Kids News - Articles for Grades 6-8

On 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.”...

Northern Hemisphere residents hoping for some respite from this year’s bitterly cold winter may have to keep their warm coats on a little longer. For if legendary groundhog Punxsutawney Phil is right, the chilly weather will continue for at least six more weeks....

The 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....

While 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....

Last 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!...

Since 2012, Canada’s WestJet Airlines has been delighting unsuspecting customers with well-deserved Christmas cheer. The gifts, usually restricted to the passengers of two or three late night flights, have ranged from iPods to fulfilling even the most exorbitant gift requests....

On 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....

First-time shoppers at Seattle-based Amazon Go may feel as though they are stealing. That’s because the 1,800 square-foot grocery store, which opened its doors to the public on January 22, has no cashiers or even checkout counters. Instead, as the name indicates, customers merely grab what they need and go! But before you start celebrating, the goods are not free — the cost of the purchase(s) is/are calculated electronically using Amazon Inc.’s proprietary “Just Walk Out” technology....

If 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!...