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Hummingbirds have long been admired for their striking jewel-like plumage and minute size. With over 356 recognized species, these dainty creatures are found all the way from Alaska to the southernmost part of South America. And though they are the smallest members of the avian community, they have the largest brains (in proportion to their bodies) and are known to be quite smart! A hummingbird will remember every flower it has ever visited, and how long the plant will take to refill with nectar....

Just about five months ago, Leo Grand's life looked pretty bleak. Homeless since losing his job at Metropolitan Life in 2011, he spent his days panhandling on the streets of and nights, seeking out a safe place to sleep. Then in late August, a young man made him a strange offer that changed his life....

Sweden's ICEHOTEL is known for many things - Its 'out of this world' location, gorgeous architecture and even freezing comfort. But the one thing it is not, is longevity! The hotel located in the village of Jukkasjärvi has to be rebuilt from scratch every year because it is carved entirely from ice blocks that melt when the summer comes along. The great part about that is, each rendition gets increasingly better!...

Today is Friday the 13th, the second and last one that we will have to encounter in 2013! While to most of us it signifies the start of another carefree weekend, there are some people that consider today to be extremely unlucky. As you probably know, the number 13 has a bad reputation to begin with. This is the reason many office and residential towers often skip the 13th floor altogether. However, when that date falls on a Friday, the fear factor seems to escalate to a whole new level....

Though the comet of the century, ISON, may have the dependable annual Geminid showers have arrived and will be in full blossom starting today, Thursday, December 12th, all the way through to Monday, December, 16th. Nicknamed the 900-pound gorilla of meteor showers by NASA, they outweigh other dust streams by factors of between 5 to 500!...

While most of us are still keeping our fingers crossed that Santa will deliver at least a few items from our extensive wish lists, the lucky passengers of two recent WestJet flights have already had one of their requests fulfilled....

While most of the world is out seeking the lightest athletic shoe available, one Chinese man is heading the other way. Zhang Fuxing believes that the heavier the shoe, the better it is for the body. To prove it, he exercises in iron shoes that each weigh an astounding 200kg (440 lbs)!...

If astronauts have any plans of staying on the moon for extended periods of time, they will have to be self-sustaining. One of the most important steps toward achieving that will be growing their own food. That is the reason NASA scientists recently announced plans to test, growing a vegetable garden on the lunar surface....

Saturday, December 7th, marked the 72nd Anniversary of the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. The surprise attack was conducted on the Hawaiian naval base by Japan's Imperial army to try stop the United States from interfering with the country's attempt to expand its wealth and influence, by conquering neighboring Southeast Asian countries. Fearing that the US Pacific Naval Base would foil their plans, the Japanese decided to try cripple its entire fleet....

While the rest of us are struggling to piece together our miniature gingerbread houses, the people at Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas have built one that is larger than many homes and sturdy enough for people to walk in!...

On Thursday, December 5th, 2013, the world suffered the loss of one of the most extraordinary and incredible humans to have ever lived on this planet - Nelson Mandela. The 95-year-old former South African President and anti-apartheid leader who died at his Johannesburg home, had been suffering from a recurring lung infection for many years....

According to The Guinness Book of World Records, the toughest tongue twister is 'The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.' However, if researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are to be believed, there may be a new contender for that coveted spot....

Not being a 'math person' is something that is not only asserted pretty frequently, but also, accepted very readily. According to a 2010 survey conducted by Change the Equation three out of ten Americans believe that they are 'bad' at math, while over half of 18-34 year-old's seem to have convinced themselves that they just can't tackle numbers....

Though the discovery of dinosaur fossils is always an exciting event, the remains of one that roamed North America about 100 million years ago, is even more so. That's because while paleontologists have extensive knowledge about the Tyrannosaurus-rex that dominated the arena in the late Cretaceous period (about 60 million years ago), very little is known about the ones that ruled the roost during the intermediate period....

Just a week ago, ISON was being touted as the 'Comet of the Century' - one that would provide a celestial show like none other. Alas, such was not the case. It appears as though the mighty comet's close meeting with the sun did not go so well, causing it to . . . just fizzle away....

On Sunday, December 1st, Jeff Bezos the founder and CEO of retail giant Amazon sent shock waves across the nation with his announcement that within a few years, the company would be using aerial drones to make deliveries. Called Amazon Prime Air, it will be available to transport packages of up to five pounds within a ten miles radius of one of the company's numerous fulfillment centers....

Like many animals, China's Yangtze alligators like to spend winters hibernating inside dark holes that they dig on the sides of the lakes they reside in. That however is not an option for the 8,000 residents of the nature reserve in Xuancheng City in the Southeast Province of Anhui, because their manmade lakes are built using cement....

When words like 'complex machines' and 'ingenious engineers' are used to describe something, the last thing that comes to mind is the drab mushroom, the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus. But that is exactly what Emilie Dressaire, professor of experimental fluid mechanics from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, is calling them after discovering that these amazing toadstools possess the capability of creating their own microclimate....

It is a great time to be a high school student in the US - Schools in Virginia are paying students to do well in Advanced Placement tests and now one in Utah is showering them with gifts, just for showing up!...

With Christmas fast approaching, ornate trees and strings of decorative lights are popping up in neighborhoods all across the world. However, very few people go the extent that David Richards has, with his massive display that comprises of over half a million lights....

A nondescript battered book filled with spelling errors just became the world's most expensive printed book. On Tuesday, November 26th, US philanthropist David ­Rubenstein paid $14.2 million USD to own a copy of the first book printed in British North America - The Whole Book of Psalmes or as it is better known today, the Bay Psalm Book....

Remember troll dolls? The ones that were all the rage in the 1960's and then for brief periods of time from the 1970's to 1990's? Well it turns out that nature has it own version and as usual, it is a lot better looking than the one created by humans....

While over 46 million turkeys are getting ready to take center stage at the dinner table this evening, two - Popcorn and his lucky spare, Caramel, are trotting away to George Washington's Mt. Vernon Estate and Gardens in Virginia, where they will impress visitors during the holidays, before moving to their permanent retirement home in Lessburg's Morven Park....

On Thursday, Jewish families residing in the US are in for a double treat - Thanksgiving and the first full day of Hanukkah, which begins today (November 27th), at sundown. Also known as the Festival of Lights, the last time these two special celebrations coincided was in 1888 and the next? Probably not for at least another 77,798 years, which means that for those that observe both, this is a once in a lifetime celebration!...