Kids News - Articles for Grade 6

Pluto, the ninth planet from the sun is so tiny that in 2006 it lost its status as a full-fledged member of the solar system and was instead demoted to dwarf planet. But tiny as it it may be, the planet seems to be attracting a lot of moons around it. Just last year NASA's Hubble Telescope discovered a fourth moon, which scientists believed was the final one....

While being at the top of any list is good in most circumstances, in the case of Madagascar's 103 known species of lemurs it is a 'kiss of death' - Literally! That's because a shocking study released by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission earlier this week, revealed that 23 species of the primates are now 'critically endangered', 52 are endangered and 19 are vulnerable. These dire statistics mean that the primates are the most endangered vertebrates on earth - More so than any other mammal, reptile, amphibian, bird or bony fish!...

When the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday, it seems to generate an irrational fear in some people. While during most years the two coincide once or at the most twice, this year we have had the misfortune of having three of them. First on January 13th, then April 13th and the Grande Finale, which happens to be today, Friday July 13th! Another odd coincidence this year is the trio are exactly 13 weeks apart - Something that hasn't happened, since 1984....

With the 2012 London Olympics just about a fortnight away, all the athletes are training hard - However, none is training with as much passion as Oscar Pistorius, the first disabled runner that has been allowed to compete with able-bodied competitors in the history of the games....

When Spencer West was just five years old, he was diagnosed with a rare spinal defect that resulted in the amputation of both his legs. However, the young Canadian has never let this minor disability get in his way. He has proved that he can do anything a person with two legs can do including, climb the world's highest free-standing snow covered equatorial mountain - Mt. Kilimanjaro!...

On June 23rd 2012, thousands of tourists and locals lined up along Hong Kong's various harbors to celebrate Tueg Ng or Dragon Boat Festival. Though host to some of the country's biggest celebrations, has been organizing the events only since 1976, it is a significant Chinese holiday, one with a long history that dates back 2,000 years....

On Sunday June 25th, 2012, Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, best known for its giant tortoises had some sad news to report - its most famous bachelor, a tortoise nicknamed 'Lonesome George' was found dead by its keeper of 40 years. What makes the death even more poignant is the fact that he was the last known living member of the Pinta Island giant tortoise subspecies....

Researchers had always believed that Neanderthals, the predecessors to modern humans, had not been very smart. However, recent evidence has led them to think otherwise - Not only did the stocky hunters build complex tools, but also, spoke a language and even, buried their dead. Now it turns out, they may also be responsible for some of Europe's oldest cave art....

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, today, June 20th, may seem never-ending - one where the sun just does not wish to set. Depending on your location that may actually be the case, because today happens to be the first day of summer and also, the longest day of the year!...