Earth Day 2024: Planet vs. Plastics

An annual event, celebrated each April 22nd, promoting environmental protection.

The harmful effects of plastic waste on the environment and human health.

Plastic items designed for a single use and then discarded.

The production of clothing in a fast-paced manner that contributes to plastic pollution.

A global organization advocating for environmental protection and action.

An international treaty on climate change aiming to limit global warming.

The Earth Day Network's aim to decrease plastic production by 60% by the year 2040.

Legislation like the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act that protect the environment.

A sudden, dramatic increase in brightness of a star, usually seen in binary star systems with a red giant and white dwarf.

A system of two stars orbiting a common center of mass.

A large, old star that has exhausted the hydrogen in its core.

A small, dense star that is the leftover core of a star that has shed its outer layers.

A binary star system known for its periodic nova outbursts, located 3,000 light-years from Earth.

A sudden shaking of the ground caused by the movement of tectonic plates.

A horseshoe-shaped area on the edge of the Pacific plate where most earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

A sailing race where participants sail around the world without stops.

A measure of the strength of an earthquake.

Large pieces of the Earth's crust and upper mantle that are constantly moving.

Earthquakes.

Measures and actions taken to prepare for and protect against earthquakes.

Regulations that dictate how buildings should be constructed to withstand earthquakes.

The downward movement of rock and soil due to gravity.

An event in which the moon passes between the sun and the earth, blocking the sun's light.

A noteworthy occurrence in the universe.

A sailor who competed in a race, notable for being the smallest and lightest participant.

The name of the sailing vessel used by the sailor in the challenge.

A notoriously difficult and challenging point while sailing around South America.

Chimpanzees using strategies to protect or expand territories, similar to human military methods.

Chimpanzees regularly checking the borders of their territories.

Chimpanzees using high elevations to observe rivals and assess conflicts.

A historical sketch depicting a scene from the American Revolutionary War, discovered after a long time.

The sketch's importance in providing a potential eyewitness account.

Military representing the Thirteen Colonies during the Revolutionary War.

A drawing potentially created by someone who witnessed the event.

Expert who studies and cares for museum or art gallery collections.

Chimpanzee behavior that resembles military strategies to defend or expand territory.

Using satellites for communication, allowing the sailor to connect with family and share experiences.

Career choice focused on sailing competitions and expeditions.

Male and female crab spiders in a rainforest in China disguise themselves as a single flower to blend into the environment.

An adaptation where both participants in a species come together to create a convincing camouflage, improving survivorship.

A massive ichthyosaur species, Ichthyotitan severnensis, discovered by a father-daughter fossil-hunting team.

Non-professional scientists who study fossils.

A type of extinct marine reptile resembling dolphins/whales, from the Triassic and Jurassic periods.

A unit of Continental troops from North Carolina.

Soldiers in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Swiss artist known for his Revolutionary War sketches, artist of the North Carolina Brigade sketch.

A significant Revolutionary War battle.

Women who supported the soldiers in the Continental Army with essential services like cooking, chores and healthcare.

Estimated length of the newly discovered Ichthyotitan severnensis ichthyosaur.

Justin Reynolds and his daughter, Ruby, a father-daughter paleontologist team, who discovered the massive ichthyosaur fossil, listed as co-authors.

These insects spend most of their lives underground and only emerge every 13 or 17 years to reproduce and die shortly after.

Cicadas emerge every 13 or 17 years, which are prime numbers, making it harder for predators with shorter lifespans to synchronize with their emergence.

A group of cicadas that emerge simultaneously after a specific number of years.

Female cicadas can damage young trees when they lay their eggs, causing the branches to wilt.

A dynamic urban dance style that features intricate footwork, rapid movements, and impressive spins and flips.

The 2024 Olympics will feature surfing events held in Tahiti, a South Pacific island.

Skateboarders can choose to compete in either park or street, with different challenges and scoring criteria.

Sport climbing consists of three events: bouldering, speed climbing, and lead climbing, each with its unique challenges.

A type of rock climbing where athletes scale 4.5-meter-high walls without ropes, aiming to complete the climb in the fewest attempts.

Competitors race against the clock to climb a wall rapidly and with precision.

Athletes have six minutes to climb as high as possible on a 15-meter wall.

Since 2020, host cities have the option to add up to six new sports to their Olympic program.

The first time a sport is included in the Olympic Games.

Breaking, surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing all involve judging based on specific criteria like style, tricks, and technique.

The Summer Olympics are constantly evolving, adding new sports and adapting to the times.

In Paris, speed climbing will be a separate event, not combined with bouldering and lead climbing, unlike in Tokyo.

A Sumatran orangutan who used a medicinal plant to treat his cheek wound, demonstrating self-medication.

