Curiosity Aroused

Mars is the 2nd smallest planet in the solar system next to Mercury. It’s also the 4th planet from the sun, and the second closest planet to Earth. Mars is approximately half the size of Earth (which is the solar system’s 4th smallest planet) in terms of diameter, 53% to be exact. Of course, when you’re trying to answer the question “how big is mars”, there are a number of ways to arrive at an answer, depending on the measurements you want to look at.

Young Lovers Kissing (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Her emerald green eyes stare into yours as you slip your arm around her waist and pull her in. Your lips approach as if drawn in by an invisible force. As your faces draw close, your heads tilt to the right so your noses and foreheads don’t clunk together, even while your eyes are closing at the same time. At that moment, your lips touch for the first time, and an electric feeling courses through your whole body.

Chicken and Rooster (Photo credit: Wikipedia) “Which came first the chicken or the egg?” is one of the most famous riddles of all time. Its a popular riddle because its such a simple question, yet so baffling. The recent discovery of a rare fossilized dinosaur nest may share some light on this question, according to Francois Therrien, the curator of dinosaur paleoecology at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada.

Yogurt With Fruit (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Yes, yogurt is absolutely good for you! Despite the hype around “giving up dairy”, the truth is that the right yogurt is extremely good for you and you shouldn’t leave it out of your diet. There are many health benefits from reduction of your risk of certain types of colon cancer, to a stronger immune system and much more. And besides, it tastes great!

Water (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Water is the fundamental building block of all known life forms. There are organisms that can survive indefinitely without oxygen, in boiling temperatures, in near absolute zero freezing environments, even in the radioactive vacuum of space - but absolutely nothing can live without water. With our bodies being 65% water, humans are especially vulnerable to dehydration. We constantly lose water through sweat, urine, feces, and even in our breath.

Communist Revolutionary Che Guevara With Cigar (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Cuban cigars have a long reputation as the finest cigars money can buy. Cigar aficionados around the world have been enjoying them for many decades. But why are Cuban cigars illegal in the United States? The answer to this question dates back to February of 1962 during the height of the Cold War, when President John F. Kennedy established a trade embargo against Cuba as a sanction against Castro’s communist regime.

Soaring 29,029 feet (8,848 meters) above the majestic Himalayas, Mount Everest is the highest mountain on earth. Often referred to as the “roof of the world”, Mt Everest’s location straddles the borders of Nepal and China. Mt Everest From The Air (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Climbing Mount Everest Being the tallest mountain in the world, Mt. Everest attracts both seasoned and novice climbers. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay (Photo credit: Wikipedia) But making the climb is no easy feat - sudden weather changes, extreme cold and wind, falls, avalanches, and life-threatening altitude sickness all make the climb extremely perilous, despite major advances in climbing technology.

Every night your conscious mind shuts down and every morning you wake up, ready for a brand new day. But while the conscious part of your mind shuts down, your brain remains very much active throughout the night. Part of this brain activity generates what can sometimes be extremely vivid and even haunting images during the rapid-eye movement (REM) stage of sleep - what we know as dreams and nightmares.

For the past decade, the internet has been swirling with rumors and anecdotes linking routine vaccinations with devastating illnesses, especially autism. Some have even claimed that routine vaccinations are responsible for HIV. Smallpox Vaccine (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The National Committee on Quality Assurance – a nonprofit that tracks the quality of health care – has reported that the number of children being properly immunized while on private healthcare plans declined by 3.

At one time, volcanic eruptions were thought to be a punishment from the Gods. Nowadays, we know volcanic eruptions are a result of glowing hot magma being forced up from the mantle through vents in the earth’s crust. Of course, that doesn’t make their explosive effects any less devastating. Here is a list of volcanoes most likely to erupt and wreak tragedy on surrounding communities and the environment at large: