STEM

Search engines are good for finding information on almost anything but you often end up with too much information. Making your own is good for finding the answers you want. Learn how to make a personal search engine or just copy and paste the code into a webpage.

Earwax is made by the lining of the ear canal and has important functions. An adequate amount of wax is necessary, but too much can lead to impaction and pain.

The human skeleton has vital functions. It provides support and protection, allows us to move, makes blood cells, and stores fatty acids and minerals.

Have you ever seen faces in random objects or in clouds? Read on to find out why.

Serendipity is a happy and unexpected event that seems to occur by chance. It's often called a “lucky accident”. Serendipitous discoveries are important in science.

Komodo, bearded, and frilled dragons are lizards. They are impressive reptiles. They have features that remind people of the dragons of myth and literature.

Learn some facts about common songbirds of Pennsylvania and view pictures to help you identify and attract the birds in your backyard.

The Tasmanian devil is an endangered animal whose population is decreasing. The main reason for the decrease is devil facial tumor disease. Immunotherapy may one day be used to treat the condition.

A guide to the best places in the world to see wild tigers, such as Bengal tigers in India's national parks or Sumatran tigers in Indonesia.

Shoebill storks, or shoebills, have a huge and impressive bill. The animal's unusual features make it a unique bird. Its population has been classified in the "Vulnerable" category of the IUCN's Red List.

Pacific white-sided dolphins are intelligent and very social animals. This article describes the lives of the wild dolphins and of some rescued animals in captivity.

Understanding the structure of the Universe seems impossible. But through clever science and surprising math, a pattern emerges: The Cosmic Web.

The great horned owl is an avian apex predator. Possibly this bird is the finest predator to have ever lived.

The bunya pine produces huge and often very heavy cones. Its large seeds are both edible and tasty. The tree has a strange appearance and some unusual features.

The Surinam toad has a strange, flattened body. During reproduction, the female’s skin absorbs the fertilized eggs and the young toads develop under her skin.

Some physicists are positing the idea that the Universe may be aware of its own existence.

Birds are among the most beautiful creatures on Earth. They're also some of the weirdest! Check out these crazy-but-true interesting and fun facts about our feathered friends...you'll be amazed!

Some chemicals in fungi can act as medicines for humans. Three of these chemicals are penicillin, lovastatin, and cyclosporine. Lentinan and eritadenine may also be medicinal.

Crows and ravens are similar, but definitely not the same. It's easy to tell them apart once you learn to spot these distinct differences. A side-by-side comparison of American Crows and Common Ravens.

Elizabeth Kolbert's "The Sixth Extinction" won the 2015 Pulitzer for non-fiction, deservedly, for its blend of places, people, creatures and science. Get the gist in this lavishly illustrated Hub.

In winter, the Narcisse Snake Dens contain the world's largest concentration of red-sided garter snakes. The snakes are non-venomous and are sometimes kept as pets.

Cinnabar is a beautiful but toxic red mineral made of mercury (ll) sulfide. It’s used as a source of mercury and to make an artist's pigment called vermilion.

The dragon blood tree of Socotra Island has an unusual appearance. It secretes a red resin known as dragon's blood when its bark is injured. The resin is used in many ways. The island is home to other fascinating and often unique organisms besides the tree.

Black holes, mysterious objects of the universe, have many different types. Do you know the differences between them all?

Cone snails use their venom to paralyze their prey. Although the venom is often dangerous for humans, it contains chemicals that have important medical uses.

Mole and worm lizards are very unusual reptiles. They have elongated bodies that resemble those of earthworms and have one pair of legs or none at all.

The Columbian ground squirrel is an interesting animal that is very entertaining to watch. A large population can be found in Manning Park, British Columbia.

Dark matter and dark energy are still huge mysteries in astrophysics. Alternate theories exist to help explain them.

North America is home to six species of wildcats. Learn more about the wildcats of North America with pictures and videos.

Exciting disciplines that combine biology and math include biostatistics, epidemiology, bioinformatics, mathematical biology, and population ecology. The disciplines offer interesting careers.

The common raven is an intelligent and interesting bird that plays an important role in folklore. The bird is found in many countries and habitats.

The mucus that covers fish has several functions, including protection from multiple dangers and serving as food for young fish. The substance may also be useful for us.

Inky cap mushrooms such as shaggy manes become a black, inky liquid in order to disperse their spores. Some contain coprine, which increases the unpleasant effects of alcohol intake.

