The transition for the elderly from living in their own home to a long-term care home can often be a difficult one. They have to leave behind many of their belongings, say goodbye to their neighbors, and move away from comfortable, familiar surroundings. The decision to move is tough on everyone involved, including children and...

Over the past several years plastic has touted to have terrible effects on the environment, and for good reason. Most plastics, unlike other materials, cannot biodegrade, and this is toxic for wildlife — especially for the oceans, where so much plastic ends up. Scientists estimate about eight million metric tons of plastic land in the...

In 1977, the United Nations Conventions in Geneva was paid a visit by Marie Sanchez, a chief tribal judge on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. She stood up to speak about Indigenous Rights, particularly about the rights of American Indian women who were forced to be sterilized. Sanchez declared this “the modern form of genocide.”  Mass...

Modern legends say that Viking funerals involved setting the deceased onto a boat filled with treasure and pushing the boat out to sea. As the mourners watch it glide away, an archer shoots a flaming arrow that ignites the boats and cremates the body. One can imagine this solemn but enchantingly beautiful affair. However, this ritual...

Getting solar panels installed on your roof is a real gold standard when it comes to being green. Of course, solar panels aren’t the only way to generate your own power. In 2016, Elon Musk unveiled that his company, SolarCity, would begin manufacturing solar shingles that resemble regular roof shingles, unlike the large, bulky conventional...

Most of us know that we should not approach, pet, or distract a service dog in any way. These dogs have an important job to do, and impeding their ability to do it could put their owner’s safety in jeopardy.  But what if a service dog approaches you without its owner? A 2018 viral Twitter...

Researcher He Jiankui, 35, was sentenced to three years in prison for conducting “illegal medical practices” after he announced that he had genetically edited babies. The court in Shenzhen, China, found the doctor guilty of forging approval documents from ethics review boards in order to manipulate couples, where the man had HIV and his partner...

Church Brothers, LLC has issued a voluntary recall of over 1,271 cases of green onions due to the potential risk of salmonella contamination. This recall, announced on October 18, 2024, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), affects products distributed in 11 U.S. states as well as Canada. Green onions sold under the brands...

A recent E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder has resulted in one death and ten hospitalizations, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now investigating 49 reported illnesses across ten states. The fast-food giant has swiftly responded by removing the potentially contaminated ingredients from its restaurants in several states as public...

With the current pandemic, it’s hard not to be a little on edge when someone mentions viruses. So we apologize if this adds to the anxiety, but in January researchers discovered an ice cap filled with over 30 previously unknown viruses. An ice cap is a type glacier. This one is located in Central Asia,...

The 16th-century French astrologer and seer Nostradamus, born Michel de Nostredame, has long fascinated the world with his cryptic quatrains. Published in 1555 in Les Prophéties, his predictions spanned topics from natural disasters to political upheavals. While skeptics have questioned the accuracy of these prophecies, others remain convinced of their relevance. Especially when an event...

Yogurt is typically made of milk and a “starter”. This is usually a blend of bacteria that consumes lactose and transforms it into lactic acid. However, this is far from the only way to ferment milk into yogurt. In fact, traditional Bulgarian and Turkish recipes use ants as a starter. For the first time, researchers...