This week, we learned …
… school districts have gotten creative in announcing snow days.
Find five fun ways to warm up on snow days!
… some good news! Central Mexico reported its first sighting of a black bear in more than 100 years!

Photograph by Michael Nichols, National Geographic
What is the species range of the black bear?
… how a music teacher’s project is sending students to lullaby land.

Photograph courtesy Wikimedia. CC-BY-2.5
Learn how one educator uses “global sounds” to take her students around the world.
… a Dutch company has patented Ethiopian flour.

Photograph by Jim Richardson, National Geographic
What makes teff an Ethiopian food staple?
… the oldest periodic table yet found was discovered in a storage room in Scotland.

This awesome graphic shows how we interact with each element. So cool.
Illustration by Keith Enevoldsen. CC-BY-SA-4.0
How dedicated are you to the periodic table?
… biologists identified the world’s first omnivorous shark.

Photograph by Felix Manuel Cobos Sánchez, courtesy Wikimedia. CC-BY-SA-2.0
Learn more about this seagrass-eating shark from one of our expeditions!
… churches are crucial to preserving biodiversity in Ethiopia.

Photograph by James P. Blair, National Geographic
What other sacred sites are hotspots of conservation?
… the Chinese industrial complex is trying to turn the middle of nowhere to the center of the world.

Map by Lommes, courtesy Wikimedia. CC-BY-SA-4.0
What is China’s Belt and Road Initiative?
… protecting monarch butterfly habitat could mean moving hundreds of trees to higher elevations.

Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic
How did scientists crack the mystery of monarchs’ Mexican habitat?
… science has caught up with the yogic tradition of Pranayam in recognizing the importance of breathing techniques in controlling anxiety.

Photograph by the Government of India, courtesy Wikimedia. GODL-India
What other health benefits does yoga have?
… flying squirrels are secretly pink.
