The selfie-snapping animals are at it again. Two emperor penguins in Antarctica captured a short video of themselves after coming across a camera left on the ice by a human. The Australian Antarctic Division posted the comical, 38-second clip to its … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Located in what is now Sonoma County, California, Fort Ross was in operation from 1812 to 1841 as a trading outpost for the Russian-American Company. The southernmost settlement in the Russian colonization of North America, it was established as an agricultural base to supply Alaska. Fort Ross was the site of California’s first windmills and shipbuilding yards, and Russian scientists there were among the first to record California’s cultural and natural history. How did the Fort get its name? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Anna Perenna was a Roman goddess who represented the circle or ring of the year—Anna being the feminine form of annus (meaning “year”) and March, the month her festival was observed, being the first month of the Roman calendar. On the day of her festival, the plebs of Rome went to the Campus Martius, a large field outside the walls of the city, and lay about on the grass, often constructing simple huts out of stakes and branches with togas stretched across the top. They spent the day drinking, dancing, and singing, returning to the city at night in a state of deep intoxication. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Although she was born a member of the upper class, which traditionally identified with British rule in Ireland, Gregory embraced Irish cultural nationalism and became an extremely important figure of the Irish literary revival. She collected and published several volumes of Irish folk tales, wrote and translated dozens of plays, and directed multiple theater companies. The name of Irish author Denis Johnston’s play The Old Lady Says No! refers to what incident involving Gregory? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Cymothoa exigua is a parasitic crustacean that attaches itself to the tongue of the spotted rose snapper and feeds on its blood. Eventually, the organ atrophies, and then something remarkable happens: C. exigua replaces the fish’s tongue with its own body by attaching to the muscles of the tongue stub. The fish is able to use the parasite just like a normal tongue, apparently without any further damage. Are there any other cases of a parasite functionally replacing a host organ? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (verb) Laugh quietly.
Synonyms: snicker.
Usage: The rude tourists snigger at the locals' outdated ways and dress.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
NASA will soon release an integrated paper on its Twins Study featuring brothers Scott and Mark Kelly. Preliminary findings of the Human Research Program confirm that 7 percent of Scott’s DNA has … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Modern oil-drilling technology includes safety features such as blowout preventers, but when the Lakeview Gusher exploded in 1910, such safeguards were nonexistent. The result was one of the largest oil spills in history. Located in Kern County, California, the out-of-control oil well created rivers of crude oil that workers rushed to contain with makeshift dams. Though it never caught fire, it eventually released some 9 million barrels of oil. When was it finally brought under control? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a nation comprised of a group of more than 30 islands in the Caribbean Sea, with St. Vincent being the largest. March 14 is National Heroes Day, when the country honors their national hero, Chief Joseph Chatoyer. He led the nation in preventing the Europeans from colonizing the islands. On March 14, 1795, Chatoyer was killed by British troops at Dorsetshire Hill. A monument honoring Chatoyer stands on this spot; as part of the Heroes Day celebration, a wreath-laying ceremony is held at the obelisk at Dorsetshire Hill. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
By the time Hodler was a teenager, tuberculosis had killed much of his family. Having been trained in the basics of painting by his stepfather, the orphaned Hodler—imbued with a strong sense of mortality—became one of the most important Swiss painters of his time. He evolved a powerful means of expression with strong rhythmic patterns and a tight linear structure, which he called “parallelism.” In the months leading up to January of 1915, Hodler made a series of paintings documenting what? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary