Books, Water, and Cold Feet!

100 Million Books 

It may be hard to imagine, but some children in our country do not have books to read.  A group of people knew that this was not good, so they started an organization called First Book.  First Book gives books to families and schools who do not have books.  They have been doing this for 20 years.  This year will be special for First Book.  Because they are celebrating 20 years of giving, First Book made a big goal.  They want to give away their 100 millionth new book.  They will need help from many volunteers.  But, they feel confident that they will reach their big goal.

Water Saver

Nike is a company that makes shoes and clothes.  The shoes and clothes come in many colors.  In order to have so many colors, Nike must dye the fabric.  To dye fabric means to make it change colors.  This causes a problem.   To dye fabric, you must use water.  This process pollutes the water.   It also wastes water.  But, a new discovery was made this week to solve this problem.  A company from the Netherlands figured out how to use Carbon Dioxide to dye fabric.  Carbon Dioxide is a gas.  This saves so much water!

Cold Feet

Would you every walk in snow with bare feet?  The answer is probably no.  But, for many dogs, walking in snow with bare paws is a daily activity in the winter.  Scientists from Japan figured out how dogs are able to walk in snow without getting frostbite.   Dogs have blood vessels just like people to carry blood through their body.  The blood vessels inside a dog’s paws are very close together which allows them to trade heat and keep that area warm.  This is also true of penguins, whales, and other Arctic animals.  It is the arrangement of blood vessels in a dog’s foot that allows the dog to walk in the snow.