Current Events for September 15, 2015Tuesday, September 15, 2015 at 3:13 pm
Can Smarter School Designs Inspire Students To Become More Active And Make Healthier Food Choices?
With childhood obesity rates on the rise, schools are going all out to encourage students to become more active and make healthier food choices. Some have added standing desks; others have revamped their cafeteria menus. In Dillwyn, Virginia, the educators have gone one step further - They have designed a school that incorporates movement and healthy eating.
Twenty-Year-Old Boyan Slat Takes On The Monumental Task Of Cleaning Our Oceans
Most 20-year-olds are still trying to figure out what they want to do in life. Not Boyan Slat. Ever since he was 16-years old, the Dutch teenager has had one mission - To clean up the trillions of pieces of plastic that are polluting our oceans and killing precious marine life. What's amazing is that this young man who started with what sounded like an outlandish dream may actually be able to pull off this gargantuan task!
The Crafty Wasps That Turn Spiders Into Web-Weaving Zombie Slaves
Mention wasps and you are bound to hear exasperated tales of picnic sabotages and painful stings. But as it turns out, humans have it relatively easy, at least compared to some poor spiders that the wasps turn into web-weaving zombie slaves.
Chris, The World's Woolliest Sheep Gets A Much Needed Haircut
On September 2nd, Canberra's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) received news of a woolly creature roaming around in the Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve on the outskirts of the city. When the officials arrived to investigate, they discovered a barely visible ram buried under a giant ball of beautiful merino wool.
Six "Astronauts" Embark On A Yearlong Mock Mission To Mars
On August 28, six researchers who barely know each other made their way to the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii's Big Island for a year-long "vacation." However, the crew of three men and three women that includes a soil scientist, a doctor, a post-grad architect student, and an astrobiologist, did not check into a fancy resort. Instead, they locked themselves up inside a solar-powered dome without fresh air, fresh food, or privacy.
'Super' Stonehenge Discovered A Short Distance From The Original Monument
Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument located in Wiltshire, England, is one of the world's most well-known ancient religious and burial sites. Situated amidst a dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments, the modest looking circle of stones that are visited by millions of tourists annually were declared a World Heritage Site in 1986. Now it appears that the ancient tombstones that are believed to date all the way back to 2,000 B.C. have some bigger competitors right in their own backyard.
Video Of The Week - A Sneak Peek At The 2016 Guinness World Records
Every year, the hard-working folks at Guinness World Records scour the globe to seek out and recognize the incredible achievements and talents of both humans and animals. This year was no exception. On September 10, the company released a sneak peek into all the fascinating records fans can look forward to in the 2016 edition of the iconic book.
Japanese Fisherman Reels In Monster Wolffish
Japanese fisherman Hiroshi Hirasaka has an unusual hobby. He likes to catch and eat exotic and bizarre-looking creatures.The avid hunter has even outlined his conquests in a book called "Exotic Fish Species: I Caught, Judged and Tried Eating." Hence, you can only imagine his delight when he reeled in yet another scary looking specimen off the coast of Japan's Hokkaido Island, on August 30th.
Video Of The Week - Skydiver Solves Rubik's Cube As He Free-Falls!
Solving the Rubik's Cube in 60 seconds may not seem like a big deal. In fact, it is painfully slow considering that 15-year-old world record holder Collin Burns is able to complete it in a mere 5.25 seconds. However, figuring out the Cube during a free fall jump certainly takes some skill not to mention a lot of courage. That is why skydiver Chris Walker's recent accomplishment is pretty amazing!
Netherlands Is Home To The World's First Pop-Up Sandcastle Hotels
When one thinks of sandcastles the image that comes to mind is usually that of building a masterpiece not staying inside one. However, some lucky visitors to the Netherlands can experience both thanks to two new pop-up sand hotels in the cities of Oss and Sneek.
Theo Jansen's Whimsical Strandbeests Come To America
Some sculptors like to create clay masterpieces; others prefer metal. Then there is Theo Jansen. This Dutch artist uses PVC tubes to build giant Strandbeests (beach animals in Dutch). Part work of art, part fantastical creature, the multi-legged insect-like creations are both awe-inspiring and terrifying!
Watch Out For Those Selfies, They Can Be Deadlier Than Sharks!
The proliferation of smartphones with cameras that can take self-portraits or selfies as they are popularly called has liberated us. We can now document every moment of our life and instantly share it with the world through the myriad of social networking websites. However, some believe that the incessant quest to capture the "ultimate" selfie is causing people to take unnecessary risks that in some cases are proving to be deadly!
This 'Glowing' Sea Turtle Is The World's First Known Biofluorescent Reptile
When the team of marine biologists led by David Gruber of the City University of New York headed to Solomon Islands in the South Pacific in late July, they were hoping to film some biofluorescent sharks and coral reefs. What they had never expected to find was the world's first-known biofluorescent reptile.
IG Nobel Prizes Honor 'Fun' Scientific Research
This morning, William Campbell, Satoshi Omura, and Youyou Tu, were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine for their work on parasitic diseases. Though the brilliant scientists certainly deserve the honor for their groundbreaking research, for most of us, reading about their and the achievements of other Nobel laureates can be overwhelming and perhaps even a little boring. However, the same cannot be said about the winners of the IG Nobel Prize that celebrates 'fun' scientific research.
Video Of The Week - Tiny French Bulldog Wards Off Bears From Family Home
Jules, a 20-pound French bulldog may not seem like much of a guard dog. But don't let his small size and sweet demeanor fool you. That's because when it comes to protecting his family, the tiny canine is as effective as the most aggressive dog breed.Join Class
If you are a student and would like to join this class, type in the Class Code below and click 'Join Class'.
Students
