Amazing Facts About Pelicans!

Earth’s oceans and waterways wouldn’t be the same without the amazing birds that wing so gracefully over water and crashing waves. Pelicans are fascinating creatures. Not only are they gigantic, with wingspans as large as 10 feet, but they can also soar up to heights of 10,000 feet on thermals!


There are eight living species of pelicans in the world. What’s more, these majestic birds inhabit every continent except Antarctica, from southern-lying Tasmania all the way up to Western Canada. Most pelicans live in warm regions, around coasts and river estuaries, where they feed on everything from fish and crustaceans to tadpoles and turtles. If they’re really hungry and desperate, they might even drown and swallow a seagull!

The Rugged Beauty of Arizona’s Petrified Forest

Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park features over 220,000 acres of unparalleled scenery, petrified wood, and new and fascinating discoveries about the late Triassic period.

5 Epic Ways to Destroy Pumpkins

Halloween is upon us. Blowup skeletons dot the neighborhood, you’ve stuffed yourself with candy corn, and there’s a huge pile of pumpkins in the backyard. But frankly, don’t you think all the run-of-the-mill pumpkin activities have gotten a little stale? After all, there’s only so much fun to be had in carving jagged-toothed creatures in squash and burying your arm in pumpkin guts. It’s time to get a little adrenaline pumping – and what better way to add some novelty to the season than by giving free rein to your destructive streak?
5. Roadkill Pumpkins

How Universities Are Going Green

From green buildings and solar power to various student initiatives, there are a number of ways in which universities today are going green. This infographic breaks it all down, while also pointing out which American centers of learning are leading the way with their sustainable practices – and setting an example on how to conserve the planet’s resources.

The Ancient Art of Glassblowing

The fascinating art of glassblowing involves fire, molten sand, a long blowpipe, and an intricate and painstaking process. The technique dates back to the first century BC, and possibly to Sidon (now coastal Lebanon), where glassblowing is said to have been invented.
From there, the art spread to the Roman Empire, and then to the rest of the world. Glassblowing is still practiced today and involves mastering an array of complicated techniques. But most of all, glassblowers must be able to carry out each step with delicacy and precision

The Horrible Effects of Dengue Fever

Imagine having horrible joint pains, swollen glands, a high fever, and a rash – all at the same time. Then you’ll have an idea of just how horrible the effects of dengue fever are. And with four different strands of the virus running rampant through the tropics and subtropics, it’s no wonder this debilitating sickness is sometimes called “breakbone fever”.

The Spellbinding Tilework Mosaics of Iranian Architecture

Vibrant jewel-like colors, intricate geometric patterns, graceful arches, majestic domes, and delicate latticework. These are some of the features we associate with Iranian (or Persian) architecture, which is undoubtedly some of the most beautiful in the world.

The Bataan Death March in Pictures

To demonstrate their military superiority, the Japanese Army forced horrified Filipino citizens to view the bodies of dead POWs.
The fierce tropical sun beats down on the heads of the men, all of them exhausted, starving and thirsty; many of them sick. They have had no rest breaks for hours. And there is no mercy for those who stumble or collapse. Soldiers shoot or bayonet anybody who can’t keep up and sometimes even those who do. Corpses lie along the road – a grim reminder to all that, at any moment, death may claim them.
The Bataan Death March, which had its 70th anniversary this year, is listed as one of the atrocities committed by the Japanese Imperial Army during WWII. The list includes several massacres and cases of human experimentation, like those of the infamous Unit 731.

Foraging Chef Introduces Indigenous Swedish Cuisine to the World

Gone are the days when readers eagerly waited for books to cross the pond between Europe and North America. Modern technology has reduced the delay to mere days. An article on Newsweek's website reviewed one Swedish book a week before its launch. Fäviken, by Magnus Nilsson, offers a Scandinavian perspective on food to readers everywhere. More than just a collection of recipes, Fäviken presents an indigenous European sense of nature and history.

The Strange Lunar Beauty of the Algerian Sahara

The Sahara desert: a name that conjures romantic fantasies of shifting sand dunes, palm-lined oases, and hellish visions of vast waterless expanses. It’s a place known as much for its breathtaking beauty as its capacity to kill those foolish enough to get lost in its harsh wilderness. And it’s these two apparent contradictions of the Sahara that seem to be embodied so well here in Algeria.

