Before astronauts land on Mars, scientists must know everything they can about its inhospitable landscape. While the various exploration vehicles dispatched over the years are providing researchers with invaluable data, the bulky machines are constrained to exploring flat surfaces close to their respective landing sites.
Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter on February 2, 2021 (Credit: Anthony Quintano/ CC BY 2.0/ Wikimedia Commons)
Those hoping for some respite from the powerful nor easter that is currently pummeling the US East Coast and Mid-Atlantic with heavy snow and near-blizzard conditions are in for a disappointment. On February 2, 2021, aka Groundhog Day, legendary woodchuck Punxsutawney Phil observed his shadow. This according to folklore means that the frosty weather will remain with us for an additional six weeks.
The renowned groundhog s annual forecast was whispered into the ears of the members of his inner circle at Gobbler s Knob in the Pennsylvania Wilds. Shortly after the gloomy prediction was conveyed to the over 15,000 fans who tuned in to watch the event online due to the coronavirus pandemic one of Phil s handlers read a second, more uplifting, message from the groundhog. It stated: After winter, you re looking forward to one of the most beautiful
Chinese New Year will be celebrated on February 12, 2021 (Credit: Chinatravel.com)
On February 12, 2021, over a billion people in China and millions worldwide will celebrate the first day of the Chinese New Year. Also known as the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, the exact date of the 15-day commemoration, which marks the end of winter, is determined by the lunar calendar. It falls somewhere between late January to mid-February each year.
The over 3,500-year-old holiday is believed to have begun after some villagers chased away a terrifying monster named Nian with loud noises, fire, and red banners on the eve of the Lunar New Year.
The Super Bowl, the National Football League s championship game, will be played on February 7, 2021 (Credit: NFL.com)
The countdown to Super Bowl LV (55) has begun! On February 7, 2021, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will battle it out for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. The National Football League s (NFL) championship game, which will pit the league s youngest Super Bowl–winning quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, against its most storied quarterback, Tom Brady, has already established numerous records.
For starters, the Buccaneers will be the first NFL team to have a home field advantage in a Super Bowl. Brady will make his own history as the first quarterback to make a 10th Super Bowl appearance. To put it in perspective, that is four times more than the next player on the list. It is also more championship games than the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns
Most single-use plastic items cannot be recycled and end up in landfills (Credit: Plasticfreechallenge.org)
The invention of plastic has been a double-edged sword for humanity. While the cheap, versatile material has made life convenient, it is virtually indestructible and takes centuries to decompose. Since avoiding plastic is impossible, companies worldwide are coming up with innovative ways to repurpose the millions of tons of polymer waste that end up in our landfills annually. Among the latest is California-based TechniSoil Industrial, which has devised an ingenious way to reuse plastic waste to repave roads.
Road resurfacing is an expensive undertaking that starts with using special equipment to extract and grind the topmost 3-to-6 inches of asphalt. Since the recycled material is not strong enough to use on its own, half of it is discarded and replaced with fresh hot asphalt. The combined product is mixed with bitumen a sludge-like petroleum residue that acts as a binding