Taj Mahal: The Jewel of India
Posted on October 29, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 787 words
| Trudie Dory
The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum in Agra, India. It is widely considered to be a premier example of Mughal architecture, which combines elements of Indian, Persian, and Islamic styles, and is one of India’s top tourist attractions. It is commonly referred to as the Jewel of India. It is also arguably the world's greatest monument of love.
History
In the 1630s, the northern India city of Agra was the seat of the Muslim Mughal Empire.
[Read More]The 11 Strangest Pregnancy Trends
Posted on October 29, 2022
| 7 minutes
| 1385 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Odd trendsWomen have been giving birth since the beginning of human existence, and people have been conducting birthing rituals for almost as long. In ancient Malaysia, for example, women gave birth sitting up; in 18th-century France, newborns were bathed in wine. These days, modern parents are following increasingly zany pregnancy trends. From pregnancy belly casts to lotus births, here are 11 of the strangest pregnancy trends of the 21st century.
[Read More]Why Male and Female Seals Look So Different
Posted on October 29, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 435 words
| Trudie Dory
Male and female seals look quite different from each other, and now a study shows that climate changes that happened millions of years ago likely contributed to their differences.
Male seals tend to be much larger than females, and such differences in size and other characteristics — called sexual dimorphism — in pinnipeds such as Steller's sea lion and the northern fur seal dates back to about 27 million to 20 million years ago, the new study from Canada shows.
[Read More]Chocolate Labs Are Less Healthy Than Their Black and Yellow Puppy Pals
Posted on October 28, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 524 words
| Patria Henriques
The color of a dog's coat could be linked to its health — at least for one globally popular pet.
Chocolate Labrador retrievers tend to live shorter lives and have a higher rate of skin and ear diseases than their black or yellow-coated peers, according to a new study published yesterday (Oct. 21) in the journal Canine Genetics and Epidemiology. [10 Things You Didn't Know About Dogs]
An international group of researchers examined data from more than 2,000 Labradors living in the U.
[Read More]Dear attorney general: Pepper spray is a chemical irritant. So are pepper balls.
Posted on October 28, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 770 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Despite assertions to the contrary by Attorney General William Barr, pepper spray is a chemical.
This chemistry 101 lesson is brought to you by an interview with Barr by CBS News' Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation on June 7. In the interview, Brennan pressed Barr on the decision to aggressively clear peaceful protestors from Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C., prior to a walk through the park for a photo opportunity by President Donald Trump at St.
[Read More]Draconid Meteor Shower 2020: When, where and how to watch the unpredictable 'shooting star' display
Posted on October 28, 2022
| 2 minutes
| 370 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
The annual Draconid meteor shower peaks on Wednesday, Oct. 7, but don't get your hopes up for a spectacular sky show.
Even at their peak — which, this year, occurs just after nightfall on Wednesday evening — the Draconids are usually modest, generating just a few meteors per hour. The waning gibbous moon, with its face about 75% illuminated, will wash out all but the brightest meteors.
The shower, which is typically active from Oct.
[Read More]Earth's Conveyor Belts Trap Oceans of Water
Posted on October 28, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 598 words
| Patria Henriques
Water, water, everywhere, even deep inside the Earth. That's the outcome of collisions between the planet's grinding tectonic plates, according to a new study.
At subduction zones, where one plate bends deep beneath another, the sinking plate acts like a conveyor belt, carrying more than an ocean's worth of water into the mantle — the layer beneath Earth's outer crust — over billions of years, researchers report in the Jan.
[Read More]How Are Fake Diamonds Made?
Posted on October 28, 2022
| 2 minutes
| 283 words
| Fernande Dalal
Diamonds are one of the world's most valuable commodities, the planet's hardest substance and perhaps the most symbolic expression of love and commitment found in nature. Except when they aren't.
While real diamonds form deep within the earth during geological processes spanning billions of years, so-called fake, or manmade, diamonds can be whipped up in a laboratory in no time at all, yet they look and act remarkably similar.
The secret to producing fake diamonds was unlocked in the 1950s by four scientists working for the Research Laboratory at General Electric.
[Read More]How to Keep Captive Killer Whales Happy
Posted on October 28, 2022
| 6 minutes
| 1128 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Should killer whales Skype? A new study suggests that virtual links between captive orca populations might be one way to improve the lives of these marine mammals.
The keeping of orcas, or killer whales, in captivity has been a matter of public controversy, especially since the release of the documentary "Blackfish" in 2013. The film centers on the 2010 killing of a SeaWorld trainer, Dawn Brancheau, by a captive killer whale that had been captured from the wild in 1983.
[Read More]New Breast Pump Could Offer More Freedom for Busy Moms
Posted on October 28, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 585 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
It's the first week of August, and that can mean only one thing: It's World Breastfeeding Week. Every year, from Aug. 1 to Aug. 7, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) sponsors a campaign to educate the public about the benefits (and challenges) of breast-feeding.
WABA centers its global campaign around a different theme every year. This year, the theme is "breastfeeding and work," a topic that's on the minds of many breast-feeding mothers who must return to the workplace, or just their regular daily routine, soon after the baby is born.
[Read More]