Kids News - Articles with 200-400 Words

On February 27, 2024, biologists at San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences revealed that "Mirage," its resident titan arum, or corpse flower, had bloomed. The massive plants bloom once every seven to ten years. The flowers last just one to three days and emit a pungent odor reminiscent of rotting flesh. It is no wonder that titan arums are deemed the "world's stinkiest flower."...

Researchers have always suspected that the Amazonian rainforests were once home to ancient cities. However, looking for remains of urban structures in the thick, remote forests was a difficult endeavor. But the use of Light Detection and Ranging, or Lidar, has been a game changer. The remote sensing technology uses laser light to help identify human-made features on the ground, such as walls, roads, or buildings. It has led to several exciting discoveries. The latest to be revealed is a network of 15 ancient settlements in the Upano Valley of eastern Ecuador in South America....

A week after launching aboard a SpaceX rocket, the uncrewed Odysseus spacecraft gently landed near the Moon's south pole at 6:32 pm ET on February 22, 2024. The 14-foot-tall (4.3 meters) lander was developed and flown by Texas-based Intuitive Machines. It is the first privately-built spacecraft to make a moon landing. More significantly, Odysseus is the first American lander to successfully touch down on the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in December 1972....

Methuselah, a female Australian lungfish at San Francisco's Steinhart Aquarium, has always been a favorite with locals. But she has achieved global fame since September 2023, after scientists announced that she was at least 93 years old, making Methuselah the world's oldest living aquarium fish. The title was previously held by Grandad, an Australian lungfish who lived at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. He was believed to be between 109 and 115 years old when he died in 2017....

An international team of archeologists examining boulders in Larache, Morocco, in June 2022 stumbled upon an exciting find — 85 ancient human footprints pressed on the beach. The two trails of intact prints are estimated to be around 90,000 years old. They are the first such tracks found in North Africa. They are also among the oldest ones attributed to modern humans. The details of the fascinating discovery were published in the journal Nature in January 2024....

As far as anatomy goes, there have been few animals as puzzling to researchers as the starfish. Most animals have easily identifiable heads, bodies, and legs. However, starfish bodies are made up of five identical arms with a layer of "tube feet," to help them propel forward. The lack of a discernable head led some to even suggest they did not have one. But, a new study asserts that the opposite is true. The sea star's body is just one big head and no tail!...

Six single Nike Air Jordans, worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan, fetched $8 million at a Sotheby's auction on February 2, 2024. The jaw-dropping price set a new global auction record for game-worn sneakers....

Adult Chinstrap penguins love their naps. A recent study found that the flightless birds take as many as 10,000 naps a day when nesting! Each snooze lasts about four seconds, adding up to a total of 11 hours. But at no point do the penguins fall into deep sleep....

California's Yosemite National Park is famous for its giant, ancient sequoia trees and impressive rock formations. They include El Capitan and Half Dome. But from mid to late February, the park's main attraction is Horsetail Fall, located at the edge of the eastern side of El Capitan. During this time, the setting Sun hits the seasonal waterfall at just the right angle, creating the illusion that it is on fire....