Today the world will celebrate Earth Hour. This means that millions of people across twenty-four time zones and six continents will switch off all lights and turn off all electronics for an hour, from 8.30-9.30 pm local time. While it may seem trivial, this small action will make more than a symbolic difference in our battle against climate change....
Read news articleFor humans seeing butterflies fluttering around with their beautiful brightly colored wings is a joyful sight. However not for their natural predators like lizards, spiders, and birds. To them, the vibrant hues are a reminder of a bad-tasting species that are best avoided. For those not easily duped, some butterflies also have eyespots on their wings. According to researchers, this tricks would-be predators into thinking that the insect is a larger animal, like an owl....
Read news articleOn Friday March 27th, five-year-old Seth Lane will undergo a bone marrow transplant - his second one in four and a half years. To show support and raise awareness of the Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) disease the young boy suffers from, his family has one simple request. They want everyone to wear Seth's favorite color yellow, and post pictures Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, with the hashtag #WearYellowForSeth....
Read news articleHoney, the rich gold liquid that we all love is the miraculous creation of industrious honey bees. However, while the delicious sweetener has been used for over 8,000 years, extracting it is still a laborious process that is stressful for both humans and bees....
Read news articleJust a few weeks ago, NAO, the humanoid robot made headlines when it became Mitsubishi Bank's first non-human employee. Now the cute 23-inch tall robot that weighs a mere 5.5 kilograms (12.7 pounds) is in the news again. This time around NAO is helping students develop good handwriting skills....
Read news articleMost animals that hibernate during cold winter months have thick coats of fur or layers of fat to protect them. However, the Rana sylvatica species of the wood frog that can be found in Alaska and the Arctic Circle has neither. Therefore this tiny amphibian has adapted by freezing and thawing itself depending on the external temperature....
Read news articleFifty years ago, on March 18th, 1965, Soviet Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov took the first spacewalk. It lasted just twelve minutes and almost ended in a disaster. That's because the vacuum of space caused his pressurized suit to inflate and become rigid, making it impossible for Leonov to re-enter the Voskhod 2 space capsule airlock. The quick thinking astronaut let out some of the precious air from his suit and despite severe decompression sickness, manage to stumble back in and live to tell his harrowing tale....
Read news articleIn 1996, Jan Scheuermann, a successful businesswoman and mother of two, began to notice her legs were not quite moving along with the rest of her body. A visit to the doctor revealed that she suffered from spinocerebellar degeneration, a rare genetic disease where the brain gradually loses connection to body muscles. By 2003, Jan had lost all ability to control her limbs and was paralyzed from the neck down....
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