MNN · Page 5

Facebook has 864 million daily active users who are frequently posting photos, writing status updates and commenting on friends' posts.   We may think carefully about what we post on social media — which photos make us look most attractive, what conflict…

The U.S. population has grown by more than 50 percent since 1970, adding about 2.6 million people per year for four decades. The economy has also mushroomed during the same period, with the country's gross domestic product rising by 218 percent, from less than…

Disney's new animated "Big Hero 6," based on an obscure Marvel comic, is one of those films that people walk into out of curiosity and walk away, as a Vulture reviewer puts it, with "emotional whiplash."  

How fat are Americans? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that two thirds of us are overweight or (ugly word ahead) “obese.” The obesity rate is 33 percent, up from just 23 percent in the late 1980s. And the average citizen weighs 23…

Anyone who has ever been in the presence of a bunch of bats knows that they can be chatty little things; even though we can't even hear all the noises they emit, they make quite a concert. Scientists already know that Mexican free-tailed bats, for…

If my dog could talk, here's what he would say: “More peanut butter, please.”   It's clear that dogs love the stuff; what’s not so clear is why.   Fat, sugar or salt? Most peanut butter has gobs of fat, sugar and salt — all easy things for a dog to…

Are you ready to kick kale and quinoa to the curb? You might not want to get rid of these nutritional powerhouses, but perhaps you're ready to have them replaced as the “it” foods of the year. If so, you’re in luck. A new year will soon be upon us, and…

“Look over here,” Emily called, as a small bird flew from the sidewalk into a bush. Squinting through fogged glasses and dripping-wet binoculars in the falling snow, we watched as the details of the bird slowly emerged: a plump sparrow, with gray head and…

Dr. Dirk Pilat, a general practitioner in London, has been prescribing a little something different for some of his patients: animal-handling sessions.   Specifically, he's been referring them to the Furry Tales team, which is made up of two guinea pigs, two…

Nov. 8, 1899: The New York Zoological Society opens the Bronx Zoo (at right), one of the most sophisticated wildlife exhibits of its day. A century later, the Wildlife Conservation Society has evolved into a global leader in nature protection.

Nov. 7, 1957:  A Presidential Commission chaired by the Ford Foundation's H. Rowen Gaither says that the U.S. is falling far behind the Soviet Union in its nuclear weapons capabilities. The Gaither Report calls for a dramatic U.S. expansion in building both…

  The trailer for the crime drama "The Gambler" has dropped - giving us our first glimpse at an uncharacteristically skinny Mark Whalberg.   

Quantum mechanics, though firmly tested, is so weird and anti-intuitive that famed physicist Richard Feynman once remarked that "I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics." Attempts to explain some of the bizarre consequences of…

Nature offers so much wonder. Unusual species found deep in the jungle or desert can make your jaw drop — and sometimes even farm animals can seem unreal.   I questioned my eyes when I first saw a photo of one of these beautiful black chickens from…

There was a time when the outlook for a premature baby — meaning born before 37 weeks of gestation — was grim. For babies born earlier than 30 weeks, there was no outlook at all. But medical advances are improving the outcomes for these tiny babies. A new…

Pippa Middleton, the 31-year-old sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, is opening up about the healthy lifestyle she follows for keep her famous physique. And unlike other celebrity diets, this one sounds realistic.   

Pippa Middleton, the 31-year-old sister to Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, is opening up on the healthy lifestyle she follows for keep her famous physique. And unlike other celebrity diets, this one actually sounds realistic.   

A recent report to Congress estimates that 578,424 people experienced homelessness on any given night this year in the United States. That represents an overall 10 percent reduction in the non-housed population since 2010, when the Obama administration…