Page Type: Elementary

It’s not always easy for people to explore the ocean. So scientists studying seagrass (grass that grows in the sea) decided recently to get some helpers. They attached cameras and other equipment to tiger sharks!

The team of scientists wanted to know how much seagrass is growing in an area of ocean near a group of islands called the Bahamas. They attached cameras or tracking equipment to 15 tiger sharks. The sharks were then released and swam around as they normally would. The cameras and equipment were designed to fall off the sharks within about 24 hours.

The pictures and other information captured by the equipment show that the patch of seagrass near the Bahamas is as large as 35,521 square miles (92,000 square kilometers). It might be the largest patch of seagrass on the planet!

Scientists say it’s important to know where there’s seagrass. Like forests, seagrass takes in carbon dioxide, which means it plays a big part in controlling climate change.

Before the study, scientists didn’t know how large the patch of seagrass was. In fact, there is still a lot that humans don’t know about the ocean because it can be hard to explore. Thanks to the sharks, we’re learning more. The size of the seagrass patch is good news for the climate.

Scientists in Europe have invented a robot that looks and flies just like a large bird called a falcon. The robot is an awesome flier, but it also has an important job. 

Scientists invented the robot to solve a serious problem. Flocks of birds often fly and land in and around airports. Sometimes the birds get hit by planes that are taking off and landing. Airport workers have tried different ways to scare away the birds. They’ve tried training real falcons to fly toward the birds. Falcons hunt smaller birds, so it makes sense that birds would be afraid of them. But falcons are expensive and hard to train. 

So scientists decided to create a robot that looks like a falcon. They studied a bird called the peregrine falcon to see how it moves when it flies. They made sure their robot could fly in the same way. They even painted the robot to match the colors of a real falcon. Then, they tested it with flocks of birds.

Is that lion made of LEGO bricks? It sure is!

The giant LEGO lion was built to sit at one entrance to the Chain Bridge, a famous crossing in the city of Budapest, Hungary. Normally, there are two stone lions at either entrance to the bridge, which was completed in 1849. In fact, the four roaring lions are a big part of why the Chain Bridge is famous. 

But in 2021, the bridge became lion-less. That’s when workers temporarily removed the stone lions from their posts so that they and the bridge could be repaired. The LEGO lion was a perfect substitute for one of the four lions because it looks just like the stone statues! 

When do you think people started wearing jeans? A museum in Yuma, Arizona, is home to some VERY old jeans. They were made in the late 1800s!

The seven pairs of jeans were discovered by Frank Schlichting in February 2020, in a nearby mine that is no longer in use. Schlichting explores many mines and makes YouTube videos of his adventures. The museum owns the mine near Yuma and had given Schlichting permission to explore it.  

The YouTube video of the discovery shows Schlichting and Gabe Romo, who works with him, going 250 feet (76.2 meters) underground, into the mine where they had previously discovered the jeans under some rubble. The two men then use a pickaxe to uncover the seven pairs.

The jeans would have been worn by men who worked in and around the mines. Invented in 1873, blue jeans were designed to be worn by miners because they were less likely to be damaged than other types of pants. Jeans were, and still are, made from tough denim. Rivets (those little metal things) are used to hold together the fabric and prevent tearing. Styles have changed over the years, but the jeans worn by miners looked a lot like the jeans we wear today!

Jeans from the 1800s are extremely rare, making them very valuable. In October 2022, a pair of jeans from that time period sold for $87,000.

But the jeans Schlichting found won’t be sold. Instead, they’ll be kept at the Castle Dome Museum, near where they were found.

When Isaac Winfield got some money for his birthday, he knew just how he wanted to spend it. Isaac, who is now 11, decided to put the money toward the food bank he had started.

A food bank is a place that collects food from donors (people who give) and hands out the food to people who are hungry. Isaac, who lives in the United Kingdom (U.K.), started his food bank two years ago, in 2020. He got the idea for it when he started at a new school. Unlike his old school, this new school didn’t have a program to donate food that students brought in. Isaac had always brought food to school. How could he help now, he wondered? Isaac asked his parents if he could give out food from the family’s driveway. 

Isaac’s food bank grew quickly. Soon, someone made a post on Facebook about Isaac’s food bank, and people began to donate food. The family started a Facebook page called Friends of Isaac’s Food Bank so more people could give. Isaac got so many donations that his parents had to buy a shed to store all of the food! Eventually, a supporter bought the family a van. Now, Isaac and his parents can take food to people who need it. People can also go to the shed in front of the family’s home and help themselves.

When Isaac turned 11, he didn’t ask his friends for gifts. He wanted donations instead.

“For his 11th birthday he just wanted food bank donations and [he got a lot of them],” Isaac’s mom, Claire, told SWNS in the U.K. “He just wanted to get as many donations in as possible to help as many people as he can.”

Isaac is planning to do even more. He hopes to open a food bank in his town.

“Isaac’s always been very kind-hearted,” said his mom. “Anything he comes across, he always wants to stop and help.”

