Kids News - Articles with 600-800 Words

The thorny devil, named for the sharp spikes that cover its head and body, is a lizard that dwells in the Australian Outback’s hot and arid desert. Though its scary appearance has earned it other equally alarming names like the thorny dragon or the mountain devil, the palm-sized reptile is a harmless, slow-moving animal that has managed to adapt to one of the world’s most inhospitable environments. While researchers know a lot about these hardy lizards, the one mystery that had never been completely solved, is how they keep hydrated....

On Sunday, December 4, Fidel Castro, Cuba’s former President and leader of the Communist revolution, will be laid to rest at the Santa Ifigenia cemetery in Santiago de Cuba, the island's second-largest city. Fidel, who passed away on Friday, November 25 at age 90, ruled the country with an iron fist for 47 years (1959-2006) and was one of the most controversial leaders of our time. Supporters maintain that Fidel was a champion of socialism and think his revolutionary regime protected Cuba from American imperialism. Critics, which include his daughter Alina Fernández, considered him a dictator who allowed human rights abuses and impoverished the country’s economy....

The Hubble Space Telescope that has been orbiting the Earth since 1990, has and continues to reveal the secrets of planets, stars, and galaxies that lie trillions of miles away. In 2018, it will finally be retired and replaced by the larger, and more powerful, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The announcement, made by NASA on November 2, culminates a 20-year quest to build a state of the art telescope that cost $8.7 billion and required the construction of new assembly and testing facilities...

The last time Chicago Cubs fans had something to celebrate about was in 1908 when the baseball team won the World Series for the second consecutive year against the Detroit Tigers. Though the Cubs went on to appear in seven World Series thereafter, they came up empty each time. The 108-year drought, the longest by any major American sports team, finally came to an end after an 8-7, 10-inning victory over the Cleveland Indians in a thrilling Game 7 that began on Wednesday night (Nov 2) and ended early Thursday morning (Nov 3)....

With Halloween falling on a Monday this year, chances are you are feeling a little sleep-deprived. Here is some good news at least for those that live in North America. This weekend marks the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST), which means that on Sunday, November 6, you can enjoy an extra hour of sleep (or play) by simply turning back the clocks....

Today, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists worldwide, will begin the countdown to Diwali. Also called the Festival of Lights, the annual event is the most anticipated and eagerly awaited of all Indian celebrations. Though the holiday is always observed in late October or early November, the exact date which is determined by the position of the moon and the Hindu lunar calendar, differs....

The great frigatebird, a species of seabird found across the world’s tropical seas, has a 7 foot wingspan — the largest of any bird species its size. Past research had indicated that these adept pilots could stay aloft as long as a week at a time. It turns out, that the experts and even Christopher Columbus, who noticed the birds on his 1492 voyage to the Americas — and remarked “does not alight on the sea nor depart from land 20 leagues (70 miles)” — had vastly underestimated the magnificent bird’s flying prowess and smarts!...

Monday, August 8, was Earth Overshoot Day. Calculated annually by the environmental advocacy group, Global Footprint Network, it is the day when humanity has consumed all the natural resources — produce, meat, fish, water, and wood — that our planet can regenerate in a single year. This means that for the rest of 2016, we will be using natural resources that are impossible to replace....

Water, or rather the lack of it, is one of the most pressing issues of our times. Unprecedented droughts and growing populations have left many countries struggling to keep up with demand. Given that agriculture is the largest single user of freshwater, providing farmers with new conservation techniques would go a long way in alleviating our water woes. It turns out that a “miracle” powder has been helping drought-stricken Mexican farmers do exactly that for over a decade!...