Backdrop to Reality: The Brilliantly Colored Graffiti Murals of El Salvador

The Central American country of El Salvador is a great place to visit. Not only is the land itself both beautiful and striking, but the culture is fascinating and colorful. There is a flipside to any coin, however, and in El Salvador it is war and crime. With one of the highest murder rates in the Americas and constant problems with gangs, El Salvador has plenty of issues to address. Yet these seemingly contradictory realities offer a compelling backdrop to any visit. And one of the best insights into the light and dark aspects of life in El Salvador is provided by the street art murals found all over the country, from small hamlets in the mountains, to the capital city of San Salvador.

Wing Walkers: Death-Defying Aerial Stunts of 1920s Barnstorming

Up! Down! Flying around
Looping the loop and defying the ground
They're all, frightfully keen
Those magnificent men in their flying machines
They can fly upside down with their feet in the air
They don't think of danger
They really don't care”

So go the lyrics to the song “Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines,” from the movie of the same name. The words aptly describe the aerial exploits of a group of stuntmen and stuntwomen who, during the 1920s, repeatedly risked their lives in a quest for thrills and entertainment; and, at the end of the day, to earn a living.

10 Vintage Nursing Recruitment Posters from WWI (World War I)

 

It's amazing what posters can tell us about the era in which they were produced. World War I saw death and destruction on a scale never seen before, and the governments involved spent considerable energy recruiting people to aid in the war effort. Naturally, nurses were needed as well as soldiers.

Explosion of a Destroyer: Torpedo Sinking a Warship in Pictures

We're really glad there was nobody on board.
The submarine lines up its target and fires the torpedo. First there are only the faint sounds of waves, lapping against the sides of the old destroyer. Then comes the detonation. The ship seems to briefly leap out of the water, then settle, before the explosion sends a billowing column of fragments and water shooting into the air. Soon, though, the ocean is calm again, with only the floating debris of the bow section to suggest there was a warship there in the first place. And before long, this too will sink to the bottom of the ocean. 

The Precarious Human Pyramids of Govinda Sport

A precarious pyramid made of people sways in the street, surrounded by crowds of eager observers. What is going on here?
Govinda, or Dahi Handi, is a sport played in India to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna. In short, a handi (or pot) is hung 20 to 30 feet high in the air on a rope. Silver coins are hung on the rope, and the pot is filled with dahi (yogurt) and dried fruit.

Worlds Within Worlds: Incredible Nano Images Invisible to the Naked Eye

Strange alien looking worlds exist all around us in startling shapes and textures, but we so rarely get to see them. Since 2010, the FEI Electron Microscope Company has held an annual competition to judge the best scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), DualBeam and focused ion beam (FIB) images taken using their equipment. The resulting submissions are diverse – from plant anatomy and synthetically manufactured minerals, to the kind of bacteria shots seen here.

Inspiring New Vertical Farming Designs Bring Cities a Step Forward

Vertical farming is a method for growing crops in multistory buildings. Few consider it a bad idea, but the vertical farming industry continues to progress from an abstract dream to concrete designs, with engineering projects in Sweden and Canada bringing food closer to urban dwellers.
Farmlands may have turned into suburbs near cities, but sky farms allow urbanites to reconnect to their agricultural roots. Take architectural firm Plantagon, which has designed one such sky farm for Linkoping, Sweden.

The Brilliance of Passive Solar Homes

Photo: CalderOliver
Homes designed using the principles of passive solar design can be found everywhere; from architectural masterpieces in grand and isolated locations, to brilliantly quirky designs in typical suburbs. But how do you go about living in one? In fact, what is it that makes a passive solar home what it is?
Although the engineering behind it is quite complex, building a passive solar house can be surprisingly simple and practical. What's more, living in a well-designed solar house can be super-comfortable, and it's a lot more economical than a regular house as consumption of electricity is greatly reduced. And of course this makes it environmentally sustainable as well.

How Las Vegas’s Survival Depends on Its Water Sources

If there is one atypical American city, it would have to be Las Vegas. While most people come to gamble and forget about daily life for a while, many others see Las Vegas as a perfect place to raise a family.
Ads for potential homeowners show green golf courses, water-based landscapes, and life on the edge of natural surroundings. The temperature is warm, it rarely rains, and the scenery is beautiful. The city in the middle of a desert is a lush oasis of large casinos surrounded by housing developments. What Las Vegas does best is create visions.

