Summer is officially over, and fall has arrived. With this season comes runny noses and doctor visits. Save yourself the time and money, because it's either the common cold or the flu, both of which have no cure other than to rest and endure the discomfort. Luckily, you can be immunized for the flu, but not the cold. In fact, many people battle the cold several times a year, rather than developing a natural immunity towards it, why is that? 

The primary reason that immunity generally does not develop against the common cold is that there is not a single cause of the disease. Over 200 serotypes of viruses, including enteroviruses (previously called rhinoviruses), coronaviruses, and adenoviruses, can cause the symptoms of the common cold. Ther ...

It's mind-blowing to think that over half of the world’s population fits into this relatively tiny circle. And most of this circle is water.

Did you know that McDonald's famous burger, the Big Mac, contains addictive ingredients inside its bun? Yes, it's true, the bun isn't as harmless as your probably thought.

The Big Mac bun contains high levels of high-fructose corn syrup and sodium. Both ingredients are addictive, and therefore make your body crave more of them. These ingredients are also harmful and can cause obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, BUT not directly. Remember, the higher sweetness of high-fructose corn syrup increases craving and consequently the amount consumed. Obesity isn't caused by diet alone - when combined with decreased physical activity, that is when it contributes to the weight gain epidemic and personal health problems.

It's no wonder homemade burger ...

Crabeater seal teeth are probably the strangest in the entire animal kingdom. The odd shapes work as a sieve, filtering out microscopic organisms (the seals' main food source) from sea water.

Sloths have a commensal relationship with several insects. Their thick fur readily traps bacteria and algae, which makes a good home for many beetles. The beetles are able to lay their eggs in a place that is rich in nutrients upon hatching, and the sloths don’t care either way. One sloth was reported to have over 900 beetles living in its fur!

It's a common knowledge that different breeds of chickens lay different colored eggs. Here I'll explain what chemicals and conditions give rise to these differences.

White eggs

All eggshells are made of calcium carbonate and the white ones have no pigment added.

Brown eggs

The brown colour is caused by protoporphyrin IX, from the hen's haemoglobin, and is coated on the outside of the egg as it moves through the oviduct.

Blue eggs

Blue eggshells have the pigment oocyanin, which does permeate the shell, so the blue coloring will be all the way through.

Green eggs

If a brown layer and a blue layer are crossbred, chances are you will get a green egg when the protoporphyrin IX layer is deposited over the blue oocyanin shell.

Pink eggs

The pinkish tint ...

You probably wouldn't associate Canada with having any deserts, since the country is typically attributed with winters that are long and harsh. However, that's not entirely true if you visit the southern region of Osoyoos, British Columbia, Canada, known as the Okanagan Desert. In this area, summer temperatures regularly exceed 38˚C (100 °F), and portions of the area receive roughly 250 to 300 mm (10 to 12 inches) of rain per year – compare that to Vancouver, which receives approximately 1120 mm (43 inches) of rain per year.

While some areas in British Columbia experience hotter summer temperatures and are at least as arid, the South Okanagan area is home to several species of plants and animals that are not found elsewhere in Canada. For e ...