Earth ChangesS

Cloud Lightning

US: Storm Rips Holes in Georgia Dome

ATLANTA - A severe storm ripped away two panels in the side of the Georgia Dome during the Southeastern Conference tournament, sending debris tumbling from the ceiling, halting the Alabama-Mississippi State game and prompting fans to flee for the exits.

Arrow Up

Why queen bees are made and not born

The ability to create bee "super queens" that can shrug off disease has arisen from the discovery of how royal jelly works.

A study of royal jelly, the creamy, thick secretion used to feed honey bee larvae and groom queens, has been discovered to have a powerful effect on genes and scientists now know how to mimic its effects, which will be give them an invaluable new technology to help make resistant bee strains.


bees
©Ryszard Maleszka
The queen bee is indicated by a blue mark

Sherlock

Ornithologists announce discovery of new bird species

The announcement of the discovery of a new bird comes with a twist: It's a white-eye, but its eye isn't white. Still, what this new bird lacks in literal qualities it makes up for as one of the surprises that nature still has tucked away in little-explored corners of the world.

Ornithologists, including one from Michigan State University, describe for science a new species of bird from the Togian Islands of Indonesia - Zosterops somadikartai, or Togian white-eye, in the March edition of The Wilson Journal of Ornithology.

Image
©Agus Prijono
An artist's rendering of Zosterops somadikartai, or Togian white-eye

Evil Rays

Moderate quake rattles southern Mexico

A moderate earthquake of magnitude 5.7 shook the hilly southern Mexican state of Chiapas on Thursday, but no injuries or serious damage were reported.

The earthquake was centered off Mexico's southern Pacific coast, 60 miles (100 km) west of the city of Tapachula at a depth of 49 miles (79 km), the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Attention

Guns and fists as "snow rage" erupts

Although Canada is one of the snowiest countries in the world, a series of violent "snow rage" incidents reveal that even the locals have their limits.

Target

Strong earthquake hits Vanuatu

Wellington -- An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale hit the South Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Target

4.8-Magnitude Quake Shakes Turkey

Ankara, Turkey - A moderate earthquake shook a small Turkish town near Istanbul but the

The quake on Wednesday had a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 and was felt in Istanbul and other nearby towns.re were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Bizarro Earth

"A Culture of Death and Destruction"

Some people have likened the Earth to a relatively small lifeboat wheeling in an incredibly vast sea of outer space. If they also think that the sinking of the Titanic was a sad disaster, they will be heartbroken over the tragic devastation when this sort of occurrence happens on a planetary scale...

Recently, I read an article about the death of birds, bats, bees and butterflies across the world [1]. It didn't surprise me. Indeed, we can add to the list ever so many other species, also, heading towards extinction, including Asian elephants, frogs, toads, assorted big cats, polar bears, penguins, tunas, coral, vultures, chimpanzees, apes and dolphins. Indeed, the list goes on and on. Shockingly, there is, seemingly, no end to it.

Comment: Emily Spence is right that our planet is in great peril, but she misses the one main reason why this is so: the promotion of psychopathic thinking and behavior in our societies by psychopathic individuals in positions of influence, who for power, control and gain have been destroying the planet. And our only hope? To learn as much as we can about this disease, so we can eliminate its manifestation in ourselves, but also to be able to distinguish the psychopathic individuals and prevent them from advancing their destructive for all, plans.


Frog

Snakes Vault Past Toxic Newts In Evolutionary Arms Race

Snakes don't eat fugu, the seafood delicacy prepared from blowfish meat and famed for its poisonous potential. However, should a common garter snake wander into a sushi restaurant, it could fearlessly order a fugu dinner.

garter snakes
©Edmund Brodie III
Some garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis ) have evolved the ability to eat super-toxic newts (Taricha granulosa) in the Pacific Northwest.

Life Preserver

Dolphin Appears to Guide Whales to Sea

Wellington, New Zealand - Most days, Moko the bottlenosed dolphin swims playfully with humans at a New Zealand beach. But this week, it seems, Moko found his mojo. Witnesses described Wednesday how they saw the dolphin swim up to two stranded whales and guide them to safety.