Canyoneering in Australia’s Stunning Blue Mountains

Treading silently on moss covered trails, it is a long walk to reach your destination in Australia’s Blue Mountains.

What It Feels Like To Free-fall 15,000ft Through the Air

These amazing pictures of parachutists free-falling are a recreation of a death-defying jump by Mike Holmes where not only his main parachute failed but his reserve did as well.

The Return of Propeller Aircraft: Why Turboprops Are Making a Comeback

Think of propellers and you might immediately conjure images of Indiana Jones, World War II flying aces and creaky crop dusters.

Incredibly Life-like Home Interiors Created in Miniature

Being the proud owner of a swish interior akin to those in the glossy home magazines that line the shelves of newsagents is becoming more and more desirable.

Human Planet: How People Survive in Extreme Conditions

Since the dawn of mankind, people have had to learn how to survive in conditions that were difficult, at best, and which could often be deadly. Early humans worked out how to make fire, enabling them to survive in cold and inhospitable lands. Others had to deal with scorching heat, living in equally hostile environments. But many people still live in extreme circumstances, and Human Planet, a television series being launched by Eden, explores how they “survive by building complex, exciting and often mutually beneficial relationships with their animal neighbors and the hostile elements of the natural world.”

The Ongoing Suffering of Chernobyl’s Survivors

The Chernobyl disaster of 1986 represents the world’s worst nuclear accident. The initial explosion killed two employees and exposed 28 workers to lethal doses of radiation. An additional 106 people were hospitalized for several months with acute radiation sickness. During the long clean-up process, a further 750,000 workers, known as ‘liquidators’, were also exposed to varying doses of radiation over several years. On top of this, over 350,000 people were relocated, forced from their homes and the lives they knew.

Why Electric Cars Remain the Future

Electric cars gained ground when a stretch of Interstate Highway 5 opened for electric vehicles in Oregon, USA. This is the second section of highway in the USA to cater to electric cars. Drivers can recharge their electric vehicles at the new charging stations just off the highway. The fast-chargers recharge an electric car’s battery in about 20 minutes. Federal stimulus grants totaling $915,000 helped make this project possible.

5 Most Luxurious Autos You’d Never Guess Were Hybrids

We live in an age where the majority of us claim to be environmentally conscious. This awareness, coupled with rising gas prices, means there are few car owners who wouldn’t feel a touch guilty tanking up on gas and jumping in their cars — especially for a local journey. And yet the auto industry already has an answer to these woes. The hybrid car, which works by using two or more power sources (a conventional gasoline motor coupled with electric batteries, for instance) is a far more efficient alternative to the traditional car and a good way to assuage some of that eco-guilt.

Did T. Rex Have Feathers Too?

It’s an exciting time to be a paleontologist. More and more new discoveries are changing the way we perceive the prehistoric behemoths that dominated the earth for over 100 million years.

That some dinosaurs were feathered is now beyond dispute, but this specialization has been thought to apply only to very small dinosaurs, or to young ones that shed their downy feathers in adulthood.

What Your Armpit Hair Says About You

The sight of hair can trigger an emotional response depending on cultural expectations. One Swedish woman faced global criticism for exposing her grown armpit hair, althoughher compatriots stood by her in solidarity. Gender and culture combine to shape attitudes towards hair.

It is taboo for women to grow armpit hair in some cultures, but not in others. Men’s armpit hair is acceptable in places that reject women’s armpit hair. And the societal norms for men’s facial hair depend on the culture. The men at an American protest depicted above shaved their faces but let their armpit hair grow. Regardless of societal pressure, hair is a natural phenomenon, and one has the right to shave or grow hair as one sees fit.

10 Effective Ways to Clean Up Hazardous Waste

Hazardous waste can be found just about anywhere in the workplace, your home, and in the environment. It comes from many sources, including batteries, nuclear power, and household cleaners. Even if you don’t produce hazardous waste yourself, you’re contributing indirectly.

The business you work for or the university you attend – where computers and lights are turned on continuously – necessitate nuclear power. Businesses and universities are going green by shifting operations to run online, banking customers can do all their finances over the internet, and universities are even developing PhD online degree programs that will roll out in the near future. Yet, despite such efforts, the world continues to run on more and more hazardous materials. Here are some steps you and your business can take to help out by disposing of such waste properly.

