Environment Articles

With over 40,000 known species of spiders, scientists had believed they knew everything there was to know, about these web building arachnids. However, that was before they discovered two new species that dupe their predators by building incredibly accurate decoys of themselves....

Climate change is causing havoc on weather patterns throughout the world. While some areas are getting more than their fair share of snow and rain, others are parched. Though the lack of precipitation is certainly an issue, evaporation of the water collected in the reservoirs is even more so. The US State of Texas estimates that the amount of moisture it loses to this phenomenon annually, could easily sustain the entire city of Austin, for that time period....

Anyone that has been tossed around by ocean waves can attest to their power. Unfortunately, scientists have had a hard time coming up with a way to harness this powerful source of free energy for commercial use. Now, some researchers from University of California, Berkeley, may have a solution - seafloor carpets!...

As you probably know, being 'busy as a bee', is not just an empty metaphor. From searching for nectar and pollen to tending to honeycombs, bees are amongst the hardest workers out there. So it should come as no surprise that two species of urban leafcutter bees in Canada, have learnt to adapt to our increasingly polluted world, by using small pieces of plastic found in the litter, to build their nests....

For most of us, building a snowman or even an igloo is hard enough. So you can only imagine the effort, skill, and patience, it takes to build not just giant sculptures, but also, towering castles and beautifully chiseled buildings using just ice and snow - That is exactly what happens annually, in the city of Harbin in Northeast China....

When one thinks of fighting robots, it is usually in context of them combating large terrifying alien creatures, not microorganisms that are invisible to the human eye. But the emergence of resilient bacteria that scientists call superbugs, has left medical experts with no choice, but to call in the best combat force available!...

When one thinks of nature's most fierce predators, the images that come to mind are those of lions and sharks. While they are certainly dangerous there are other unlikely ones, that are even more so. Among them are the Tasmanian devil, the honey badger and . . . the mantis shrimp?...

While smog is a problem in many of the world's urban cities, few have it as bad as China. Most of last year, the air around Beijing was so polluted that on certain days it went beyond what was once considered the worst possible level. The residents of Harbin, in northeast China, have not had it easy either. On days when the haze is really bad, residents are unable to even see across streets and airplanes have a hard time landing....

In early January, when most East Coast residents in the USA were complaining about the frigid temperatures ushered in by the Polar Vortex, one family was having some fun - By using the unprecedented cold chill to build a gorgeous multi-colored igloo....