Author: Lisa Mungovan

Tardigrades are amazing microscopic creatures. Also called water bears or moss piglets, they can survive in the cold vacuum of space, volcanoes, or deep underwater trenches. They can withstand radiation blasts or live for decades without food or water. Scientists discovered, they transitioned from water to land environments twice, and continue to adapt.

Today is Create A Vacuum Day, but it doesn’t mean suck up all the snacks. A vacuum, is a space where there is no matter, or where the pressure inside a space is lower than the pressure outside of it. A suction cup creates a vacuum. Look online, for easy vacuum experiments to try.

The birthday of Rosa Parks, is the Day Of Courage. Rosa Parks became a hero in the civil rights movement, after being arrested in 1955, for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a bus. A statue in Montgomery Alabama, honors Rosa’s act of courage, and the fight for equality.

I think it’s a day for feeling warm and cozy. It’s Sweater Day! Turn down the heat and dress in your favorite sweater. Be careful not to spill soup on it, because it’s also Homemade Soup Day. Try making vegetable soup with all the leftover vegetables in the fridge, and save some for me!

The Welsh Ambulance Service has compiled some of the most inappropriate calls, made to the 9 9 9 emergency number last year. They included someone who got their finger stuck in a beer bottle, someone who couldn’t remove a tight bracelet, and someone who lost a piece of cotton in their ear.

Today is Cordova Ice Worm Day. Ice worms live in glaciers, and function best at temperatures below freezing. They eat snow algae and bacteria. Only a few centimeters long, they move between the ice crystals. Cordova Alaska celebrates the glacial nematodes with an annual 8-day festival, featuring a squirmy mascot that’s 150 feet long!

Winter can be hard on birds, especially when snow covers everything. Give them a little help, on Feed The Birds Day. Set up a bird feeder, and fill it with bird seed. Woodpeckers enjoy blocks of suet, cardinals love sunflower seeds, and many birds enjoy fruit. Your old wrinkly apples will make them happy.

Today is Carrot Cake Day. The natural sweetness of carrots, makes it one of the few vegetables, that sounds good in a dessert! You can even make a version for dogs, to celebrate Golden Retriever Day. The gentle dog is one of the most popular breeds for families in the United States. Good doggie!

A species of giant isopod, has been named after Darth Vader. The crustacean has armored plates that resemble the famous villain’s helmet, and the researcher who named it is a huge Star Wars fan, so its scientific name is Bathynomus vaderi. The foot-long isopods live deep in the ocean, beyond the reach of light.

Let’s celebrate World Wetlands Day! This year’s theme is, It’s Time for Wetlands Restoration. Wetlands are swamps and marshes that act like a sponge, absorbing water to reduce flooding during wet seasons, and releasing it during dry spells. Wetlands are also home, to 40% of the world’s plant and animal species.