Poinsettias Have Gone By A Whole Lot Of Names Over Time
Cuetlaxochitl, flor de Noche Buena, poinsettia, estrella federal… here’s the story of a plant with a lot of names.
How To Make 2,000 Year Old Seeds Sprout
Today in 2021, a very long wait was over. Researchers harvested three bunches of dates from trees that had sprouted from seeds over two thousand years old.
Donald Gorske Has Eaten 30,000 Big Macs And He’s Still Going
50 years ago today, a man named Donald Gorske ate a McDonald’s Big Mac. It was the first of over 30,000, and yes, he holds the world record for most Big Macs eaten by a single person.
Mollusk Shells Inspire An “Unbreakable” Glass
Glass is versatile stuff, but fragile. A new project out of McGill University is modeled after the material in mollusk shells and could make glass a lot more durable.
Ora Nichols Took Radio Sound Effects To The Next Level
Today is National Radio Day, so it's a good day to talk about one of the legends of old-time radio: sound effects virtuoso Ora Nichols.
How To Make Protein Powder Out Of Waste Plastic
It's not a direct route, but two researchers have figured out a way to take waste plastic, feed it to special bacteria, and then end up with nutritious protein powder.
Meet The Inventor Of The Christmas Card
In 1843, British civil servant Henry Cole wanted a way to send holiday greetings to friends, colleagues and loved ones without having to write letter after letter. And that's where commercial Christmas cards began.
Kissing Under A Parasite: How Mistletoe Became A Holiday Tradition
For centuries, mistletoe has been a symbol of holiday love, renewal and fertility. Even though it's actually a parasite that steals nutrients from trees.
The Keyboard Made From Plants
A Spanish tech startup called Bioo has built an installation in which plants serve as the keys of a kind of "green piano."
The Friendship Oak Is Over 500 Years Old And Still Going Strong
Today is Arbor Day, and so we’re going to talk about the Friendship Oak, a remarkable tree in Mississippi that just keeps on keeping on.