Sardines and herring are nutritious foods. The behaviour of the living fish is interesting to study. They live in groups and communicate with their companions.

Narwhals are strange and fascinating Arctic whales. The males—and sometimes the females—have a very long tooth that grows through their lip, forming a tusk.

This guide explains everything you need to know about circles, including calculation of area, segment area, sector area, length of an arc, radians, sine and cosine.

Wild relatives of some major agricultural crops are in trouble. We need the genetic diversity in wild crops and the lower diversity present in cultivated ones to provide food security for the future.

This guide to identifying 21 beetle types is easy to use and accurate. Find out if your beetle is rare, if it might be a pest, and more.

The large or Malayan flying fox is one of the world's largest bats and has a wingspan of up to six feet. Its population is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

How many cats fit into the trunk of a Honda Civic....and other fun math problems involving our favorite feline friends

The Malayan tapir is an unusual animal with an extensible and mobile proboscis, or mini-trunk. Despite its size and bulk, this endangered animal can move fast.

Michael Faraday, the son of an 18th Century blacksmith, became one of the greatest scientists of his age. One of his discoveries transformed the world and changed the way we live forever.

Pygmy seahorses are tiny animals that are often less than an inch in length. Some have amazing features that disguise them and protect them from discovery.

Antibiotic resistance is becoming a very serious problem. Phage therapy—treatment with viruses that attack bacteria—may be the solution.

Lichens are interesting organisms that are important in their environment and useful for humans. Some produce chemicals that are potentially dangerous for us, however.

Earwigs have a fearsome image but aren't dangerous. They sometimes become garden pests. Natural control methods can be very helpful in dealing with the insects.

What different species of animals can interbreed and how is it possible? From mules to ligers learn all about hybrids in this comprehensive article.

Hydrochloric acid is made in the stomach and is a very helpful chemical. Too much or too little acid or acid in the wrong place can cause problems, however.

Stages in the Life Cycle of Stars - From protostars to white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes and supernovae. The stages in stellar evolution are described.

Although human blood is usually red it may have a different color, which indicates the presence of a health problem. Animals have a wide variety of blood colors.

In the search for dark matter, many different possibilities exist. One of these is axions, and their potential is real.

An easy, photo-rich guide to identifying stinging caterpillars

Lobsters are interesting animals to observe and study in a natural setting. They are popular food items, but the way in which we kill them is controversial.

Covering bases and exponents, laws of exponents. log to the base 10, natural logs, rules of logs, working out logs on a calculator, graphs of log functions, log scales and using logs to perform multiplication.

Osteoblasts and osteoclasts control the production and disintegration of bone and the amount of calcium released from the bones into the bloodstream.

African civets are interesting animals with some unusual characteristics. They are kept in captivity on civet farms so that their musk can be collected.

Land subsidence caused by groundwater withdrawal poses a significant threat to governments, businesses, and the general public.

Bees play a very important role in pollinating flowers, but the insects are disappearing. Pesticides may be at least partly responsible for this disappearance.

The monkey puzzle tree is a very strange and interesting plant. It's native to South America but grows in parks and gardens in other areas as an introduced plant.

Identify that furry or fuzzy caterpillar you found with the help of this quick, easy, and authoritative guide.

Dandelions have culinary benefits and also produce a latex that can be used to make rubber. This is important, since the supply of natural rubber is decreasing.

Ever wondered how many M&M's can fit in a container?

This is the third page in a series of guides for anyone who wants to learn a little more about our night sky. This page looks at those most numerous of all objects visible in the night sky - the stars

Tomatoes are nutritious fruits (or vegetables) with an interesting history, but they often lack flavor compared to tomatoes of the past. A discovery by scientists should be helpful in creating tastier fruits. Some strategies for obtaining tomatoes with a better taste already exist.

A look into space travel for the proliferation of the human race.

Many people struggle to tell these two reptiles apart, but it isn't that difficult when you know what to look for. What is the difference between alligators and crocodiles? Well, there are essentially 8 main ways to tell them apart...

Parasites are everywhere. They live on your skin, in your hair and even inside you! Some are harmless, many are necessary for health, and a few are DEADLY. Let's find out more about crazy PARASITES...

Honey bees are very smart despite having tiny brains. They can learn; they have good memories, and they can communicate using a unique symbolic language.

Bumble bees have surprisingly capable brains. They can play a simple version of soccer and pull a string to get a reward. They may even experience optimism.

