The joyous and colorful 2018 Chinese New Year celebrations will commence on Friday, February 16. Also known as Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, the fifteen-day event, which will end with the Lantern Festival on March 2, is the longest and most anticipated of all of China’s festivals. Associated with customs meant to ensure auspicious beginnings, it is also observed in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam....
Read news articleRZ Piscium, a star located 550 light years away in the constellation Pisces, has long intrigued researchers with its strange “winking” behavior. During the erratic episodes, which last as long as two days, the celestial body becomes about ten times dimmer and discharges a larger than normal amount of energy at infrared wavelengths, indicating the presence of enormous dust clouds....
Read news articleThe 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea will officially kick off with an opening ceremony at 8:00 pm local time on Friday, February 9. Among the thousands of competitors, representing 93 countries, participating in the parade will be twenty-two athletes from North Korea. Though the country’s last-minute decision to compete in the international multi-sport event, that ends on February 25, is certainly significant, what is even more so is the January 19 announcement that the two Koreas will march under the same flag....
Read news articleOn Sunday, February 4, millions of people will tune in for the year’s biggest game. No, we are not talking about the Super Bowl 52 match-up between the Patriots and Eagles, but Animal Planet’s adorable Puppy Bowl where two canine teams will go nose-to-nose for the coveted “Lombarky Trophy.”...
Read news articleThe American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is known to be a crafty and fierce predator that devours anything it can snare. However, given that the reptile lacks salt glands, scientists had always believed that its diet was restricted to the fish and crustaceans that dwell in its freshwater habitat. Now, a new study suggests that the opportunistic beasts also gobble down saltwater inhabitants like crabs, sea turtles, stingrays, and even sharks....
Read news articleWhile we often hear of humans losing their jobs, a robot being fired for incompetence is almost unheard of. However, that is exactly what a Scottish grocery store was forced to do after its newly-employed humanoid robot proved woefully inept at performing the assigned tasks....
Read news articleLast year, the over 110 million football fans who tuned in to watch the Super Bowl witnessed the New England Patriots make history — once again! After trailing 28-3 against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter, the Patriots made a nail-biting comeback ending the game with a 34-28 win in overtime. This was not only the first game in the fifty-one-year history of the Super Bowl to go to overtime but also the first to feature a comeback of more than ten points. On Sunday February 4, the New England team, along with their star quarterback Tom Brady, hope to continue their winning streak, and shatter more records, as they face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 52!...
Read news articleOn January 31, millions of stargazers around the globe will witness what promises to be a spectacular total lunar eclipse. While the celestial event is always special, what makes Wednesday’s particularly noteworthy is that it coincides with both a blue moon and a supermoon. Hence the moniker “super blue blood moon.” According to NASA, the lunar trifecta is the first of its kind in 35 years and will not occur again until 2037....
Read news articleIf Michael Strano has his way, homes and streets of the future will be lit up with “green” energy — literally — from glowing plants and trees. While that may sound like a lofty goal, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor of chemical engineering and his team are well on their way to realizing the dream with a luminescent plant, which they hope will someday replace your bedside or table lamp!...
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