A Young Bird-Lover's Opportune Shot
Like any good bird-lover, Gabriel Gottfried knew what to do when he spied the huge creature perched on a tree branch outside his Topanga Canyon home. He grabbed his camera to document what experts say may be the first California condor to fly the canyon's skies in more than 100 years. The action photo of the elusive bird taking wing was remarkable enough. But perhaps not as remarkable as the fact ... posted on Nov 11 2006, 2,466 reads

Cloud Appreciation Society
As a child, Gavin Pretor-Pinney loved to watch the clouds -- a fascination that lasted well into adulthood. Two years ago, Gavin founded the unexpectedly popular Cloud Appreciation Society, an online community which now has 5,000 members from 39 countries. At one point, it was receiving more than 7 million hits a month! The site houses photographs of beautiful cloud formations from all over the wo... posted on Nov 04 2006, 1,950 reads

Putting Our World In Perspective
The magnititude of the world can be overwhelming. How massive is the number of impoverished people? What percentage of the overall population lives in urban areas? How vast is the threat of AIDS? It's hard to put things in perspective when the numbers are so large. The Miniature Earth gives a clear vista by reducing the global population to only 100, while keeping statistics the same. The effect e... posted on Nov 03 2006, 2,674 reads

The Compassion of Elephants
Grace, of a family of elephants that researchers call the Virtues, touches the ailing Eleanor, the matriarch of the First Ladies family, who has fallen in Kenya's Samburu National Reserve on October 10, 2003. Grace will soon push Eleanor back to her feet, though the ailing elephant's resurgence will be short-lived. Elephants show compassionate behavior to others in distress, even to elephants not ... posted on Oct 09 2006, 2,998 reads

Philippines Set to Break Tree Record
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo took part this Friday in a massive tree-planting campaign aimed at improving air quality in the Philippines while breaking a world record. Experts say at least 10 trees are needed to absorb the carbon emissions of a single motor vehicle.The "Green Philippine Highways" project initially aimed to simultaneously plant 500,000 trees on 2,137 miles of road across the ... posted on Sep 03 2006, 1,586 reads

Reading the Animal Mind
Dr. Temple Grandin is convinced that she experiences the world much as an animal does because of her autism. Grandin has a legendary ability to read the animal mind and understand animal behaviour when no one else can. Best-known for convincing McDonalds to work with more humane slaughterhouses, this animal scientist/writer/professor and arguably the most famous and accomplished autistic person i... posted on Aug 25 2006, 2,379 reads

Mozart Soothes Aching Elephant
Suma, a 45-year-old elephant and long-time resident of the Zagreb Zoo, was bereaved and inconsolable after her pachyderm partner of tens of years died of cancer. Until, of course, she heard Mozart. At the sight of five musicians preparing themselves to start a concert, Suma became very nervous and aggressive, peppering the intruders with little stones that she blew out of her trunk. "But as soo... posted on Jul 27 2006, 2,458 reads

How To Grow A Chair
It’s called arborsculpture, and Richard Reames has been doing it for years. He plants trees in patterns, and uses bending and grafting techniques to form the saplings into benches, staircases, sculptures, and an assortment of other amazing living things. After decades of studying trees, his latest project is to build a village of living tree houses with living furniture, in Japan. He adds, "Th... posted on Jul 24 2006, 3,380 reads

The Abbot and 18 Tigers
Thirty years ago he was diagnosed with leukemia. Convinced that he had just a short time to live he made the decision to become a Buddhist monk. Today Abbot Archan Poosit is not just alive -- he is saving lives -- the lives of over a dozen tigers in the jungles of Thailand. He and his monastery are the caretakers of 18 tigers that were brought to him after being abused by poachers. They took them... posted on Jul 01 2006, 2,891 reads

Japan Dresses Casual To Save Energy
People in Japan have thrown off their ties and stuffy suits this summer in a bid to save energy! The government has asked workers to dress lightly and set the temperature of their air-conditioned offices at no lower than 28 degrees Celsius. The first 'Cool Biz' drive in 2005 helped cut carbon dioxide emissions by 460,000 tonnes -- equivalent to the combined emissions from one million Japanese hous... posted on Jun 06 2006, 1,829 reads