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Easter weekend is upon us! For most of you, that means going to an egg roll or two, meeting the Easter bunny, participating in parades and best of all binging on delicious foods like honey-baked ham and potatoes with friends and family. It turns out that not all countries celebrate this important Christian holiday with these traditions. They have their own rituals which may not include egg hunts and Easter bunnies, but are equally fun!...

Just four months after the well-orchestrated attacks killed 130 people in Paris, ISIS has struck Europe again. This time, the radical Islamic group's target was the beautiful city of Brussels in Belgium. The first explosions rocked the Brussels Airport on Tuesday, March 22 at 8 am local time. The simultaneous attacks, both caused by suicide bombers, occurred close to airline check-in gates and outside security checkpoints for ticketed passengers. According to initial estimates, 11 people lost their lives, while 100 more were injured....

On Thursday, March 24, the streets of India will be awash with color as residents celebrate the spring festival of Holi. The annual event that is the inspiration behind the 'color runs' in the US, is observed on the last full moon day of the lunar month, Phalguna (in the Hindu calendar). However, unlike the copycat runs, festival participants do not have to compete in five or ten-kilometer races to have fun. All they have to do is take to the streets early in the morning and chant "Holi Hai" (It's Holi) while dousing strangers and friends alike, with colored powder....

On January 17, Brigitte Barthélémy was walking along the seashore just north of France's famous Bordeaux wine region when she stumbled upon a bottle nestled among a pile of seashells. Inside were two tightly rolled pieces of paper. One contained a beautiful hand-drawn sketch of a cormorant, while the other was a message from the New York Pelagic outlining how litter caught in the ocean currents is often fatal for the water birds that mistake the bright plastic debris for food....

Once underground mines have served their purpose, most are sealed and forgotten. The 2000-year-old Salina Turda Salt Mine in the city of Turda, Romania was no exception. The mine which is believed to have opened in the Middle Ages (as far back as 1075) was shuttered in 1932 after competition from neighboring mines rendered its operation unprofitable....

On Saturday, March 19, millions of businesses and individuals worldwide will celebrate Earth Hour by turning off all lights and electronics from 8:30 - 9:30 PM local time. The voluntary rolling blackout that includes 350 of the world’s most iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, Taipei 101 and the Sydney Opera House, is more than a symbolic gesture — It is proof of what can be achieved if we all unite to reverse climate change....

This past weekend, millions of people in cities around the world participated in parades honoring St. Patrick, the primary patron saint of Ireland. The marches, of course were just a precursor to the real celebrations that will take place on Thursday, March 17. As is the case every year, the holiday will be observed with fun activities like hunting down leprechauns that lead to gold and searching for lucky four leaf-clovers. So who was the amazing priest whose death anniversary is celebrated worldwide and what led to the unusual traditions? Read on . . ....

The increase in the use of drones by consumers is becoming problematic for countries around the world. That's because enthusiasts often take advantage of the still nascent and in some cases nonexistent laws that govern quadcopters and use the unmanned vehicles for dangerous and illegal activities. These include flying the drones in restricted airspace and even using them to infiltrate prisons....

Sunday, March 13 marks the beginning of Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the United States. On this day, most Americans will move their clocks forward by an hour. This simple action allows residents to enjoy more daylight during the upcoming spring and summer months....

Though not rare, total solar eclipses are highly anticipated. That's because they are visible from a narrow corridor of the planet and last for just a few minutes. 2016's first and only total solar eclipse that took place on March 8 or 9 (depending on the time zone), was no exception. The celestial event could only be seen in totality by residents of the Indonesian Islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and Halmahera....

With no threat of predators or the need to hunt for food, shelter, or find a mate, zoo orangutans have an extremely comfortable existence. But this also means that the smart animals lack the critical challenges they need for their mental and emotional well-being. To ensure the curious mammals that share 97% of their DNA with humans do not get bored and depressed, zookeepers are always looking for new ways to keep them entertained and challenged....

