A 552-carat yellow diamond was recently unearthed in Canada — the largest ever found in North America. Mining company Dominion Diamond Mines said in a press release on Thursday the diamond was discovered in October at the Diavik Diamond Mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories. The “astonishing gemstone” measures 33.74 millimeters by 54.56 millimeters, the company…… MORE
An atheist couple in Canada who complained about classroom celebrations of religious holidays was awarded $12,000 (almost $9,000 in US money) by a human rights tribunal after their daughter was barred from re-enrolling in her preschool. The outspoken parents sued Bowen Island Montessori School (BIMS) in Bowen Island, British Columbia after the school asked the…… MORE
The head of the UN program tasked with fighting HIV and AIDS will step down early, after a damning external report accused him of leading an organization permissive of “sexual harassment, bullying, and abuse of power.” Executive Director Michel Sidibé told a meeting of the organization’s governing board on Thursday that he would step down…… MORE
If you made a judgment about our planet based on the words that reflect where we are as a culture, you’d probably reach this conclusion: We’re not doing well. Dictionary.com’s word of the year for 2018 is misinformation. Its word last year was complicit. The year before that? Xenophobia. It’s a far cry from 2010,…… MORE
The night sky will come alive this weekend when a green comet streaks by Earth on the heels of the Geminid meteor shower’s display of green fireballs. Comet 46P/Wirtanen began brightening in November, but it will make its closest approach to Earth on Sunday and be visible with the naked eye. The comet will come…… MORE
The Geminid meteor shower peaks this week, so hope for clear skies that will let you see a beautiful show of green fireballs on Thursday and Friday. This will be the last — and strongest — meteor shower of the year, according to NASA. This phenomenon was first recorded in 1862 and causes a show…… MORE
Divers swimming in the cold, murky waters of Monterey Bay, California, say they’ve spotted a fish that’s a long way from home. It’s called a barred knifejaw, and it’s native to Japan, Korea and China. The distinctive black-and-white striped fish, also known as a striped beakfish or Ishi Dai in Japan, has been spotted several…… MORE
Pope Francis has removed three cardinals from his small council of advisers for reasons of advanced age, the Vatican said Wednesday, though two also have been the subject of allegations relating to sexual abuse or covering it up. Cardinal George Pell, 77, of Australia; Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz, 85, of Chile; and Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo…… MORE
Barely alive “zombie” bacteria and other life forms are thriving miles below the Earth’s surface, scientists have found after a decade of research which changes perceptions of life on our planet. The discovery of what has been termed a “subterranean Galapagos” was announced by the Deep Carbon Observatory Tuesday, which said many of the lifeforms…… MORE
The Arctic is experiencing a multi-year stretch of unparalleled warmth “that is unlike any period on record,” according to the 2018 Arctic Report Card, a peer-reviewed report released Tuesday morning from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency within the United States Department of Commerce. The report states that human-caused climate change is transforming…… MORE
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