reveals that chimpanzees employ human-like military tactics to evaluate risk and expand their territories....

The United Kingdom (UK) Antarctic Heritage Trust is looking to hire five people — a base leader, a shop manager, and three general assistants — to work at the "Penguin Post Office" in Port Lockroy, Antarctica. The five-month stint is open to UK residents over the age of 18. It will begin in early November 2024 and last until March 2025....

In a world first, doctors at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General) in Boston have successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a living person. The March 21, 2024, announcement came just months after the successful completion of similar transplants in deceased individuals. The historic four-hour surgery took place on March 16, 2024. The 15-member transplant team included experts who had spent their entire careers working on organ research....

In the summer of 2023, Lohit Y.T. and his team at the World Wildlife Fund-India traveled to the foothills of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, India. They hoped to research the area's amphibians and reptiles, which often emerge during the humid monsoon season. While documenting a cluster of about 40 Rao's intermediate golden-backed frogs near a small pond, the naturalists noticed something unusual. One of the amphibians had a mushroom sprouting from its side!...

For people who enjoy pranks, there is no better holiday than April Fools' Day. Celebrated annually on April 1, it is the only day of the year when light-hearted tricks are not frowned upon. The origin of this fun tradition is hazy. Some maintain that it started in 1582 when the world moved from the Julian calendar — which began the new year in April — to the current Gregorian calendar. Others think it was to celebrate the onset of spring....

Easter, the oldest and most important Christian festival, will be observed on March 31, 2024. The holiday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many American adults mark the event by attending special church services. For children in the US, Easter means egg hunts, parades, and the Easter Bunny. But not everyone celebrates the holiday with these traditions. Here are a few fun customs from around the world....

Every spring, many fish species migrate from the Vecht, a branch of the Rhine River, to the shallow waters of the Kromme Rijn River to spawn and reproduce. However, their journey often stops at the Weerdsluis lock in Utrecht, Netherlands. The manually operated lock, designed to maintain the canal's water levels, rarely opens in the spring months. But now, thanks to an interactive "fish doorbell," the marine animals are able to reach their destination with little or no disruption....

Earth Hour 2024 will occur on March 23 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time. The event, held annually toward the end of March, encourages individuals, communities, and businesses worldwide to turn off non-essential electric lights for one hour. The voluntary rolling blackouts are also observed by landmark structures such as the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building. They remind us of the urgent need to protect our planet....

What if you could transform the plastic spoon you used at lunch into a cup for your water and then change it back to a spoon? That is precisely what researchers at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering had in mind when they created "pluripotent plastic."...

A novel gene therapy is bringing hope to children born with a specific type of hereditary deafness. On January 25, 2024, researchers at China's Fudan University and Harvard Medical School (HMS) announced that the groundbreaking treatment had restored the hearing of five of the six test patients....

After being removed from the curriculum for over 14 years, cursive writing is making a comeback in some US public schools. For those unfamiliar with the term, it is the elegant form of penmanship where letters or characters are joined together in a flowing manner, generally to make writing faster....

March 5, 2024, was Super Tuesday. It was the day when 16 American states held primary elections and caucuses. This all-important day is crucial for US presidential hopefuls because front-runners frequently receive their respective political party's nomination....

An 8-year-old has become the youngest player ever to defeat a grandmaster (GM) in classical chess. For those unfamiliar with the term, GM is the highest title a chess player can attain. Ashwath Kaushik achieved the incredible feat on February 18, 2024, after beating 37-year-old Jacek Stopa in round four of an international chess competition in Switzerland. Kaushik went on to finish in 12th place, but his victory over Stopa was the talk of the tournament....

On February 27, 2024, biologists at San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences revealed that "Mirage," its resident titan arum, or corpse flower, had bloomed. The massive plants bloom once every seven to ten years. The flowers last just one to three days and emit a pungent odor reminiscent of rotting flesh. It is no wonder that titan arums are deemed the "world's stinkiest flower."...