The next time you eat a piece of chocolate, be sure to savor it, because according to two of the world's largest chocolate makers - Mars, Inc. and Barry Callebaut, the decadent treat may soon be in short supply. The problem? We are consuming the candy at a faster pace than farmers can grow cocoa....
Read news articleThough all hotels undergo periodic renovations, very few do it as frequently as Sweden's ICEHOTEL, which is rebuilt every year. That's because as the name indicates, the hotel is carved entirely from ice blocks that melt into a giant puddle of water, when the temperatures warm up. And while each rendition of ICEHOTEL is special, the 2014 version is even more so, given that the unique destination is celebrating its 25th anniversary....
Read news articleRising sea levels are a growing worry for many coastal cities around the world. While all are expected to be impacted, some like Indonesia's capital Jakarta, are more vulnerable. Located in the northwest coast of the Java Sea, Southeast Asia's most populous city lies on a low flat basin at the mouth of the Ciliwung River on the Jakarta Bay. Though its average elevation is 8-meters (26 feet), 40% of the city lies below sea level and is sinking by as much as six inches, annually. Experts speculate that if this pace continues, much of northern Jakarta will be underwater by 2030....
Read news articleTiny monitoring devices have become an increasingly common way for scientists to study elusive animals that are difficult to track on a day-to-day basis. However, now it seems that smart seals have caught on to the trick and are using it to their advantage to catch fish!...
Read news articleOn November 12th, hundreds of biking enthusiasts in the Amsterdam suburbs of Krommenie and Wormerveer hopped onto their two-wheelers, to test out SolaRoad, the world's first solar bike path. The 100-meter test project is the result of a collaboration between the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), local authorities and a consortium of Dutch companies....
Read news articleLions have been called the 'King of Beasts' for centuries and for good reason too - Not only are they majestic looking, but also, at the top of the food chain. Granted, it is the males that are awarded this designation, but the females are no slouches either. After all, they are the ones that do all the hunting....
Read news articleThe recent report of the sighting of a few Kashmir musk deer has given conservationists hope that the species may be alive and well amongst the forests in Afghanistan. The study published by the World Wildlife Foundation in the November edition of the journal Oryx, states that a team of researchers scouring the country's Nuristan Province in 2008 and 2009, encountered the animals on five separate occasions....
Read news articleIt was the classic David vs. Goliath scenario, except in this case, the boy was represented by a seemingly helpless porcupine and Goliath, by a pride of 17 hungry lions that would have loved to add the quill-bearing rodent to their dinner menu. Fortunately, the struggle ended just like the story, with the lions scurrying away in defeat!...
Read news articleMost animals are skittish around people which makes observing them in the wild, a challenging endeavor for researchers. The issue is exacerbated with naturally shy creatures like emperor penguins, who show signs of physical distress in the presence of humans....
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