On January 13, 2016, France became the first country in the world to pass a law requiring supermarkets to donate food that is approaching its expiration date instead of throwing it away. The regulation that applies to supermarkets over 4,000 square feet requires stores to sign donation contracts with local food banks....

On May 18, 1969, NASA astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young, and Eugene Cernan blasted off from Cape Canaveral aboard the Apollo 10 lunar module, the fourth manned mission in the US Apollo Space program and only the second after Apollo 8 to orbit the moon. Its mission was to circle the moon and thoroughly test the components and procedures to pave the way for the first lunar landing. The mission went flawlessly and without incident — At least that's what everyone believed....

March 1 was Super Tuesday, the day when a large number of US states held primary elections and caucuses. The all-important day that takes place in February or March is crucial for presidential hopefuls because it gives a clear indication of the opinions of people living in geographically and socially diverse regions. Super Tuesday front-runners frequently end up receiving their respective party's nomination....

Thrill-seekers looking for a challenge may soon have a new option - Wingboarding. The sport is similar to wakeboarding except for one thing - Instead of performing acrobatics on water, wingboarders will conduct heart-stopping maneuvers in the skies while being towed behind an airplane....

Every February 27, the world observes International Polar Bear Day. Started ten years ago by US-based nonprofit Polar Bear International (PMI) it is observed to raise awareness of the vulnerable species whose rapidly dwindling numbers are often forgotten because they dwell in the sparsely populated circumpolar Arctic....

The massive methane gas leak that has been plaguing some Southern California residents since October 2015 has finally been sealed. The announcement that was accompanied by the release of a time-lapse video showing infrared footage of the gas leakage coming to a complete halt was made on February 11, by Dennis Arriola, CEO of the Southern California Gas Company (SoCal Gas)....

Just like Harry Potter's invisibility cloak, Marty Mcfly's hoverboard, featured in "Back to the Future" Part II and III, has captured the imagination of both fans and scientists. But despite numerous claims, no one has been able to replicate the flying skateboard that bounced off walls and easily outpaced cars. Now thanks to US-based ARCA Space Corporation, hoverboards may finally become a reality....

Here is some good news for those that need an extra day to catch up on sleep or to finish an assignment — 2016 is a leap year. This event that occurs every four years means that instead of the standard 365 days, the year will have 366 days. Since the extra day is tacked onto the shortest month of the year, February will have 29 days!...

Athletes and sports fans hoping to attend the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this August may be faced with a terrible dilemma. They will have to decide if a quest for a medal or the opportunity to cheer their favorite athlete is worth the potential health risk posed by the Zika virus that has been plaguing Brazil since April 2015....

With the increasing popularity of drones as toys and potentially even for commercial delivery, researchers are going all out to build cooler and more sophisticated quadcopters. However, none can compare to the Loon Copter, which not only flies like a bird, but also swims like a fish!...

Palm oil is the most widely consumed vegetable oil in the world. It is found in a wide variety of products ranging from vitamins to chocolate, bread, laundry detergent and even biofuel. The oil is popular because it has an exceptionally high melting point and contains primarily saturated fats. The former allows the oil to maintain a semi-solid consistency at room temperature making it easy to spread, while the latter makes it the perfect substitute for trans fats which are generally deemed unhealthy. It also has the highest yield of any oil crop and is cheap to produce and refine....

Valentine's Day is one of those rare holidays that is enjoyed by almost everyone in the world. After all, what's not to like about a day when loved ones get to shower each other with cards, flowers, chocolates, and jewelry? This display of affection does come at a steep price — Almost $19 billion, and that number is just for the USA....

In mid-January, scientists from University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology released some heart-breaking news for Spider-Man fans. The researchers said that the web-slinging hero could never exist in real-life. And it is not due to the lack of radioactive spiders, but because humans are simply too big to skitter up tall buildings....