A tropical vine with healing properties used by Rakus to treat his wound.

Rakus rarely eats liana, so his deliberate use for wound treatment suggested a purposeful and possibly learned behavior.

The ability of animals to select and apply remedies for illnesses or injuries, often using natural resources.

Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered due to habitat loss and poaching, with only about 14,600 left in the wild.

A region in the central US, including parts of Texas to Ohio, prone to frequent and severe tornadoes.

A powerful rotating thunderstorm that can produce tornadoes, formed when cold and warm air masses collide.

Tornadoes form when warm, moist air rises in a spinning thunderstorm, creating a low-pressure area that sucks in more air.

The US experiences about 1,200 tornadoes annually, with most occurring from March to July, peaking in April.

A powerful tornado with wind speeds between 166 mph and 200 mph, capable of causing significant damage.

A town severely hit by an EF-4 tornado in April 2024, resulting in one fatality and extensive damage.

A town that experienced significant damage from a strong tornado in April 2024, destroying homes and structures.

Three tornadoes struck Tallahassee, Florida in May 2024, causing damage to buildings, trees, and power lines.

The year 2011 holds the record for the most tornadoes in the US, with 1,287 occurring by May 7th.

A proposed self-sufficient floating city designed to accommodate 10,000 residents and 40,000 visitors, with features like food production facilities, schools, hospitals, and even a rocket launch pad.

A data center that uses cold seawater to cool its servers, reducing energy consumption and environmental impact.

The city will use advanced technology to cultivate food using seawater, increasing local food production and minimizing resource dependence.

An existing self-sustaining floating community in the Netherlands, featuring 46 homes across 30 water plots.

Vaccines designed to target and kill cancer cells specific to an individual's unique cancer characteristics.

They utilize the body's immune system by training it to recognize and destroy specific cancer cells using personalized protein components extracted from the individual's cancer.

A groundbreaking entertainment venue in Las Vegas featuring a massive LED screen, advanced audio system, and immersive experiences.

It has a giant LED screen, a sophisticated audio system with thousands of speakers, and seats equipped with technology to enhance the audience's experience.

An interactive program offered at Sphere, hosted by humanoid robots, showcasing the venue's cutting-edge features and ending with a sci-fi film.

An annual event held in Gloucestershire, England, where participants race down a hill chasing a round cheese.

This event involves participants literally chasing a rolling cheese down a hill, creating a chaotic and entertaining spectacle.

A prestigious award in cancer research given to Dr. Catherine Wu for her breakthrough work on personalized cancer vaccines.

A bizarre British tradition where participants chase a rolling wheel of cheese down a steep hill.

The location of the annual cheese-rolling race in Gloucestershire, England.

Races held after the downhill cheese-rolling, where participants climb back up Cooper's Hill.

A female cheese-rolling competitor who has won the race down Cooper's Hill twice.

The first female president of Mexico, elected in 2024.

Claudia Sheinbaum's profession before becoming president. She studies climate and energy engineering.

Sheinbaum's goal to reduce Mexico's reliance on fossil fuels by 50% in 6 years.

A Chinese lunar probe that brought back soil samples from the Moon's far side in 2024.

The largest and oldest impact crater on the Moon, where Chang'e 6 landed.

Rocks and dirt from the Moon collected by the Chang'e 6 probe.

The first time a national flag was planted on the Moon's far side.

A type of volcanic rock used to make the Chang'e 6 flag.

A space mission where a spacecraft brings back material from another celestial body.

The path around the Moon that the Chang'e 6 orbiter traveled.

The landing site for the Chang'e 6 capsule carrying lunar samples.

Wildfires that smolder underground, often for months, due to dry peat and other organic matter. They can reignite during warmer months, causing damage and evacuations.

Another name for zombie fires, referring to the fact that they can persist through winter and re-emerge later.

A third name for zombie fires, highlighting how they survive the winter months.

Zombie fires reignite when the ground warms up, either from natural weather changes or human activities like controlled burns.

Canada's 3-year drought has made the vegetation drier, fueling the underground fires. Less snow than usual also allows them to survive.

No, zombie fires occur annually in places like Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. But the recent drought has led to a significant increase in their number this year.

Zombie fires are difficult to detect because they burn underground, mostly without flames. They often occur in remote areas, making access difficult.

The loud, explosive sound that occurs when an object travels faster than the speed of sound (supersonic).

A NASA mission to develop aircraft that can fly at supersonic speeds without creating a disruptive sonic boom.

The X-59 is a prototype supersonic aircraft designed by NASA to fly quieter than other supersonic planes, aiming to overcome the problems of sonic booms.

