Emperor penguin chicks have been recorded hurling themselves from a 50-foot (15 meters) cliff in Antarctica for the first time. The unprecedented footage, captured at Atka Bay in Northern Antarctica, shows roughly 700 fledglings braving a sheer drop to embark on their first swim in the ocean below. I had no idea that the chicks would be able to make...

　　green anaconda, common name for what are generally considered to be two species of nonvenomous semiaquatic boa (family Boidae) native to South America. Green anacondas are known for their immense size, some recorded specimens measuring as long as 9 meters (30 feet) and weighing more than 250 kg (550 pounds). They are some of the longest snakes in the world,...

　　Born: September 11, 1957, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. (Show more) James McBride (born September 11, 1957, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) is an American author and musician known for his acclaimed works of historical fiction and autobiography, including the best-selling memoir The Color of Water (1996) and the National Book Award-winning novel The Good Lord Bird (2013). McBride was the eighth...

Look out over Antarctica in the summer, and time seems frozen. The South Pole's midnight sun appears to hover in place, never dropping below the horizon for weeks between November and January. But the Antarctics timelessness is an illusion. Only a decade ago, on summer nights across the coast, the sun would glide ever so slightly over the ocean, dusting...

　　 　　If you’re an investor who happens to be a “Fedwatcher” type, then you’re likely to hear about two key topics: First, whether the central bank is going to raise, lower, or maintain its Fed funds interest rate target; and second, whether it’s planning on shrinking or expanding its balance sheet. 　　Investors typically understand the interest rate part pretty well,...

　　Also called: Congo dwarf crocodile (Show more) Osborn’s dwarf crocodile, (Osteolaemus osborni), small crocodile species that inhabits the tropical forests and wetlands of Africa’s Congo River basin. The geographic range of Osborn’s dwarf crocodile extends from southeastern Cameroon and southwestern Central African Republic southward to the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, western Uganda, and northwestern...

　　online predator, individual who uses the Internet to commit sexual abuse or harassment, specifically of children and of teenagers younger than the legal age of consent. Each day about 500,000 online predators establish contact with and groom victims (that is, build relationships with victims to gain access for the purpose of sexual abuse), who are usually between ages 12 and...

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists uncovered the first known structure in complex cells that's capable of drawing nitrogen from the atmosphere and converting it into a form that the cell can use. They've dubbed the newfound cell part the nitroplast. And according to two recent studies, the researchers think it likely evolved 100 million years ago. The nitroplast probably developed...

On Aug. 16, 1897, the Research Vessel Belgica set sail from Antwerp, Belgium. The ship's destination via Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo and then Punta Arenas, Chile was Antarctica, a continent that until that time remained completely unexplored by westerners. The new land was not kind to its visitors. Shortly after its arrival, the Belgica became stuck in the thick halo...

　　What defines a classic Brat Pack flick? Is it a plot involving teenage rebellion or angsty young adulthood? MTV-style film editing or a screenplay penned by John Hughes, the great bard of 1980s teen movies? Maybe it’s all about the cast. In 1985 journalist David Blum coined the term Brat Pack to describe a group of up-and-coming young actors. The...

A heat wave fueled by climate change helped create deadly, record-breaking hail in Spain, a new study finds. The baseball-sized hail hit northeastern Spain in August 2022, injuring 67 people and killing a 20 month old girl. Videos of the storm show balls of ice up to 4.7 inches (12 centimeters) wide dropping from the sky, smashing car windows and...

　　Related Places: Israel Jerusalem Gethsemane Mount of Olives (Show more) The Old City of Jerusalem, adorned with its ancient stone structures and garnished with gray and gold-plated domes, is a mosaic of the communities that through history have viewed the city as one of the most sacred meeting points between heaven and earth. For Jews, the city’s Mount Zion was...