Bruce is a kea - a clever kind of parrot found in New Zealand. Bruce lost the top part of his beak when he was young. But his creative solutions to the problems caused by his missing beak have surprised scientists more than once.
Published in “News Bag”
In January of 2022, a massive volcano erupted under the ocean near Tonga. The eruption released huge amounts of methane - a dangerous greenhouse gas. Now scientists have discovered that the volcano's ash cloud also removed a lot of methane. The discovery could lead to new ways to fight global warming.
Scientists have reported a surprising sight in the Democratic Republic of Congo - thousands of tiny fish climbing UP a tall waterfall. The fish use special fins to climb the rock wall behind the waterfall. The scientists say knowing about the unusual activity may be important for protecting the fish.
In early May, Rachel Entrekin won the Cocodona 250, an incredibly challenging 250-mile running race. She wasn't just the first woman across the finish line. She beat the first man by over an hour, and broke the race record by almost two hours.
Kirsty Waugh is a 12-year-old English girl who is fighting a brain tumor. She has raised lots of money for research into brain tumors in children and she wants to raise lots more. To help with that project, she's gotten thousands of people who share her name to help out.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered that rice seeds that "hear" the sound of raindrops seem to sprout faster than those that do not. The study is the first to suggest that seeds can sense sound, and use the information to help them "decide" when to sprout.
Mattel, the company that makes Barbie dolls, has released a new Barbie designed to represent people who have autism. The doll is meant to help autistic people see themselves represented in a popular children's toy. The doll could also help others understand some of the ways autistic people may experience the world.
Recently, two different groups of scientists released research results looking into some very well known sounds. One group studied the whinnies of horses. The other studied squeaking sneakers. Both research projects revealed surprising explanations behind these ordinary sounds.
Last September, Albania introduced Diella, the world's first "government minister" powered by Artificial Intelligence. Diella was meant to help fight corruption. But now there are questions about Diella itself. And the woman whose face and voice are behind Diella is suing the government.
When Jude Owens was 2, he fell in love with playing snooker, a game similar to pool. He got so good at it that now, at age 3, he holds two world records for being the youngest person to complete certain snooker trick shots. And he's only getting started.
Denmark's government-run postal service will stop carrying letters at the end of this year. The move is in response to a huge drop in the number of letters being sent. Many postal services around the world are struggling, and some people think Denmark won't be the only country to stop delivering letters.