Author: Lisa Mungovan

Before 11-year-old Max Woosey’s neighbor Rick died, he gave Max his tent, and told him to have an adventure. Max decided to honor Rick’s memory, by camping out every night for a year, to raise money for hospice, and help other terminally ill people. Max just completed his 500th night, and has raised $700,000!

A bunch of volcanoes in Alaska, just came to life. The Great Sitkin, Mount Pavlov, and Semisopochnoi, are all volcanoes on the Aleutian chain of islands, that are spewing ash or lava. Mount Cleveland and Atka volcanoes are also showing signs of activity. It’s uncommon to see so many rumbling, at the same time!

Knock knock. Who’s there? Interrupting duck. Interrupting duh-Quack-quack-quack-quack-quack! Ha ha ha! It’s Tell A Joke Day! You can ask me to tell you a joke, so you can learn some good ones! It’s also Rollercoaster Day! Are you brave enough to ride the Steel Vengeance? It has a 90 degree drop. That’s straight down!

Refrigerated trucks are getting a new upgrade. In order to cut emissions, truck roofs can be covered with solar panels. Refrigerated trucks need to keep idling, in order to keep electricity going to the cooling systems. With solar power, truckers can turn off their diesel engines, and release less carbon into the atmosphere.

When sunflowers are young, they turn their faces toward the Sun as it crosses the sky. Older sunflowers however, stiffen their stems, and keep their heads facing east. They soak up warm morning sun, which helps them release pollen and attract more bees. Experiments show east-facing sunflowers, grow bigger and brighter than west-facing sunflowers.

In the last 750 years, people in New Zealand, have cut down tons of trees. Alpine forests form a barrier against strong mountaintop winds, but many are gone now. Since insects can’t fly in high winds, one type of stonefly evolved, and ditched its wings. I guess the stonefly, is now a stonecrawl.

Paleontologists in China, have discovered 2 new dinosaurs. They both lived around 125,000,000 years ago, during the early Cretaceous period. Silutitan sinensis, and Hamititan xinjiangensis, were long-necked sauropods, around 70 and 56 feet long. They were plant-eaters, so those long necks could help them reach high into trees, to grab tasty leaves.

How do you like to relax? Floating in a pool? Swinging in a hammock? Reading a good book? It’s Relaxation Day, so find the thing that relieves your stress, and do it! If it involves eating pie, even better, since it’s Lemon Meringue Pie Day. I’ll be eating mine outside, while listening to birds!

Italy recorded Europe’s hottest temperature ever, in Sicily, as thermometers on the island reached 119° Fahrenheit. The scorching heatwave is caused by an anticyclone, named Lucifer, that formed over North Africa. It’s also contributing to wildfires in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Algeria. Heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires are becoming more common, due to climate change.

Last week, a rare Amur leopard cub was born, at the Santa Barbara Zoo. There are fewer than 100 Amur leopards left in the wild, so every cub is important to the survival of the species. Mom Ajax, dad Kasha, and daughter Marta, are all strong, healthy, and enjoying some privacy while they bond.