On any given day, there are over 430 thousand children in the United States living in foster care. The average child remains in state care for two years, while six percent of children remain living in the system for five years or more [1]. While many of these children live with foster families, ten percent...
Everybody loves summer, but not everybody loves the creatures that it brings, specifically the pesky mosquito. There’s nothing more annoying than constantly having to swat away mosquitoes when trying to enjoy the outdoors. Fortunately, we have some awesome bug-repelling mason jars that will help keep the creepy crawlies away. Although commercial bug sprays may be...
This article was originally published in August 2020 and has since been updated When you turn on the news or read the headlines that constantly appear on your Facebook feed, it’s easy to start to think that human nature is inherently evil, angry, and selfish- and rightly so. It seems that every day we’re given...
Studies have shown that more than half of combat veterans with PTSD had nightmares fairly often [1]. These nightmares make it nearly impossible to fall asleep and can disrupt your life in a major way. In many cases, they can cause the degradation of relationships, job loss, and addictions. One son saw his own father...
Most of us have heard of the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights. Every year people travel to remote northern locations in the Yukon, Alaska, Greenland and Iceland to see this magnificent display of lights. There is, however, another atmospheric light show that you may be less familiar with: STEVE. Short for Strong...
There is a secret forest in Southern Ontario, Canada, that has been hiding in plain sight. Growing on the cliffs of the Niagara escarpment, the trees’ precarious positioning has left them completely untouched by humans, despite being mere minutes away from bustling urban areas. One ecologist found the ancient forest accidentally, and was so shocked...
An Arkansas school installed solar panels to save on costs, and the investment is paying off. Schools are expensive to run. On average, it costs federal, state, and local governments over ten thousand dollars to send a child to public school for a year [1]. With this high cost of public education, many public school...
Undersea life has always looked somewhat extraterrestrial. Octopuses in particular have an other-worldly quality about them. Many of us, at one time or another, have probably likened them to aliens without thinking much of it. When 33 scientists do it, however, people pay attention. Are Octopuses Aliens? In case you forgot about this odd story,...
In a 2008 Ted Talk, mycologist Paul Stamets declared that mushrooms may be the solution to a number of environmental issues facing our planet today. It turns out, mushrooms can eat plastic, clean up oil spills, and re-build our forests, among many other incredible abilities. How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World Mushrooms are some...
One man is serving two years of probation for cooking chickens at Yellowstone National Park. Officials caught the man, along with a few others, violating several of the park’s rules. They are now banned from entering the park for the next two years. Cooking Chickens at Yellowstone National Park On August 7, 2020, a park...
Sometimes, the line between science and science fiction seems to blur. Like when scientists discovered a mirror universe, or created an invisibility shield. A few years ago, researchers blurred that line again when they created time crystals. As if that doesn’t sound enough like a prop from a sci-fi film, they didn’t stop there. Recently,...
Oregon was the first state to decriminalize marijuana possession in 1973. In 2020, drug decriminalization – all illicit drugs, was on the ballot. Lawmakers made the decision early in the morning on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, that the bill had successfully passed. The Oregon Drug Decriminalization effort is meant to move the state’s drug policy...
