Kids News - Science Articles

Always craving junk food? Now you can blame it on the millions of bacteria that live in your gut - At least that's what some researchers from UC San Francisco, Arizona State University and University of New Mexico, have concluded after reviewing the latest scientific literature about microbes. According to Athena Aktipis, one of the authors of the study, which was published in the journal Bio Essays in mid-August, these microscopic organisms are extremely bossy and have the power to influence not just our food cravings but also moods and overall well-being....

Last week, scientists waited in anticipation for two massive solar flares that were scheduled to hit the earth's magnetic field on September 11th and 12th, respectively. While the outbursts were not expected to be as powerful as the ones experienced in 2012, it was the back-to-back occurrence that had experts concerned about the damage they could cause to our satellites, electric grids and GPS systems....

Dandelions have long been considered a nuisance weed by most gardeners. However they, along with the rest of the world, may soon start treating the annoying plant with the respect it deserves. That's because the white milky sap of their taproot contains particles of rubber of such superior quality, that Dutch biologist Ingrid van der Meer, refers to dandelions as the future of road transport....

Death Valley National Park in California's Mojave Desert is known for many things - Its extreme temperatures, varied altitude that ranges from 282ft. below sea level to 11,000ft. above, beautiful rugged terrain and most of all, 'rolling' or 'dancing' stones. The phenomenon whereby large boulders, some weighing as much as 500 lbs, move several hundred yards in a straight line or zigzag patterns, has confounded experts for years....

Though dinosaur finds are revealed on a fairly regular basis, very few result in as much excitement as the latest two. On Thursday, September 4th, a team of scientists led by Kenneth Lacovara, an associate professor at Philadelphia's Drexel University unveiled the Dreadnoughtus schrani, which they believe is the biggest known land animal to have ever inhabited Earth. While dinosaur fans were still digesting the facts, on September 11th, came news of the re-discovery of the Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, the only known semi-aquatic dinosaur....

Insects like ants and termites are amongst the world's best collaborators. Unlike most humans they have figured out that by working together, they can accomplish much more than they can individually. That is what some researchers are hoping to attain with Kilobots - bite size robots capable of ant-like teamwork and intelligence....

Mention Hawaii and the first thing that comes to mind are the pristine beaches. What is not as well known is that Hawaii's Big Island is also home to some of the world's most active volcanoes, including the spectacular Kilauea! While the dynamic volcano has been erupting almost nonstop since 1983, some years, the amount of magma coughed up is larger than others....

Scientists have long suspected that there is water trapped deep inside the Earth's interior. However, they had never been able to verify it. Hence geologists had no choice but to adopt the theory that the water in our oceans was deposited by icy comets hitting the forming planet. Now thanks to evidence uncovered by Associate Professor Steven Jacobsen of Northwestern University and seismologist Brandon Schmandt from the University of New Mexico, there is finally proof that our oceans may have emerged from a massive reserve that lies 400 miles beneath the Earth's crust....

Though most people believe that climate change is real and likely to result in some catastrophic events if allowed to continue unabated, very few are ready to make the lifestyle changes needed to turn things around. That's why Italian adventurer Alex Bellini has come up with the radical idea of living atop an iceberg, until it melts. He believes that witnessing something this dramatic may be the key to convincing more people to take action....