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On May 5, 2024, people from all walks of life will come together to celebrate World Laughter Day. This joyous holiday, marked annually on the first Sunday in May, is the brainchild of Indian physician Dr. Madan Kataria. It reminds us that laughter is a powerful tool for bringing people together and improving one's overall physical and mental health....

Fossils found by a father-daughter team has led to the discovery of a new, massive species of ichthyosaur. The marine reptiles dominated the seas during the Triassic and Jurassic periods (251 to 145 million years ago). Often referred to as "fish-lizards," they shared physical similarities with dolphins and whales but were, in fact, members of the reptile family....

Environmental scientists Shi-Mao Wu and Jiang-Yun Gao were in a rainforest in China's Yuan Province when they noticed mosquitos buzzing around some flowers. Upon looking closer, the researchers realized they were looking at a male and a female crab spider. They had come together to resemble a single flower. The male spider was disguised as the pistils and stamens, while the female looked like the flower's lighter petals....

Do you love comic books? Then, you will be excited to know that May 4, 2024, is Free Comic Book Day (FCBD). This means you can walk into any of the 2300+ participating retailers worldwide and pick up a free comic book. Now in its 22nd year, the global event is observed annually on the first Saturday in May....

Three men stranded on a remote Pacific island for a week were successfully rescued on April 9, 2024, thanks to their clever "help" signal made using palm fronds....

On April 21, 2024, the 10.5-mile-wide (17 km) Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also called "Devil Comet," will make its closest approach to the Sun. As it comes near the star, the comet will brighten significantly and be visible in the western sky an hour after sunset. The icy rock will appear as a fuzzy glowing patch with a faint tail streaking behind....

Humans and chimpanzees share 98.8 percent of their DNA, so it's not surprising that they display similar behaviors and traits. They include communicating through gestures and vocalizations, and using tools to complete tasks. Now, new research reveals that chimpanzees employ human-like military tactics to evaluate risk and expand their territories....

Cole Brauer has made history as the first American woman to sail alone around the world without stopping. The Long Island, New York, resident completed the tough 30,000-mile (48,280-km) Global Solo Challenge on March 7, 2024, in just 130 days. Brauer placed second among 16 sailors and was one of only seven participants who made it to the finish line....

Celebrated every April 22, Earth Day is an annual reminder of the urgent need to protect our planet. The global movement began on April 22, 1970, when US lawmaker Gaylord Nelson mobilized more than 20 million people to demonstrate support for environmental protection....

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in Washington DC, is celebrating the birth of two adorable pygmy slow lorises. This is the first time the endangered primates have been born at the zoo. The twins are the first offspring of three-year-old Naga and two-year-old Pabu....

On April 3, 2024, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan's east coast. The tremor, centered 11 miles south of the coastal city of Hualien, was the most powerful to hit the island nation in 25 years. It was felt across the country and as far away as Hong Kong and Shanghai, China. The quake sent boulders and mud tumbling down the mountains and destroyed or damaged several buildings in Hualien. At least 13 people were killed, and over a thousand were injured. As of April 7, 2024, rescuers were still looking for six people believed to be buried in the rubble....

Here is some exciting news for those who missed the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Between now and September, NASA predicts an even rarer celestial event — a nova outburst. Unlike the eclipse, this phenomenon can be observed from anywhere on Earth without using any special equipment....

A new species of ragworm, likened to a living magic carpet, has been discovered in the methane seeps 30 miles (48 km) off the coast of Costa Rica. The rose-colored Pectinereis strickrotti (P. strickrotti) is one of 450 species found in the area since 2009. Forty-eight of them are new to science....

The United Kingdom (UK) Antarctic Heritage Trust is looking to hire five people — a base leader, a shop manager, and three general assistants — to work at the "Penguin Post Office" in Port Lockroy, Antarctica. The five-month stint is open to UK residents over the age of 18. It will begin in early November 2024 and last until March 2025....

In a world first, doctors at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General) in Boston have successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a living person. The March 21, 2024, announcement came just months after the successful completion of similar transplants in deceased individuals. The historic four-hour surgery took place on March 16, 2024. The 15-member transplant team included experts who had spent their entire careers working on organ research....

In the summer of 2023, Lohit Y.T. and his team at the World Wildlife Fund-India traveled to the foothills of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, India. They hoped to research the area's amphibians and reptiles, which often emerge during the humid monsoon season. While documenting a cluster of about 40 Rao's intermediate golden-backed frogs near a small pond, the naturalists noticed something unusual. One of the amphibians had a mushroom sprouting from its side!...

For people who enjoy pranks, there is no better holiday than April Fools' Day. Celebrated annually on April 1, it is the only day of the year when light-hearted tricks are not frowned upon. The origin of this fun tradition is hazy. Some maintain that it started in 1582 when the world moved from the Julian calendar — which began the new year in April — to the current Gregorian calendar. Others think it was to celebrate the onset of spring....

Easter, the oldest and most important Christian festival, will be observed on March 31, 2024. The holiday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many American adults mark the event by attending special church services. For children in the US, Easter means egg hunts, parades, and the Easter Bunny. But not everyone celebrates the holiday with these traditions. Here are a few fun customs from around the world....

Every spring, many fish species migrate from the Vecht, a branch of the Rhine River, to the shallow waters of the Kromme Rijn River to spawn and reproduce. However, their journey often stops at the Weerdsluis lock in Utrecht, Netherlands. The manually operated lock, designed to maintain the canal's water levels, rarely opens in the spring months. But now, thanks to an interactive "fish doorbell," the marine animals are able to reach their destination with little or no disruption....

Earth Hour 2024 will occur on March 23 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time. The event, held annually toward the end of March, encourages individuals, communities, and businesses worldwide to turn off non-essential electric lights for one hour. The voluntary rolling blackouts are also observed by landmark structures such as the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building. They remind us of the urgent need to protect our planet....

What if you could transform the plastic spoon you used at lunch into a cup for your water and then change it back to a spoon? That is precisely what researchers at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering had in mind when they created "pluripotent plastic."...

The NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball championships, held annually in March, are among the most widely viewed collegiate sporting events in the United States. The popular tournaments turn even casual basketball watchers into die-hard fans of teams with whom they have no affiliation. Here is everything you need to know about "March Madness."...

India is home to numerous fun festivals. But few are as anticipated as Holi, the Festival of Colors. The Hindu holiday celebrates the start of spring and the victory of good over evil. The date of the event is determined by the lunar calendar and differs every year. In 2024, Holi will be observed on March 25....

A novel gene therapy is bringing hope to children born with a specific type of hereditary deafness. On January 25, 2024, researchers at China's Fudan University and Harvard Medical School (HMS) announced that the groundbreaking treatment had restored the hearing of five of the six test patients....