Kids News - Articles for Grades 6-8

Always wanted to help fight climate change? Then join the Earth Hour party on Saturday, March 25 by turning off all lights from 8:30 — 9:30 PM local time. This small action, taken by hundreds of millions of people around the world, will make a dent in our efforts to reverse global warming. More importantly, it will demonstrate what can be achieved if we all unite to protect our planet....

Researchers have long maintained that we sleep to accomplish a neural or physiological function that cannot be completed when awake. Why else would higher animals waste a third of their lives sleeping when they could be doing more important things like looking after their families, working, or hunting? Some scientists believe sleeping helps recharge the body, while others think it is important for consolidating newly-formed memories. Now, there is new evidence which suggests that the purpose of sleep may be to forget some of the millions of new things we learn each day....

As most people age, the crystalline lenses in their eyes start to stiffen and are unable to change shape as easily. As a result, objects in close range start to look blurry, forcing many middle-aged adults to carry reading glasses either around their necks or tucked away in a handbag. Those already suffering from nearsightedness, or myopia, a condition where distant objects appear blurry, have to depend on bifocals or, even worse, switch between two pairs of glasses. However, thanks to some Utah researchers there may finally be a solution — self-adjusting “smart” glasses....

On March 10, Professor Robert Kelly was doing what the expert on South Korea does regularly — discussing a political situation on live television with a BBC News reporter via Skype. In this case, the topic was South Korean President Park Geun-hye's unprecedented March 9th impeachment for committing “acts that violated the Constitution and laws.”...

Residents of the US East Coast still recovering from last week’s record snowstorms will be happy to know that today is not just the first day of spring, but also the International Day of Happiness. First celebrated in 2013, this fun holiday was established by the United Nations (UN) to remind us that "the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal."...

With its wide canopy of leaves, the majestic 50-feet tall manchineel tree that is native to the Caribbean, Florida, the northern coast of South America, Central America, and the Bahamas, looks particularly inviting, especially on a hot summer day. But you may be wise to heed the warning signs given that the deceptively innocuous tree holds the Guinness World Record for “the world’s most dangerous tree.”...

If some geologists have their way, world maps will soon be altered to reflect an eighth continent. Dubbed “Zealandia,” the landmass that lies east of Australia covers 1.9 million mi2 (4.9 million km2), or an area larger than the Indian subcontinent. The only catch? Over 94 percent of it is submerged in the southwest Pacific Ocean, with just the islands of New Zealand and New Caledonia, visible above sea level....

Every year on March 17, millions of people worldwide celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by participating in parades, wearing green, and searching for leprechauns in the hopes of finding gold. So who was this clergyman whose death anniversary is celebrated with such gusto, and how did the fun traditions associated with the holiday begin? Read on....

The phrase “good things come in small packages” certainly appears to hold true when it comes to ants. The tiny creatures can survive floods by morphing into rafts, find their way home using an internalized GPS system, and even lift up to 20 times their body weight. In 2013, scientists discovered that the insects, whose brains are smaller than a quarter of a small pin’s head, could even use tools, a skill that was once believed to be the realm of “intelligent” species like humans and a select number of animals. Now, researchers from the University of Szeged in Hungary have discovered that when given a choice, the clever insects even have the smarts to select the most efficient tool for the job....