The recent discovery of the oldest-known vertebrate brain is giving scientists valuable insights into the evolution of the ray-finned fish species. The diverse group comprises about 50 percent of living vertebrate species. They include everything from trout to salmon and goldfish to seahorses....
Read news articleThe phrase "living under a rock" usually means being oblivious to what is happening in the world. But in Setenil de las Bodegas, the idiom takes on a literal meaning. Many of the Spanish town's 3,000 residents live in homes built inside the rock formations of a narrow gorge of the Río Trejo river....
Read news articleOn March 25, 2023, individuals, communities, and businesses worldwide will celebrate Earth Hour by turning off all lights and electronics for 60 minutes. The hour-long blackout will occur from 8:30 to 9:30 PM local time. The global event, held annually on the last Saturday in March, reminds us of the urgent need to protect our planet....
Read news articleA giant mass of brown seaweed called Sargassum is heading toward North America. Experts estimate it is over 5,500 miles (8,851 km) long and weighs around 10 million tons. The seaweed is expected to wash ashore on beaches in the Caribbean and Florida in late spring or early summer of 2023....
Read news articleRamadan is the ninth and most sacred month in the Islamic lunar calendar. During this month, Jibril (the archangel Gabriel in the Judeo-Christian faith) revealed the first verses of the Quran — Islam's holy text — to Prophet Muhammad. The holy month's start is based on the appearance of the young crescent Moon. This year, Ramadan will begin at sundown on March 22nd or 23rd, depending on when the Moon is seen....
Read news articleThe United Nations (UN) member states recently announced a historic agreement to protect the world's oceans. The high seas treaty, unveiled on March 4, 2023, has been in the works for over a decade. It provides much-needed regulation to reduce pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction in our ocean waters....
Read news articleSt. Patrick's Day was originally celebrated in Ireland with religious services and feasts. However, the holiday, marked annually on March 17, has now evolved into a secular commemoration of Irish culture. Here is a brief history of the man behind the holiday and some fun St. Patrick's Day customs....
Read news articleWhen passengers aboard a Viking Expedition cruise spotted a massive creature in the frigid waters off Antarctica, they suspected it was special. However, they did not realize they had stumbled upon the extremely rare, giant phantom jellyfish (Stygiomedusa gigantea). Until then, there had been only 126 recorded observations of the species since its identification in 1910....
Read news articleA holiday celebrating a math constant may not seem very exciting. But Pi ("π") Day, observed annually in the US on March 14 (3/14), is an exception. The celebrations usually start with math activities centered around pi — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — widely recognized as 3.14. But they typically end with a slice or two of delicious pie!...
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