A new eight story museum on the National Mall opens on September 24th and it was 100 years in the making.Called the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the museum was first discussed back in 1915, when African American Civil War veterans called for a museum to highlight the accomplishments of African Americans. Congress established such a museum, to be part of the Smithsonian Institution, in 2003.Groundbreaking for the National Museum of African American History and Culture began in 2012.The museum, the only national museum dedicated to African American history,shares the history of African Americas from the days of the slave trade through slavery in the United States. The timeline of history includes the struggles of African Americans seeking civil rights and equality and shares the contributions which African Americans have made which have helped shape our nation. President Barack Obama will be on hand for the grand opening ceremonies.

It is estimate that Osiris-Rex will take seven years to reach an asteroid named Bennu.The robotic probe rocketed into space this week. Once it arrives at the asteroid,the mechanical arm of the spacecraft will hopefully retrieve samples of surface material. Think of a pogo stick that will bounce down onto the surface for a few seconds. Nitrogen gas will be emitted causing loose pieces of rock to be sucked up into the mechanical arm. It will have only three attempts to get any samples before the nitrogen gas is used up. The journey of Osiris-Rex when it returns to Earth in 2023, will have traveled about four billion miles. With the possible samples, an estimated two ounces, scientists will be able to study the samples to determine its composition as well as its age.

Photograph from NASA.gov

Conservation efforts to help the endangered panda bears are working. Native to the country of China, the Chinese government announced that the numbers of pandas has risen from 1596 (in 2004) to 1865 (in 2014). Because of this, the leading international group, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, has removed the panda bear from the endangered species list. It is now classified as being "vulnerable". The organization warns that all is not positive for the panda. Their main food is bamboo and with climate change, it is estimated that large habitats of bamboo will dwindle. Some organizations do not feel that the panda should be removed from the endangered species list fearing that efforts, such as establishing more reserves, scientific study and enforcing bans on poaching of pandas may not continue with such urgency. What do you think?

Photograph from wpclipart.com

Scientists think they may have discovered the oldest fossils ever found on Earth. Rocks discovered on the island of Greenland have been found with fossils that may be 3.7 billion years old. These fossils are of bacteria called stromatoliltes. Currently, the oldest fossils, also of stromatolites, were found on the continent of Australia and date back 3.48 billion years.

Photograph from msn.com