On June 3rd, 2010, six brave men left their family and friends to take part in an exciting experiment called Mars500. The brainchild of the European Space Agency (ESA), it is a test to see how humans will interact with each other, if they are forced to live in close quarters, for long periods of time - As would be the case, if we were ever to embark on a journey to Mars....
Read news articleDid you know that fleas, those tiny blood-sucking parasites that make your pet's life miserable, can leap as high as 13-inches (200 times their own body weight), with an acceleration force that exceeds 100 times the force of gravity? Believe it or not, some of the world's leading scientists have not only known that, but have also pondered and debated about it, for the last 44 years....
Read news articleAfter years of suffering in oblivion, it suddenly seems like the people of North Africa are finally taking charge of their own destiny with radical, history-making changes. For most countries, it involves trying to get rid of the dictators who have ruled over them for decades. However, for the continent's largest country, Sudan, the issues were much more deep-rooted - Ones that could only be resolved by spiltting the country in two. On February 7th, over 99% of the people of Southern Sudan, voted to secede from the North, giving birth to a new Nation....
Read news articleNASA's first trainee robot astronaut is all ready to head to Space when Space Shuttle Discovery launches off for its final mission on February 24th - However, its legs are not! No problem, say the scientists, for there is plenty to do even without them - The legs will just have to follow when they are ready!...
Read news articleToday, February 3rd, marks the first day of the Chinese or Lunar New Year, one of the most important traditional festivals for people of Chinese descent. While all festivals entail some days of celebration, this one lasts for a whopping fifteen days!...
Read news articleIf you have been paying even the slightest attention to the news over the last few weeks, you have probably noticed the large demonstrations and unrest in North Africa. While it may all look scary and overwhelming, what you are witnessing is a public cry for democracy and freedom - similar to what our ancestors fought for, many years ago....
Read news articleWho would have thought that every squeal, squeak and chirp that comes out of the mouth of the humble Gunnison Prairie dog means something? A three decade study of these rodents, has revealed a language so complex, that is surpasses the communication skills of dolphins, whales and even non-human primates like monkeys!...
Read news articleThe lives and eventual extinction of the prehistoric giants that roamed the Earth's surface, thousands of years ago, has always fascinated researchers. However, it is impossible to recreate most of them, either because the fossilized DNA is too old (dinosaurs) or just not available. But the one exception may be the Woolly Mammoth, that lived during the Ice Age, about 8,000 years ago....
Read news articleThirty youngsters from Blackawaton Primary School in Devon, England have earned themselves the bragging rights of becoming the youngest scientists to get published in a prestigious science journal....
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