Articles for Grade 3

Researchers in Canada confirmed a rare and remarkable event on January 1, 2026. A wild female polar bear had adopted an unrelated cub. The five-year-old mother was identified as bear X33991. She belongs to the Western Hudson Bay polar bear subpopulation in northern Manitoba. The scientists say this is only the 13th known adoption since they began tracking the group 45 years ago....

On December 20, 2025, Michaela "Michi" Benthaus became the first person in a wheelchair to travel to space. The 33-year-old German aerospace engineer launched from West Texas aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-37 spacecraft. Her flight marked an important step toward making space travel more accessible to people with physical disabilities....

As winter storms sweep across the United States, many Americans are feeling the season’s chill. These temperatures may seem frigid, but they are mild compared to those in Yakutsk, one of the coldest cities in the world....

Three brothers were clearing out their late mother's home in San Francisco in December 2024 when they stumbled upon a stash of old comic books. Among them was a copy of Superman No. 1, the first issue in which the superhero starred in his own series....

Archeologists from the Russian Academy of Sciences have uncovered an ancient city submerged in Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia. Revealed on November 18, 2025, the site matches the location of an ancient settlement called Toru-Aygyr. The city flourished from around the 10th to the 15th century. Experts believe it was an important stop on the Silk Road. This was a network of trade routes connecting East Asia with the Mediterranean....

Each winter, Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, hosts more than just airplanes. Snowy owls also make a surprising stop here. This rare phenomenon has long delighted travelers and birdwatchers alike....

For the first time in the 25-year history of the International Space Station (ISS), NASA has ordered a crew to return early. The Crew-11 astronauts — Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov — will leave aboard the SpaceX Dragon on January 14, 2026. If all goes according to plan, they will splash down off the California coast at about 3:40 am pst on January 15. The mission had been initially planned to last until around February 20....

In the summer of 2019, ecologist Patrick Sullivan traveled to northern Alaska to study forests near the Salmon River. Known for its pristine water, the river supports a thriving population of wildlife, including fish and bears. Instead of the crystal-clear water he had expected, large sections farther down the river appeared bright orange. The riverbanks were also stained with rust-colored sediment....

The Basílica de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain, reached a historic milestone on October 30, 2025. With the placement of the first part of a cross atop the Tower of Jesus Christ, it became the world’s tallest church. Rising 534 feet (162.91 m), it now surpasses Germany’s Ulm Minster, which had held the record since 1890. Despite this achievement, the structure, under construction for over 140 years, is far from complete....