Kids News - Science Articles

Scientists have always known that in order to forage for nectar as efficiently as they do, the tiny bumblebee had figured out the perfect solution to what is commonly referred to as 'The Traveling Salesman Problem' - that is figuring out the shortest routes from flower to hive. While this may sound simple it is actually a complex mathematical problem given that there are hundreds of different routes - One that takes even humans, seek out the help of computers to solve!...

For the last two and a half years, 15 scientists have been scouring the oceans in search of some of earth's smallest but most important organisms - Plankton. The exhaustive research has revealed some great news and some, not so encouraging....

Though we may all moan and groan about having to go to school each morning, the truth is that it is not all bad - I mean where else can you hang out with friends, complain about teachers and exchange carrots for cookies? Therefore, you can only imagine how young Devon Carrow felt when he realized that he could not and may never be able to attend 'normal' school. Now, thanks to his alter ego, a 4-ft tall robot, he is able to do everything except . . . . Share his lunch....

If you think science is boring and scientists nerdy, you may change your opinion after reading about the fun discoveries that won these researchers Nobel Prizes - Not the real ones of course, but the spoof lg Nobel Prize - that are awarded for research that 'first makes one laugh and then, think'....

Mention the word 'cockroach' in a room full of people and you will see it empty it out in no time at all. However, if some scientists are right, this very same pest that we have all come to despise and fear, may soon prove to be our savior in the aftermath of natural disasters....

The fact that J.K. Rowling's vivid imagination conveyed so brilliantly in the Harry Potter series of books has been a big hit with kids and adults all over the world, is a well-known fact. But what is not as well publicized is the effect it has had on inspiring scientists. First there is the ongoing quest to create an invisibility cloak and now, levitating water droplets!...

Right about now, thousands of Monarch butterflies are beginning to make their way from North America's colder regions to their winter homes in California and Mexico, where they will spend the season hibernating, before heading back in early spring next year. This round-trip, which in some cases spans about 2,000 miles each way and can take as long as two months, is unique and fascinating for a number of reasons....

Resurrecting pre-historic animals that roamed the Earth's surface thousands of years ago, has been something scientists have been fantasizing about for many years. However in most cases, it is just not possible either because the DNA is not available or in the case of an animal like the dinosaur, is just too old. The one exception may be the Woolly Mammoth that lived during the Ice Age, about 8,000 years ago....

'Water, Water everywhere, not a drop to drink' - That unfortunately, is the situation faced by millions of residents in developing countries who are surrounded by oceans, but have no access to fresh drinking water. Now thanks to this ingenious portable ceramic desalination 'plant' created by Milan-based designer Gabriele Diamanti, there may be a viable solution....