CATEGORIES
HIGH FIVE
New York, New York! When many people think of New York City, they picture the tall skyscrapers and tourist attractions of Manhattan. The Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, and Central Park are all found there. But Manhattan is only one of five boroughs of the city. Here are five fascinating facts to get your started on your journey through Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, and Brooklyn.
OPOSSUM
SURVIVOR IN THE CITY
Gems of Grand Central Terminal
Designed to make every arrival and departure feel like a special occasion, Grand Central Terminal (GCT) has been dazzling visitors ever since it opened on February 2, 1913. Today, this beautiful Beaux-Arts building is one of the most-visited spots in New York City. Let’s take a look at a few of the gems that make this historic landmark sparkle.
Celebrating Black History on Staten Island
Sandy Ground, the oldest continuously inhabited black settlement in the United States, is located on the south shore of Staten Island. In 1828, just one year after slavery was abolished in New York, African American John Jackson purchased land there. Jackson operated a ferry between Sandy Ground and Manhattan and New Jersey. He was the first black landowner on all of Staten Island.
Barks on Broadway
If you’ve ever seen a musical like Annie, The Wizard of Oz, or legally Blonde, then you may have seen a canine actor onstage. Often, these shows use live animals to make the story seem as realistic as possible.
Guardians of The Library
The New York Public Library’s (NYPL’s) flagship building, the landmark Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, holds many treasures.
Exploring the Boroughs of New York City
New York City has five boroughs: Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. What exactly is a borough? Depending on which state you are in, a borough can have several different definitions. In some states, it is another name for a town. But in New York, a borough is a smaller division of a larger city.
The World is Our Oyster
New Yorkers are resilient. As the song, “New York, New York” goes, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. There’s no better example of a tough, hard-working New Yorker than the mighty oyster.
WELCOME TO the BIG apple
If someone asked you to list the greatest cities in the world, chances are pretty good that New York City would be close to the top of your list. For people all over the world, New York City is a place of excitement, adventure, and curiosity. It is home to more than 8 million people and is known for its tall skyscrapers that house many of the biggest and most important companies in the world. It is also home to Central Park, Times Square, Broadway, the Hudson and East rivers, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building.
On Point
THIS DANCE TECHNIQUE LOOKS EFFORTLESS, BUT APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING.
Q&A
Q&A
Trial in Absentia
In the 40th century, the most intellectually advanced species in the galaxy initiates a project to bring back as many extinct species as possible. They have already returned hundreds of species to life after careful evaluation by the Committee for the Revivification of Extinct Species (CaRES). The purpose of the committee is to evaluate whether each species meets just one criterion: “There must be no overwhelming, compelling evidence that the species should not be revived.” Here is an excerpt from the transcript of the meeting where members debate the revivification of an extinct species: humans.
MULTI-PURPOSE TOOLS
There are more than 10,000 species of birds. They range in size from birds that weigh less than an ounce to birds that weigh hundreds of pounds and can inflict a deadly kick. They live on land or water; in tropical rainforests or in the Arctic tundra; they climb trees or dive into water. So it’s not surprising that birds have many different types of feet capable of performing amazing feats.
The Rise & Fall of the Terror Birds
AFTER THE DINOSAURS, A NEW PREDATOR REIGNED IN SOUTH AMERICA. FOR A WHILE.
SHOULD SCIENTISTS BRING BACK DINOSAURS?
IN THE JURASSIC PARK MOVIES, scientists bring dinosaurs to life.
10! 10! Say it again!
10! 10! Say it again!
MARIA A. GANDOLFO
Animals and insects aren’t the only ones that leave their remains in stone and amber! Meet paleobotanist Maria A. Gandolfo, who studies fossils made from flowering plants. A flowering plant tucks its seeds inside a flower instead of growing them on its leaves. Most of the plants we eat and use as medicine and fuel are flowering plants. Today they flower all over the planet—but that wasn’t always the case. Here Gandolfo explains what plant fossils can tell us and how flowering plants got to be such a big deal.
Muse News
Muse News
LOVE
My pets are my own true loves.
ERIN ARGYILAN
Erin Argyilan of Indiana University is known for her lively teaching style and leading some of the best geology field trips in the Chicagoland area. She takes people of all ages on interactive tours that lead to dune climbing, animal identifying, and accessing some of the rarest plants in the world. Read on to learn about the major mystery surrounding the Cretaceous Period’s effect on midwestern geology.
Whose Foot?
Everybody is different. So why do we use feet to measure length?
ARE WE LIVING IN THE ANTHROPOCENE?
A name can tell you a lot about a person. Take your last name, for example. Does it come from a certain language, a place where your ancestors were born, a traditional family occupation? How about your first name? What does it say about you? If you could change it, would you? What would you change it to, and why?
Sole Beauty
The painful history of foot binding
Tyler Clites – Biomedical Engineer
Tyler Clites is a tinkerer. He’s been this way since childhood—coming up with inventions and taking things apart.
A Visit to the PAST
WELCOME TO TEXAS’ BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK
Reflexology – A Different Kind of Map
There’s nothing like a foot rub after a long day. The question is, can putting pressure on the toes and heels help other body parts—like your head, back, and stomach— feel better too? Fans of reflexology think so. This practice uses massage on specific reflex points to relieve tension and improve health. It dates back more than 4,500 years, but doctors and scientists do not fully agree that rubbing the feet can cure ailments throughout the body.
Selling Socks to Save Seabirds
Brothers Will and Matty Gladstone are comitted to conservation.
THE DAY THE CRETACEOUS ENDED
When the asteroid hit, it sent Cret trillions of tons of molten rock and dust into the atmosphere, much of it hotter than the surface of the sun.
TAKING A JOURNEY
Through the planet’s history
Watch Out for the Hedley Beast
An English Fairy Tale Retold by Madeline Juran