Theories about how the brain works remain a topic of debate. It is agreed, though, that the hippocampus, a part of the brain, is undeniably important for memory. When we experience something, the information is sent via our senses to the hippocampus, where it is processed. Scientists believe that brain cells called neurons first transform […]

Data from the Pioneer spacecraft of NASA apparently prove the theory that the high surface temperature of Venus is due to an atmospheric greenhouse effect caused mainly by a blanket of carbon dioxide. Such a greenhouse effect is created when energy in the form of sunlight easily passes through a planet’s atmosphere, warms its surface

Erosion of America’s farmland by wind and water has been a problem since settlers first put the prairies and grasslands under the plow in the nineteenth century. By the 1930s, more than 282 million acres of farmland were damaged by erosion. After 40 years of conservation efforts, soil erosion has accelerated due to new demands

Naval architects never claim that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely should never have happened. It was well designed and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It had been thoroughly inspected the day of its fatal voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia

Dolphins are regarded as the friendliest creatures in the sea and stories of them helping drowning sailors have been common since Roman times. The more we learn about dolphins, the more we realize that their society is more complex than people previously imagined. They look after other dolphins when they are ill, care for pregnant

Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the lyrics. By contrast, in musical theatre an actor’s dramatic performance is primary and the music plays a lesser role. The drama in

The Atlanta Falcons were born in 1965 when the city of Atlanta elected to build the team a new stadium (Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). The name “Falcons” was chosen as a result of a fan contest. Local businessmen made the deal but it was the NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle who named Rankin Smith Sr. the owner

Mars, commonly referred to as “the red planet,” is the fourth planet from the sun. Its reddish colour comes from the high amounts of iron oxide on its surface. Mars has surface features similar to those found on the moon and on Earth. It has mountain ranges, volcanic fields, valleys, ice caps, canyons and deserts.

James Madison was born on March 16, 1751 in King George County, Virginia. He graduated from Princeton University at the age of 20 in 1771. His political career began soon after as he served in the Virginia Constitutional Convention in 1776 and in 1780, as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. Madison served as

The Carolina Panthers were born as an expansion franchise in 1995. That year, the NFL added both the Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars, expanding the field of teams from 28 to 30. The Panthers play in the NFC South Division.The Carolina Panthers franchise was created thanks to former NFL player Jerry Richardson. Richardson was one

William Henry Gates III (Bill) was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington. Bill was the second of three children in an upper-middle class family. He enjoyed playing games with the family and was very competitive. He also loved to read. Bill became bored in public school so his family sent him to Lakeside

The Buffalo Bills have played in Buffalo, New York since they were founded in 1959. The Bills are the only team to play in the state of New York as both other “New York” teams, the Jets and Giants, play in New Jersey. The team plays in the American Football Conference (AFC) East Division.The name

Fried dough has been made all around the world. Dutch settlers who brought apple and cream pies, cookies and cobbler to the New World also introduced doughnuts. Their doughnuts were called olykoeks, or oily cakes – sweet dough balls fried in pork fat. Early doughnuts were often filled with apples, prunes or raisins. The name

A hurricane, also called a tropical cyclone, is the most powerful storm that forms on Earth. A hurricane forms over warm ocean water. As it grows in size and intensity, its powerful winds begin rotating around a centre like water going down a drain. Because of the physics phenomenon known as the Coriolis Effect, hurricanes

Despite the failure of the Lost Colony at Roanoke, King James I was eager to start a permanent English settlement in North America. He granted charters to a pair of English companies to establish those settlements. While one of the two companies was unsuccessful in establishing a colony in present-day Maine, the other, known as