A lightning strike on a transmission tower left swathes of Johannesburg without power this afternoon, City Power said.
"It is very widespread," said spokesman Louis Pieterse of the outage which stretches from at least Rosebank in the north east to Mondeor in the south.
Court cases at the Johannesburg High Court, including judgment in the "Jeppestown massacre" case, were among the daily affairs put on hold as technicians tried to repair the damage and restore power.
Earth Changes
Seattle - Seven Puget Sound killer whales are missing and presumed dead in what could be the biggest decline among the sound's orcas in nearly a decade, say scientists who carefully track the endangered animals.
"This is a disaster," Ken Balcomb, a senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island, said Friday. "The population drop is worse than the stock market."
While the official census won't be completed until December, the total number of live "southern resident" orcas now stands at 83.
"This is a disaster," Ken Balcomb, a senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island, said Friday. "The population drop is worse than the stock market."
While the official census won't be completed until December, the total number of live "southern resident" orcas now stands at 83.
© AFP
The interior ministry, updating an earlier toll, said at least 58 people died in flooding fed by torrential downpours that hit Hadramaut and Mahara provinces on Thursday and Friday.
At least five others were reported missing in Mahara.
Four people were also killed by lightning in the southern provinces of Tayez and Lahj, and a mother and son also died when struck by lightning in the Al-Mahwit region north of the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
One "patient" fell asleep. Another compulsively searched for food. The third, curious and easily distracted, wandered off.
The future doctors were perplexed. First-year students in Stanford University's School of Medicine, their impressive GPAs and MCAT exam scores didn't matter to these dusty volunteers.
But the students quickly discovered that other skills did. Like patience. Persistence. Rapport. Over a single afternoon, their "patients'' - three horses at Menlo Park's Webb Ranch - started paying attention.
The future doctors were perplexed. First-year students in Stanford University's School of Medicine, their impressive GPAs and MCAT exam scores didn't matter to these dusty volunteers.
But the students quickly discovered that other skills did. Like patience. Persistence. Rapport. Over a single afternoon, their "patients'' - three horses at Menlo Park's Webb Ranch - started paying attention.
Researchers from the Department of Biological Sciences have discovered a previously unknown coral reef in the Seychelles.
Dr Dave Smith and Dr Dave Suggett visited Curieuse Island as part of an ongoing study funded by Mitsubishi Corporation in conjunction with the Earthwatch Institute. They were joined by PhD student Seb Hennige as well as local Seychelles collaborators.
The island, which is managed by the Seychelles Centre of Marine Research and Technology-Marine Protected Areas (SCMRT-MPA), is home to over 200 giant tortoises but it was thought no coral reefs were present.
Dr Smith said: 'Diving revealed an extensive coral reef to the south of the island, at a depth which would not be visible to the occasional snorkeller.'
© University of Essex
A coral reef on Curieuse Island.
A coral reef on Curieuse Island.
Dr Dave Smith and Dr Dave Suggett visited Curieuse Island as part of an ongoing study funded by Mitsubishi Corporation in conjunction with the Earthwatch Institute. They were joined by PhD student Seb Hennige as well as local Seychelles collaborators.
The island, which is managed by the Seychelles Centre of Marine Research and Technology-Marine Protected Areas (SCMRT-MPA), is home to over 200 giant tortoises but it was thought no coral reefs were present.
Dr Smith said: 'Diving revealed an extensive coral reef to the south of the island, at a depth which would not be visible to the occasional snorkeller.'
Methylmercury (MeHg), the predominant form of mercury found in the blood of marine mammals and fish-eating communities, could be more damaging to seals than has previously been thought. New research shows that MeHg harms T-lymphocytes, key cells in a seal's immune system. Similar results were also found for human lymphocytes.
Mercury exposure is known to occur as a result of man-made pollution and natural events such as volcanic eruptions.
According to the lead author of this study, Krishna Das of the Université de Liège, Belgium, "Mercury is known to bioaccumulate and to magnify in marine mammals, which is a cause of great concern in terms of their general health. In particular, the immune system is known to be susceptible to long-term mercury exposure". In order to determine the scale of this problem, the authors carried out analysis of the blood mercury levels of harbour seals caught in the North Sea and tested the effects of MeHg in lab experiments.
© iStockphoto/Andy Raatz
Harbor seal swimming.
Harbor seal swimming.
Mercury exposure is known to occur as a result of man-made pollution and natural events such as volcanic eruptions.
According to the lead author of this study, Krishna Das of the Université de Liège, Belgium, "Mercury is known to bioaccumulate and to magnify in marine mammals, which is a cause of great concern in terms of their general health. In particular, the immune system is known to be susceptible to long-term mercury exposure". In order to determine the scale of this problem, the authors carried out analysis of the blood mercury levels of harbour seals caught in the North Sea and tested the effects of MeHg in lab experiments.
Athens - Officials say an undersea earthquake with preliminary magnitude of 4.5 has shaken southern Greece. The moderate temblor caused no damage or injuries.
The Geodynamic Institute of Athens says the quake occurred at 5:17 a.m Thursday near the coastal town of Xylokastro, about 60 miles west of Athens.
Greece is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.
The Geodynamic Institute of Athens says the quake occurred at 5:17 a.m Thursday near the coastal town of Xylokastro, about 60 miles west of Athens.
Greece is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.
The 6.6-magnitude quake near the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan hit the remote village of Nura hard, bringing down dozens of buildings and injuring more than 100 people in addition to the confirmed deaths, Emergency Situations Minister Kamchybek Tashiyev said.
Later Monday, Health Ministry spokeswoman Yelena Bayalinova said the death toll was 72.
Later Monday, Health Ministry spokeswoman Yelena Bayalinova said the death toll was 72.
Jakarta: Mid-scale earthquakes occurred in the water the southern part of Indonesia, Thursday (23/10) early morning. It increases the quantity of earthquakes found in eastern Indonesia in the last 24 hours.
According to the Meteorology & Geophysics Agency (BMG), the earthquake measured five on the Richter scale with an epicenter at 11.7 south latitude and 116 east longitude or 335 kilometers away on the southeast side of Nusadua, Bali.
According to the Meteorology & Geophysics Agency (BMG), the earthquake measured five on the Richter scale with an epicenter at 11.7 south latitude and 116 east longitude or 335 kilometers away on the southeast side of Nusadua, Bali.
A strong earthquake has struck in the ocean near Papua New Guinea, but there have been no reports of injury or damage and no tsunami warnings have been issued.
Comment: A magnitute 5.8 earthquake struck Papua New Guinea last Saturday, October 18th.