California's Yosemite National Park is famous for its ancient giant sequoia trees and massive rock formations. These include tEl Capitan and Half Dome. However, from mid-to-late February, the main draw is the Horsetail Fall. The seasonal waterfall flows over the eastern edge of El Capitan every winter. During the last two weeks in February, it often transforms into a stunning "Firefall." The natural phenomenon occurs around 5 to 15 minutes before sunset. It lasts just a few minutes....
Read news articleAn ongoing drought and excessive water usage have caused the water levels at Utah's Great Salt Lake to hit historic lows. Since 1850, the lake has lost 73 percent of its water and 60 percent surface area. A January 4, 2023, report by scientists at Brigham Young University warns that the saline lake could disappear within five years if no action is taken....
Read news articleOn February 12, 2023, about 193 million Americans will tune in to watch Super Bowl LVII. The National Football League's Championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will certainly be exciting. But for most people, the game is an excuse to host or attend parties and indulge in foods they usually avoid. Super Bowl Sunday is one of the country's biggest food consumption days. It is second only to Thanksgiving!...
Read news articleA "replica" sword that had been gathering dust at Chicago's Field Museum for about a century was recently found to be an authentic artifact from the late Bronze Age. The 3,000-year-old weapon was found in the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary, in the 1930s. It was given to the Hungary National Museum but later acquired by the Field Museum. Here, the sword was mislabeled as a copy and placed in storage....
Read news articleAn international team of scientists has created a robot that seamlessly goes from a solid to a liquid state and back again. The feat may sound magical. But it is rooted in science....
Read news articleThe first phonetic alphabet — where each symbol stands for a certain sound — is credited to the Canaanites. They lived in the Eastern Mediterranean over 2000 years ago. Over the years, archaeologists have found some of these symbols on old pottery pieces. Now, they have discovered the oldest complete sentence written in this alphabet on an ancient lice comb....
Read news articleDespite technological advances, modern concrete structures start to crumble in just 50 years if not maintained. This contrasts sharply with Italian monuments that remain standing after over 2,000 years. Now, an international research team has finally uncovered how Roman concrete wonders continue to survive to this day....
Read news articleA remote area in Antarctica has been identified as the "coldest place on Earth." According to NASA, the temperatures in the East Antarctic Plateau can dip to a bone-chilling -136° F (-93.3° C). That is several degrees colder than the previous low of -128.6° F (-89.2° C) set in 1983 at the Russian Vostok Research Station in East Antarctica....
Read news articleStarting January 12, 2023, stargazers will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a rare comet with a greenish hue. Astronomers discovered Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in March 2022 when it was inside Jupiter's orbit. NASA scientists believe this may be the comet's first sighting. If the icy body did pass our planet previously, it was probably thousands of years ago....
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