The X-59's unique design, with a long, pointed nose and a relocated engine, helps break up and redirect shock waves, reducing the sonic boom's intensity.

The plane's long nose breaks up the shock waves created by supersonic flight, and the relocated engine directs noise away from the ground.

The X-59 could pave the way for more efficient supersonic transport, both for passengers and cargo, by making supersonic flight quieter and potentially less restrictive.

Dogen City aims to provide a safe and sustainable home for people in the face of rising sea levels and other environmental challenges.

Elephants use specific vocalizations, or 'rumbles', to address individual elephants, suggesting they might have unique names for each other.

Low-frequency elephant calls that are difficult for humans to decipher but can be analyzed by machine learning to identify the intended recipient.

Using computer algorithms to analyze audio data and identify patterns in elephant vocalizations.

Elephants likely use names to communicate over long distances or when calling out to their calves.

The restored beach of the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum, buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

The restored beach allows visitors to experience the ancient city from the perspective of Roman citizens, providing a unique historical immersion.

An ancient Roman city known for its mild weather, making it a popular holiday destination for Rome's wealthy families.

The ancient city of Herculaneum remained buried under volcanic ash for centuries until its accidental discovery in 1709.

The remains of over 300 skeletons found in Herculaneum offer insights into the lives and deaths of its inhabitants during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Florida carpenter ants perform life-saving surgeries on their injured nestmates, removing damaged limbs to prevent infection.

Unlike some other ant species, Florida carpenter ants lack glands that produce antimicrobial substances to treat infections.

Ants 'doctors' clean wounds using their mouths and remove damaged limbs, depending on the severity of the injury.

Florida carpenter ants live in rotting wood and often suffer injuries while defending their homes from rivals. These injuries are vulnerable to infection.

Carpenter ants demonstrate remarkable social behavior, including life-saving surgery, which highlights their complex social organization and cooperation.

Ants perform surgical amputations on injured companions to prevent infections, removing a leg at the femur to stop the spread of bacteria in the hemolymph (blood).

For less severe tibia injuries, ants rely on cleaning the wound with a lick to remove bacteria, a simpler treatment compared to amputation.

The flow of hemolymph (ant blood) is slower in the femur due to muscle tissue, giving ants time to amputate. In the tibia, faster flow requires quick cleaning.

Ants have a remarkable medical system where they diagnose, treat, and monitor wounds over time, rivaling human medical practices.

The 2,492-carat diamond discovered in Botswana is the second largest ever, only smaller than the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond.

This mine in Botswana is famous for producing huge diamonds, including the 2,492-carat diamond and the 1,758-carat Sewelô diamond.

Massive diamonds like the 2,492-carat one are expected to fetch tens of millions of dollars, and are usually cut into smaller gems for various purposes.

The largest diamond ever found, the 3,106-carat Cullinan, was discovered in South Africa, and was divided into nine larger gems and numerous smaller ones.

Two of the largest gems cut from the Cullinan diamond are part of the British Crown Jewels: The 530-carat Cullinan 1 in the Sceptre and the 317-carat Cullinan II in the Imperial State Crown.

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, designed to transport astronauts to and from the ISS, experienced some technical issues during its test flight, prompting NASA's decision to return it uncrewed.

The Starliner's eight-day mission was to test its safety and capabilities for transporting astronauts to and from the ISS, but its return was deemed too risky due to technical concerns.

Wilmore and Williams, the Starliner crew, will return to Earth using the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft instead of the Starliner, due to NASA's safety concerns.

Wilmore and Williams will stay at the ISS until February 2025, becoming full-time crew members, as the SpaceX Dragon is now carrying two new astronauts for their initial mission.

Host cities for the Olympics can add up to six new sports to their program, illustrating the constant evolution of the games.

The side of the Moon that always faces away from Earth, known for its rugged terrain and lack of large, dark maria.

A series of Chinese lunar exploration missions, aiming to study the Moon's surface, search for resources, and prepare for future human exploration.

A region on the Moon considered a prime target for future human missions due to the potential presence of water ice and valuable resources.

A gymnast who competed for the US men's team at the 2024 Olympics, known for his incredible performance on the still rings and high bar.

Nicknamed given to Stephen Nedoroscik, a US gymnast known for his excellence on the pommel horse, winning bronze medals in both team and individual events.

An ongoing archaeological project at George Washington's home in Virginia, aimed at understanding the history of the Washington family and the enslaved community.

Fruits like cherries and berries found preserved in bottles dating back to the 18th century, discovered during Mount Vernon excavation.

The ability of elephants to call each other by distinct names, possibly using unique calls to identify individuals.

The ability of animals to choose and use remedies for illnesses or injuries, often from natural resources, similar to how humans use medicine.