Giant Western Gray Whale Floats Down the River Thames

The people of London were greeted by an uncommon spectacle this week as an enormous western gray whale floated down the River Thames. Bearing in mind the fact that such giants of the deep are usually only found in the Pacific Ocean, bystanders could be forgiven for wondering what on Earth the reason was behind this strange cetacean sighting.

The truth is that the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) were responsible, having brought in what was in fact an 11 meter-long (36ft) life-size replica to focus attention on a threat to the species – which is already on the brink of extinction. There are thought to be as few as 130 western gray whales left on the planet, with only 26 breeding females, but today this population faces a new danger that could push them out of existence.

How the Mind Controls the Way Your Body Responds to Allergies

Allergies are a source of misery for millions of people worldwide, most of whom would probably be very surprised to hear their mind is at least partly responsible. But this was the finding of a group of neurosugeons from Neuroscience Research Australia and the University of South Australia.In two separate tests, Prof. Lorimer Moseley and his team administered histamine, the substance our body makes during an allergic reaction, to the arms of healthy volunteers. The twist was that half the volunteers were convinced, through an illusion, that one of their real arms was actually just a rubber replacement. In reality, both their real arms were given histamine.

Release of Exotic Pets Harms Florida Everglades

The Florida Everglades National Park was the first park established in the United States not for its scenic value but to benefit life. The Everglades protect fresh water, boost tourism and provide habitat for many wildlife animals including commercial and sport fish as well as game species for hunting.

Today, the Everglades are only 20% of their original size, but they are an important nursery for many wildlife species. Dozens of endangered and threatened species live in the Everglades, including the Florida panther, the American crocodile and the wood stork.

5 Unusual Facts About Stars

Orion constellation

1. Most of the stars you view from the earth at night are actually binary stars. That is, two stars circle each other creating an imagined point of gravitation, or a smaller star circles around the “main star”. Sometimes these main stars draw material from the smaller one, as they come closer to each other. There is a mass limit that a planet can hold without fusing nuclear reaction.
If Jupiter was larger it might have fused as a brown dwarf, a kind of semi-star, many moons ago. It is actually more common in other solar systems, evidenced by their relative lack of planets. This is because most of the material which is locked in the gravitational field of the main star gathers up in one place, which in the end lights up as a star and forms a binary system. There can also be more than two stars in one system, yet binary systems are more common.

10 Worst High-Rise Building Collapses in History

Image Source

The sudden, terrifying collapse of huge buildings has caused countless tragedies throughout history, highlighting the importance of sound, safe and ethical engineering. Seemingly rock-solid structures all over the world have cracked, split, and disintegrated right beneath people’s feet

Is Coal an Attractive Option?

 

Nudity in art has a long history, from ancient Greek and Roman statues to 20th-century Art Deco sculptures. Yet appreciation for the nude form depends on individual tastes. Princess Anne showed her approval for Great Britain’s largest nude artwork by agreeing to unveil Northumberlandia to the public. Part of a 46-acre park, the masterpiece is a dynamic landscape in the shape of a giant nude lady.

The Awesome Graffiti of Belgium’s Doomed Ghost Town

It’s eerie feeling: walking down the streets of a modern town where no one – or almost no one – lives. The roads are still usable, many of the houses look habitable, yet there is barely a car to be seen, certainly not moving, and the rooms behind the windows are all but empty. This is the abandoned village of Doel, in Belgium, a place one recent visitor described as “the most spooky place I have ever been; real shiver down the spine stuff.”

Incredible Pictures of Owls with Freshly Caught Prey

They are an ancient group of birds, with fossils of some living varieties dating back over 20 million years. A species does not survive that long without being efficient at finding food – in this case prey – and owls are indeed exceptional hunters and top carnivores.

Owls’ appetite for rodents, in particular, has helped maintain a natural balance in the ecosystem, and in many cases it has made them friends to farmers. Here, we’re going to take a look at these incredible creatures, while delving into some facts about their predatory habits.

Previously, we’ve shown you adorable pictures of baby owls. Now it’s time to explore a rather less cute side to these birds – through photographs of them with freshly caught kills.