Group items tagged

"While illusions that trick the eyes are pretty common, ones that fool human ears are relatively rare. That is the reason this experiment conjured up by the scientists at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute for their new exhibit 'Your Brain', is so intriguing." Click on blue vocabulary words to view definitions.

"The fact that the Japanese love robots is well-known. The nation of 127 million people currently employs over a quarter million robots workers, more than any other country in the world, and the number is expected to quadruple in the next 15 years. So far, most of the robots have been built for the industrial sector and therefore bear no resemblance to humans. But if some scientists have their way, the days of androids - robots that look and act like humans, are not too far away." Click on blue vocab words to see definitions.

"The plan had been to create a beautiful nature park complete with a large artificial lake on the outskirts of the city of  Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province in north-central China. However thanks to a cruel trick played by nature, what the officials have ended up with, is an unsalvageable sandy mess!" Click on blue vocab words to see definitions.

"Visitors that dare to venture deep into the Western Amazon rainforest often encounter a strange sight - groups of butterflies hovering above yellow-spotted river turtles that are basking in the sun. What's even stranger is why they are there - To drink the tears from their eyes! And it's not because the beautiful insects are trying to comfort the reptiles, but because the tears contain the one ingredient that is lacking in their diet - sodium." Click on blue vocab words to see definitions.

"The Drinkable Book, a collaboration between Water is Life, New York-based advertising agency DDB and scientists from Carnegie Mellon and the University of Virginia, is the world's first book that can used to not only learn about safe water practices, but also, create drinkable H20." Click on blue vocab words to see definitions.

"While most scientists are focused on creating vaccines for life threatening mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever and malaria, British biotech firm Oxitec is taking a unique approach. They want to nip the problem in the bud or should we say larva, by killing the dengue-carrying mosquitos with the help of genetically modified laboratory versions." Click on blue vocab words to see definitions.

"Antibiotics are important medicines that have been used to treat bacterial infections for 70 years. They work by either disrupting processes bacteria need to survive or preventing them from reproducing. But these drugs are becoming less and less effective against bacterial infections and could one day run out. Right now there aren't any alternatives that could take their place." Lots of pictures, interactive charts, and diagrams

"Antibiotics are important medicines that have been used to treat bacterial infections for 70 years. They work by either disrupting processes bacteria need to survive or preventing them from reproducing. But these drugs are becoming less and less effective against bacterial infections and could one day run out. Right now there aren't any alternatives that could take their place."

"The word 'malnourishment' conjures images of natural disasters, droughts and children with swollen bellies. But malnourishment is not just a lack of calories. It can also be caused by not having enough vitamins, minerals, and protein." Lots of interactive graphs, pictures, and charts

"Nearly two million people die from a lack of safe drinking water every year. And in just 15 years time, half the world's population could be living in areas of high water stress - places where there isn't enough water to go round." Includes charts, slideshow, photos, and short video clips

"Where did we come from? It's the oldest question in human history. Everyone's asked it, from philosophers and poets to mathematicians and physicists. Most scientists think that everything that we know and experience around us began at a moment known as the Big Bang, 14 billion years ago. But how can we have any clue about something that supposedly happened so long ago?" Includes photos, interactive charts, and graphs. Also allows you to highlight important parts and make notes