Definition: (verb) Make something more diverse and varied.
Synonyms: vary.
Usage: After the third consecutive dinner of mashed potatoes, we began to hope that the cook would begin to variegate the menu.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Scientists have described a 305-million-year-old fossilized creature that looks exactly like a modern-day spider. But it is not a spider. The 1.5 cm creature has been stored in the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris since it was first unearthed in … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Between the late-1970s and the mid-1990s, an elusive bomber, dubbed the “Unabomber” by the FBI, perpetrated of a series of bombings in the US that killed three people and wounded 23. In 1995, the Washington Post and The New York Times published the Unabomber’s lengthy manifesto after he pledged in return to end the bombings. A year later, the FBI, acting on information from the Unabomber’s brother, arrested Theodore Kaczynski at his isolated cabin in Montana. Whom did he target? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Herbert was a British metaphysical poet, ordained priest and rector, and Cambridge University orator. His poetry was entirely unpublished at the time of his death and was bequeathed to Nicholas Ferrar, who had the collection published as The Temple in 1633. The poems concern personal, doctrinal, and ritual matters and are noted for their mastery of metrical form, use of allegory and analogy, and religious devotion. Some are pattern poems, in which the lines form what? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Nori is the Japanese name for an edible, dried preparation of red algae of the genus Porphyra. It is farmed in the sea, where Porphyra plants grow attached to nets suspended at the sea’s surface. Farmers operate from boats and use mechanical harvesters to collect their crops. The nori sheets are then produced in a process that is quite similar to papermaking and involves a shredding and rack-drying process. This “sea vegetable” is commonly used in the preparation of what foods? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) A bag carried over one shoulder to transport supplies, as on a hike.
Synonyms: backpack, knapsack.
Usage: She carried the heavy haversack for most of the hike.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Focusing on helmet design has been one of the main approaches scientists have taken to help reduce concussion rates. But Canadian researchers argue in a new study that another external factor— weather— may be as important of a consideration for protecting … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In 1975, the final portion of the antenna atop Canada’s CN Tower was set in place, completing the tower and officially making it the tallest free-standing structure on land. At 1,815 ft (553 m) in height, the CN Tower surpassed the previous record holder, Russia’s Ostankino Tower, by 43 ft (13 m) but was itself surpassed in 2007 by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. According to a study, the CN Tower is struck by lightning more than any other structure in Toronto. How did ice affect the tower in 2007? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Andersen was a Danish writer best known for his many collections of fairy tales, in which he broke with literary tradition and employed the idioms and constructions of spoken language. His stories are imaginative combinations of universal elements from folk legend and include such favorites as “The Ugly Duckling” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” While some reveal an optimistic belief in the ultimate triumph of goodness and beauty, others are deeply pessimistic. What else did Andersen write? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
A virus is a minute infectious agent that, in general, cannot be seen with a light microscope. It lacks an independent metabolism and is able to replicate only within a living host cell. A free virus particle does not carry out the functions of a living cell, such as respiration and growth, and may be thought of as a packaging device by which viral genetic material can be introduced into appropriate host cells. What are the arguments for and against classifying viruses as living organisms? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary