Kids News - Articles with 400-600 Words

On June 3rd, 2010, six brave men left their family and friends to take part in an exciting experiment called Mars500. The brainchild of the European Space Agency (ESA), it is a test to see how humans will interact with each other, if they are forced to live in close quarters, for long periods of time - As would be the case, if we were ever to embark on a journey to Mars....

Did you know that fleas, those tiny blood-sucking parasites that make your pet's life miserable, can leap as high as 13-inches (200 times their own body weight), with an acceleration force that exceeds 100 times the force of gravity? Believe it or not, some of the world's leading scientists have not only known that, but have also pondered and debated about it, for the last 44 years....

After years of suffering in oblivion, it suddenly seems like the people of North Africa are finally taking charge of their own destiny with radical, history-making changes. For most countries, it involves trying to get rid of the dictators who have ruled over them for decades. However, for the continent's largest country, Sudan, the issues were much more deep-rooted - Ones that could only be resolved by spiltting the country in two. On February 7th, over 99% of the people of Southern Sudan, voted to secede from the North, giving birth to a new Nation....

The key to an aircraft's supersonic speed or fuel efficiency, is its aerodynamics or how smoothly the wind flows over its wings and around its body. However, what may look super-efficient on computer models, may not work so well in real life. Therefore, before any new aircraft takes to the skies, manufacturers usually test prototypes or even the real aircraft, inside giant man-made wind tunnels....

NASA's first trainee robot astronaut is all ready to head to Space when Space Shuttle Discovery launches off for its final mission on February 24th - However, its legs are not! No problem, say the scientists, for there is plenty to do even without them - The legs will just have to follow when they are ready!...

Today, February 3rd, marks the first day of the Chinese or Lunar New Year, one of the most important traditional festivals for people of Chinese descent. While all festivals entail some days of celebration, this one lasts for a whopping fifteen days!...

Who would have thought that every squeal, squeak and chirp that comes out of the mouth of the humble Gunnison Prairie dog means something? A three decade study of these rodents, has revealed a language so complex, that is surpasses the communication skills of dolphins, whales and even non-human primates like monkeys!...

The lives and eventual extinction of the prehistoric giants that roamed the Earth's surface, thousands of years ago, has always fascinated researchers. However, it is impossible to recreate most of them, either because the fossilized DNA is too old (dinosaurs) or just not available. But the one exception may be the Woolly Mammoth, that lived during the Ice Age, about 8,000 years ago....

In 1963, a Baptist clergy man turned civil rights leader called Martin Luther King, Jr. rocked the American public with a poignont speech. Entitled 'I Have a Dream', it's message can be summarized with this single line - 'I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character'....