It’s “the dog days of summer,” so we fetched these fun facts about dogs rare, well-bred, and special. Alaskan Malamute: George Lucas had a malamute, a traditional Alaskan sled dog, who inspired him to create the Star Wars character Chewbacca. Bernese Mountain Dog: Hundreds of years ago, these winter-resistant dogs worked farms in and around Bern, Switzerland. They can […]
All birds are kind of weird, but these weird birds are the weirdest of all birds.
Here’s how animals that are active in the winter stay warm and healthy in all that snow and ice.
Let’s demystify a scary thing with knowledge and give you the real facts about rabies.
You think you know how spring works, but you don’t. Here are some myths about the science of spring, throughly debunked.
Plants, trees, flowers, and fruits: They can behave very strangely, all in the name of survival.
Those who participate in the most popular hobbies seek out these things the most.
Nothing looks or feels quite like fall — and here’s the science behind why that is.
Good news: This entire article is 100 percent planet-friendly! Here’s how we got a holiday celebrating the environment and arguing for its preservation. SILENT SPRING Author and biologist Rachel Carson won a National Book Award for The Sea Around Us, one of three 1950s bestsellers about the ocean. As the years wore on, she observed continually […]
In May 1804— 218 years ago this month — Sacagawea departed with the expedition headed by William Clark and Meriweather Lewis, a great trek to explore the Louisiana Purchase, which would become the western United States. Those are the facts — here are some other well-known things about Sacagawea that just aren’t true, no matter […]
…and a bunch of fun facts about that glowing yellow orb in the sky. The sun’s temperature On average, the sun burns at about 10,000° Fahrenheit. But that’s just on the surface. The sun’s core The central core of the sun serves as a furnace, creating heat, light, and energy by constantly fusing hydrogen and […]
Bigfoot, Sasquatch, the Yeti — whatever you want to call the (probably) mythical hairy forest beast, the big guy is an undeniable newsmaker. Oh deer, a Bigfoot! A woman from Tensed, Idaho (unnamed in news reports) was driving on U.S. Highway 95 in Latah County in March 2017 when she saw something strange along the […]
Oh honey, “hive” got a feeling you’re going to love reading these news stories about bees. It’s very much your beeswax. Bee Listening About a year ago, a couple living in a house in Granada, in southern Spain, noticed bees in their yard, and were bothered by a low buzzing sound…which got gradually louder. As […]
Didn’t we just celebrate Earth Day? Well, now it’s time for that other April holiday about green things that grow: Arbor Day. The appreciation of trees in America, and all their benefits both biological and eye-pleasing, long pre-dates the 20th century’s environmentalism movement. It all goes back to Julius Sterling Morton, who, after earning his […]
It’s springtime, when there’s only one thing on everyone’s minds: allergies, and how they make you miserable with the sneezing, sore throat, and eyes glued shut. It’s all because of tiny little particles of pollen flying around the air. Here’s everything you need to know about spring’s tiniest menace. First use of the word The […]
Wild news from the wild kingdom. GORILLAS IN THE MIDST OF CHEATING The Gorilla Game Lab is a joint project of England’s University of Bristol and the Bristol Zoological Society. Both organizations aim to both develop and study the cognitive abilities of gorillas, and they do it by giving the primates puzzles to solve. One […]
Not too many other animals besides humans can talk, which leads to a very special affinity between people and parrots…and all those other clever, crafty, chatty tropical birds. Here are some recent news stories about some parrots that got themselves (and people) into trouble. Parrot Busts Drunk Driver While driving home from a Mexico City […]
It’s common knowledge that most people are right-handed, and that most people have brown eyes, and most people have type-O blood. So just how rare (or common) is it to not possess those traits? Eye Color The most common eye colors: brown, then blue, then hazel. Green eyes are relatively rare: only about 2 percent […]
