Kids News - Articles with 400-600 Words

Rising water temperatures and the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in our oceans are killing our beautiful coral reefs at an unprecedented rate. Add the current El Nino weather pattern that is expected to prevail through winter and spring 2016 to the mix, and things look even worse. Scientists estimate that the 1988 El Nino destroyed almost 16% of the world's coral reefs and believe things could get even worse this time around....

On October 7th, residents of the Chinese cities of Jiangxi and Foshan reported a strange sight - Towering skyscrapers that appeared to be dangling from the clouds. As the video of the 'floating city' went viral, it resulted in various theories. Some speculated the residents had seen a window to a parallel universe while others believed they had just glimpsed into a secret NASA project. Then there were the skeptics that dismissed the whole thing as a hoax. While that may still be the case, some experts believe that it could also have been a rare, naturally occurring optical illusion called Fata Morgana....

Space travel has come a long way since Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth in 1961. However, the one thing that has eluded scientists thus far is a rocket that can be used multiple times. Though that may not sound like a big deal, it is for companies that want to make sub-orbital travel available to everyone. That's because a large proportion of the cost goes towards building the rocket which only flies once. It is therefore no wonder that Blue Origin's successful launch and landing of the world's first reusable rocket is causing such excitement....

Most people have a love-hate relationship with gum. For delicious as it is, the sticky, tasteless waste that remains is not just annoying, especially when inadvertently stepped upon, but also, harmful to the environment. That's because the primary ingredient in most modern chewing gums is synthetic rubber which is not biodegradable. With an estimated 560,000 tons of gum being chewed each year, this adds a lot of unwanted polymer to our already overwhelmed landfills. Now thanks to Gumdrop Ltd., there may be a solution to this sticky problem....

Since their formation in 2003, Anonymous, a loosely organized international group of hackers have conducted a series of well-orchestrated cyber attacks on corporations, governments, and individuals. Some of the crusades have been justified and necessary, while others have been viewed as vindictive. But few people have any reservations about their most recent undertaking - To bring down ISIS!...

Deserts are by definition barren areas of land with little precipitation. But few compare to Atacama Desert. Often called the world's driest non-polar desert, the 600-mile stretch of land gets an average of just 0.13 inches of rain annually, despite its location next to our planet's largest body of water, the Pacific Ocean....

On Friday, November 13th, residents of the beautiful city of Paris suffered through what will go down in history as one of the worst acts of violence in France since World War II. The orchestrated attacks were carried out by eight members of the extremist group ISIS at seven predetermined locations of the French capital. The targets that included restaurants, bars, a soccer stadium and concert theater were carefully selected to cause maximum damage....

Do you get impatient and lose your temper when you've gone without nourishment for a long time? Then you are suffering from 'hanger', a newly coined term that describes the inexplicable irritation some of us experience when our stomachs are growling. Turns out there is logical scientific explanation for this often uncontrollable reaction....

On Wednesday, November 11th, Americans will celebrate Veterans Day. The special holiday is dedicated to the brave men and women of the armed forces who risk their lives on a daily basis to keep the rest of us safe and free. They include members of the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, National Guard, Air Force, and the Coast Guard....