Chloroform can act an anesthetic, but it’s toxic and causes serious health problems. There are ways to limit our exposure to the chloroform in the environment.

Sickle cell disease is painful for sufferers and can sometimes be dangerous. Genome editing may one day correct the mutation that causes the disorder.

The Mariana Trench is the deepest place in the ocean and contains some fascinating animals. NOAA has made some exciting discoveries about life in the trench.

The rainbow eucalyptus is an unusual tree with a beautiful, multicoloured trunk. The trunk's colours change as the tree sheds strips of bark, creating living art.

Proteins in the body have essential jobs. They enable us to move, transport materials and signals, control chemical reactions, stop bleeding, and fight infections.

Rapamycin increases lifespan in mice, apparently by inhibiting a protein called mTOR. It may do the same in dogs and possibly in humans. It's currently being tested in pet dogs.

The frilled shark is a strange, deep-sea fish with a wide head, a huge mouth, and a long, eel-like body. Its population size is unknown. The fish is caught as bycatch in some areas, which is a concern.

Irises are beautiful flowers that have a wide variety of colours. Some are used to make orris root, which has a lovely scent but can cause an allergic response.

When Elon Musk has a vision, the whole world needs to sit up and take notice. His habit of taking a dream and turning into a reality is indisputable.

Cockroaches. They may be icky but they've got a lot of tricks up their hard little sleeves and you might be shocked to know what they're capable of and where they came from. Turn your repulsion to fascination right here with one click. I dare you.

Parkinson's disease is caused by the death of brain cells that produce dopamine. Stem cell technology may provide a more effective treatment than current methods.

Learn interesting facts about the behavior of the blue jay, view pictures, and learn how to keep this bully away from your bird feeder.

Although cockroaches are often seen as disgusting creatures, there are a lot of fascinating truths and fun facts you still don't know about them. Learn more about this amazing creature here.

Horsehair worms are long and slender animals that writhe and form shapes resembling knots with their body. They are parasites during part of their life cycle and at one point control the behaviour of their host.

Acanthamoeba is a microscopic, single-celled organism that can infect the cornea of the eye. It causes a disorder called Acanthamoeba keratitis, which is most common in contact lens users.

Fishing cats are wild animals that feed primarily on fish and are at ease in water. Unfortunately, their population is in trouble due to habitat destruction.

Formic acid is found in the sprayed venom of some ants and the secretions of some stinging nettles. The acid is dangerous at high concentrations but has important uses.

The longhorned tick is native to East Asia and has been introduced to the United States. In some parts of the world, it transmits microbes that cause disease in humans. Its population is increasing in the U.S. It hasn't caused health problems in the country yet but is being monitored carefully.

I am in awe of our world of nature, particularly the tree kingdom. Visit any local arboretum and just experience them and you will think twice about the legacy you leave. Don't litter, be kind to the earth and appreciate what you have.

Hair color is primarily genetic, and red hair is caused by mutations in the MC1R gene. The gene for red hair also causes an increased sensitivity to sunlight and a reduced sensitivity to anesthesia. Contrary to internet rumors, redheads are not going extinct! Famous redheads include Queen Elizabeth I and Malcolm X.

Science has proven that redheads are physically unique among all other people. Find out why, historically, some people thought they were evil, while others thought they held magical powers.

NASA and SpaceX plan to colonize Mars within the 21st century. They are preparing ships, cargo, and crew for an intergalactic voyage mid-2030. Here is everything you need to know about living on Mars.

Solving triangles using Pythagoras's theorem, the cosine rule, the sine rule and various ways of calculating the area of a triangle.

The Himalayan blackberry is a beautiful plant in spring and summer. It produces delicious blackberries, but it's an invasive species and grows aggressively.

We now know that water is definitely on the moon, but how did it get there?

Coral bleaching is an event in which corals lose their pigment and main source of food. It often causes corals to die. Oxybenzone in sunscreens may contribute to coral bleaching.

See pictures to help you identify the male and female Rose-breasted Grosbeak, plus learn facts about its migration and behavior.

The fossa is the largest predator in Madagascar. It's an agile tree climber and a very capable hunter. Its population is threatened by the destruction of its habitat.

The concept of emptiness in physics is enormous. There is mostly physical nothingness in the entire universe. Follow along with me as I explain this.

Because caffeine is a substance used by the young and old in every country and on every continent, it affects billions.

This guide is for beginners. I’ll walk you through the installation process so that you can get started with your first web app framework.