Author: Lisa Mungovan

One reason people hesitate to buy electric cars, is that it takes a while to charge the batteries. An Israeli company called StoreDot, has a solution. They developed batteries that can charge up enough energy to drive 100 miles, in only 5 minutes! Instead of filling up with gas at a petrol station, you’d simply quick-charge.

There may be a new winner, for the biggest dinosaur ever found. 98,000,000-year-old fossils found in Argentina, belong to a giant sauropod. They are 10-20% bigger than the bones from Patagotitan mayorum, which was the largest identified dinosaur so far. The long-necked skeleton is still mostly buried in rock, so we’ll have to wait patiently.

How do you avoid COVID-19, when you’re in a car? Virus particles can still escape your mask, so scientists say to open all the windows. If it’s too cold, sit diagonally from the driver, and open the front and rear windows on the opposite sides. The crosswind will help clear the air.

Today is National Blonde Brownie Day. Also known as blondies, they use a recipe similar to brownies, but replace the cocoa with brown sugar. White chocolate, butterscotch chips, or nuts are also commonly added. The treat was invented in Upper Sandusky Ohio. Listen to Blondie while enjoying a blondie today!

Meow-meowey meow-meow-meow. I think that means, “No, you can’t use my beanbag as a litter box just because it’s softer.” Today is Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day, so when your cat meows at you, answer back! It’s also Hot Sauce Day, so if your cat asks to have a taste, warn him it’s spicy!

World-record-breaker David Rush has broken another record, with his friend Jonathan Hannon. After soaking bars of soap in water, to make them slippery, they built a tower. They were able to stack 47 bars of wet soap, in 1 minute. Rush has broken over 150 world records, to promote STEM education.

Playing ball on the beach can be risky. 10-year-old Aoife Ni Niocaill lost her soccer ball in Ireland, when a wave washed it out to sea. 7 days later, Aline Denton found the ball, while cleaning up a beach in Wales! The ball had traveled 124 miles across the Irish Sea. The ball will be returned.

The world’s oceans hold tremendous amounts of plastic pollution. Nature has its own cleanup tool, to help trap some of the plastic. Clumps of seagrass growing on the ocean floor, capture floating bits of trash, keeping animals from eating them. Researchers believe these seagrass Neptune balls, keep billions of plastic bits from circulating.

It’s Squirrel Appreciation Day! Over 200 squirrel species fit into 3 different types. There are ground, tree, and flying squirrels. The African pygmy squirrel is only 3 inches long, while the Laotian giant flying squirrel is 3 1/2 feet long! Squirrels are great reforesters. They plant thousands of trees every year by forgetting where they buried their nuts!

It’s Hugging Day! Hug your parents, your pet, or your pesky brother. It’s also Playdate Day and International Sweatpants Day! Dress casual, and have fun with friends. Stay 6 feet apart! Make sure you have some granola bars, for an after-school snack, to celebrate Granola Bar Day. They’ll give you energy, to play for hours!