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NASA does Dragon shuffle prepping for Starliner launch
Parking is at a premium at the International Space Station, but NASA and SpaceX cleared out one spot as a cargo Dragon ... Read More
Featured Stories
Commentary: Does social media rewire kids' brains? Here's what the science really says
America’s young people face a mental health crisis, and adults constantly debate how much to blame phones and social media. A new round of conversation has been spurred by Jonathan Haidt’s book “The Anxious ...Read more
This Day in History, April 30
On April 30th, 1492, Christopher Columbus was granted a commission for exploration by Spain.
Canny as a crocodile but dumber than a baboon -- new research ponders T. rex's brain power
In December 2022, Vanderbilt University neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel published a paper that caused an uproar in the dinosaur world.
After analyzing previous research on fossilized dinosaur brain cavities and the...Read more
Wildlife officials confirm fourth gray wolf attack in Colorado´s Grand County
DENVER — Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed a fourth gray wolf depredation in Grand County on Sunday, according to the confirmed gray wolf depredation information.
The incident involved one calf and no claim has ...Read more
A thought for the day
A thought for the day: Dutch Queen Juliana said of politics: You are interested in the kitchen of the world -- you want to find out what is cooking, who has a finger in the pie, and who will burn his finger.
Other Notable Events for April 30
On this date in history:
In 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States.
In 1803, the United States more than doubled its land area with the Louisiana Purchase....Read more
Notable Birthdays for April 30
Those born on this date include:
- Hungarian composer Franz Lehar, who wrote the operetta The Merry Widow, in 1870
- actor Eve Arden in 1908
- Dutch Queen Juliana in 1909
- actor Cloris Leachman...Read more
Astronomy
Today is Tuesday, April 30, the 121st day of 2024 with 245 days to follow.
The moon is waning. Morning stars are Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn and Venus. Evening star is Jupiter.
Today's Word "malcontent"
malcontent \mal-kuhn-TENT; MAL-kuhn-tent\ (noun) - 1 : One who is discontented or dissatisfied. 2 : A discontented subject of a government; one who opposes an established order.
(adjective) - Discontented; uneasy; ...Read more
Stolen Root Beer
Fred, who owns a restaurant, is convinced that one of his employees is stealing root beer from him. Since he is a bad businessman, he doesn't keep very good records of his inventory or his employees, so he doesn't know who is doing it. He decides to set a trap to find out who is stealing from him.
He assigns each of his employees a different night to close up shop. He then arranges the last 28 bottles of root beer in a square so that each ...
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Why are some people faster than others? 2 exercise scientists explain the secrets of running speed
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.
Why are some people faster than others? – Jon, age 14, ...Read more
Midwest tornadoes: What a decaying El Niño has to do with violent storms in the central US
Dozens of tornadoes hit the central U.S. April 26-28, 2024, tearing through suburbs and small towns and damaging hundreds of homes from Oklahoma to Nebraska and Iowa.
Spring is tornado season in the U.S., but ...Read more
Commentary: America's 'big glass' dominance hangs on the fate of two powerful new telescopes
More than 100 years ago, astronomer George Ellery Hale brought our two Pasadena institutions together to build what was then the largest optical telescope in the world. The Mount Wilson Observatory changed the conception ...Read more
A Flamingo flock inspires hope. Have the rare birds returned to the Everglades for good?
For the last century, flamingos in Florida were more likely to be spotted on T-shirts and cups in a souvenir shop than flapping around in the wild.
Then last summer, a flock of the rare and beautiful birds — a group is ...Read more
Other Notable Events for April 29
On this date in history:
In 1854, Ashmun Institute in Pennsylvania, the first college founded solely for Black American students, was officially chartered. The private school was renamed Lincoln University in ...Read more
Notable Birthdays for April 29
Those born on this date include:
- Publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1863
- bandleader/composer Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington in 1899
- Japanese Emperor Hirohito in 1901
- actor Celeste Holm ...Read more
Today's Word "plangent"
plangent \PLAN-juhnt\ (adjective) - 1 : Beating with a loud or deep sound, as, "the plangent wave." 2 : Expressing sadness; plaintive.
"He let the plangent memory of the music fill his head and flow down his arms and fill...Read more
Timepieces
A sundial is the timepiece with the fewest moving parts. Do you know which timepiece has the most?
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This Day in History, April 29
On April 29th, 1770, James Cook arrived at and named Botany Bay, Australia.
World War II-era ship docked in Alameda testing tool to combat global warming
The flight deck of a decommissioned World War II-era aircraft carrier docked at Alameda has recently begun launching something other than airplanes: microscopic droplets of salt water that scientists hope will help ...Read more
Inside Knowledge
Popular Stories
- Why can’t we throw all our trash into a volcano and burn it up?
- Canny as a crocodile but dumber than a baboon -- new research ponders T. rex's brain power
- Wind and solar in limbo: Long waitlists to get on the grid are a 'leading barrier'
- Wildlife officials confirm fourth gray wolf attack in Colorado´s Grand County
- Midwest tornadoes: What a decaying El Niño has to do with violent storms in the central US
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