The Great Oak Tree

The branches swing The leaves sway The roots stand their ground Through night and day The wisdom beneath The great oak Is one so powerful It's never been spoke The light the tree gives Brings joy to us all We play every day Like it will never fall But soon comes along The heavy blade Goodbye Great Oak How I'll miss your shade

The $144,000 Super Mario!

“It’s a-me, Mario!” This iconic catchphrase can only point to one character—Mario, the Plumber Hero. In the well-liked Super Mario Bros. video games, players follow this protagonist’s travels. Recognized as the most popular franchise, Super Mario Bros. continues to break records years after its publication. Recently, a 1985 cartridge of Super Mario Bros. sold for a whopping $140,000!. What makes this copy so special? The game was in its original packaging, which is attractive to many bidders. The Super Mario Bros. games also evoke nostalgia in collectors who are in their 30s and 40s and have...

A Teen's Story Of Courage

The government of India issued a lockdown in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, millions of people lost their jobs, including Mohan Paswan— the father of 15-year-old Jyoti Kumari. They had no money for food and rent, so the landlord cut off their electricity and threatened to kick them out. Kumari and her father’s only hope was to return to their home village in Bihar, which was more than 700 miles away. Even though there were special trains for migrants who wished to return home, Paswan was not able to walk to the railway station due to an injury from a traffic accident. Out of...

What Does Depression Feel Like?

Sad, depressed, hopeless, heartbroken, lost, alone, desperate, needy, useless, unlucky, mad, cranky, unhappy, upset … yearning for help, craving for acceptance, desperate to be happy. This is how depression feels. I know because I’ve suffered from it. You feel like your brain has incurable cancer, part of your brain is taking over, and there’s nothing you can do about it I am not alone. Surprisingly, one out of five kids has experienced depression, and 10% to 15% of teens suffer symptoms of depression at any given time. In fact, 50% of all types of mental illness start at age 14 according to...

Copy-Pasting the Genome: Part 2

[Continued from Part 1 here ] In the previous part, we looked at cloning, how it is done, and Dolly the sheep -- the first mammal to be cloned. There are arguments about the ethical and potential dangers of genetic cloning. Most of these conflicts stem from (apologies for the pun!) the origins of embryonic stem cells. Embryonic Stem Cells A common method for acquiring the embryonic stem cells is to extract material from the inner cell mass (mass of cells inside the embryo that later differentiates to form different organs) and culture it. Unfortunately, it destroys the embryo, and hence his...

The Treasure Hunt Is Over!

Who would have thought treasure hunting still exists in the modern-day? Forest Fenn, a millionaire art dealer, captured the attention of treasure hunters, sending them on a chase. He gave treasure hunters only two clues: a poem and a map in his autobiography, Thrill of The Chase. Fen claimed the treasure chest contained $1–2 million worth of gold nuggets, gems, and antiques. Thousands of hunters started out on their adventure, hoping to stumble upon the fortune that would change their lives. They searched day and night, only to leave empty-handed. Many quit their jobs or emptied their bank...

Rare Javan Rhino Caught On Camera

Animals are undoubtedly one of the most unique and diverse species on our planet. However, many species, including the Javan rhino, are critically endangered. Recently, a video posted by Indonesia’s environment minister, Siti Nurbaya Baker, captured one of these rare Javan rhinos happily rolling around the muddy base of a waterfall. This footage provides a glimpse into the life of this wonderful but rare species. Let's look at Javan rhinos and why they are endangered. A Keystone Species Javan rhinos are the most threatened of the five main rhino species, with only 39 males and 33 females left...

Diego the Tortoise Has Retired!

Not all superheroes wear capes. Instead, Diego the Tortoise sports his mighty shell. But cape or no cape, he still managed to save his entire species from extinction! Diego is a Hood Island giant tortoise who, beginning in 1976, fathered roughly 900 tortoise babies as part of a breeding program to save his species. At the time, there were only 15 known Hood Island tortoises left. Because of Diego’s efforts, that number is now more than 2000 in the wild. After spending decades in the breeding program, Diego retired in June 2020 and has been released back into the wild, where he can live out...

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