Have you ever wondered why some people get lots of mosquito bites, and other people barely get bitten? Scientists think they may have found the answer.

Scientists believe that some people produce more of a certain chemical than others. This chemical produces an odor that humans might not smell—but mosquitos do. 

“If you have high levels of this [chemical] on your skin, you’re going to be the one at the picnic getting all the bites,” scientist Leslie Vosshall told the Guardian. Vosshall was one of the scientists who did an experiment that suggested this was true.  

Scientists asked 64 people to wear nylon stockings over their arms for six hours a day over several days. During this time, each stocking picked up the scent of the person wearing it. Each stocking was then placed at the end of a long tube. Then scientists released mosquitoes to see if the insects would be more attracted to some of the stockings than others. Sure enough, the mosquitoes swarmed some of the stockings and basically ignored others.

Next, scientists looked at the chemicals that each person’s body was producing. They learned that the people whose scent the mosquitoes liked produced more of a certain chemical. Scientists call these people “mosquito magnets.” 

People can’t change how much of a chemical their bodies make. But scientists say it’s helpful to know what mosquitoes are attracted to. It could lead to the development of more products that are meant to keep mosquitoes away.

What is it like to live in Antarctica? Four people are about to find out! Clare Ballantyne, Mairi Hilton, Natalie Corbett, and Lucy Bruzzone will spend the next five months working on the cold, remote continent. 

The women will work at Port Lockroy, a part of Antarctica that is controlled by the United Kingdom (U.K.). Their jobs will last through Antarctica’s summer, which is between November and March. 

Hilton, who is a scientist, will be the wildlife monitor. Her job will be to count the area’s population of gentoo penguins and look out for the penguins’ nests and hatchlings (babies). 

Ballantyne will work as the postmaster. She will run Port Lockroy’s post office, which has been nicknamed the “penguin post office.” 

Corbett will manage the gift shop, which is in the same building as the post office. 

Bruzzone will be the base leader. She will be in charge of the group, and she’ll also manage the arrival of the ships that bring summer visitors to Port Lockroy.

This pumpkin weighs a ton! No, really. A pumpkin that was grown this year is one of the heaviest ever. The pumpkin weighs 2,560 pounds (1,161 kilograms). That’s actually more than a ton.

The pumpkin was grown by Travis Gienger, who teaches horticulture. Horticulture is the art of growing a garden. Clearly, Gienger is good at his job! 

Gienger’s pumpkin won the top prize at the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. The contest took place in October, in Half Moon Bay, California. About 30 growers took part. Each grower had planted their pumpkin back in April, knowing that pumpkins can take months to reach their full size. 

At the contest, officials used forklifts and harnesses to place and hold each pumpkin on a huge scale for weighing. Gienger’s pumpkin didn’t just win first prize. It also set a record for the heaviest-ever pumpkin in North America. 

What was the heaviest pumpkin ever? According to Guinness World Records, a pumpkin grown in Italy in 2021 weighed over 2,702 pounds (1,226 kilograms).

If you think your cat is big, check out Fenrir. This fantastic feline has just been named the tallest cat in the world! 

Fenrir is 18.83 inches (47.83 centimeters) tall from his paw to his shoulder when he’s standing on all four legs, according to Guinness World Records. Compare that to the average house cat, which is 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) tall from paw to shoulder! 

Fenrir is a Savannah cat. A Savannah cat is a cross between a domestic (totally tame) house cat and a serval, which is a kind of wild cat. Savannah cats are usually larger than other house cats, but Fenrir is large even for a Savannah! 

And he might get taller. Savannah cats sometimes keep growing until they’re about 3 years old. Fenrir was measured for the Guinness world record before he reached his third birthday.

Being tall comes with certain advantages. Like some dogs, Fenrir can reach kitchen countertops by standing on his hind legs. On top of that, he LOVES to eat—so his human dad, William Powers, knows not to leave any human food sitting out. 

But while Fenrir may be naughty sometimes, Powers describes his cat as “friendly and outgoing.” Powers, who is a doctor, takes Fenrir to his office sometimes. The giant cat loves to be petted, and he has a calming effect on patients who may be a little bit nervous about being at the doctor’s office.  

Fenrir spends most of his time at home, where he knows how to relax and have fun.

“Fen is a big lovable goofus,” Powers told Guinness. “He’s a very silly cat, and loves to play and run around.”  

What does it take to become an astronaut? Some people fly airplanes before they train to fly on spacecraft. That’s exactly what Nicole Mann did. Mann, a NASA astronaut, is a member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes. She’s the first American Indian woman in space.

On October 5, Mann and three other astronauts (one from the United States, one from Japan, and one from Russia) blasted into space. Mann was the commander on the flight from Earth to space. 

The crew traveled to the International Space Station (ISS), where Mann will live for five months. The ISS is a spacecraft that orbits Earth. Astronauts from many countries live on the ISS for months at a time. While there, they do experiments and learn more about space and how to live in space.

“It’s incredible to be in space! Mom, look! I’m finally in space!” Mann said when the ISS crew had a live stream to say hello to people on Earth.