Earth ChangesS

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Cold spell claims over 1,100 lives in Afghanistan

The amount of people killed by freak freezing weather in Afghanistan since December last year has risen to over 1,100, the country's Ministry for Emergency Situations said on Wednesday.

This winter is the coldest in the last 30 years in Afghanistan, with temperatures reaching lows of -30 degrees Centigrade (-22 Fahrenheit) in 17 of the country's 34 provinces, national weather authorities said.

Bizarro Earth

Major earthquake off coast of Greece

Greece was just hit by its second major earthquake in less than a week.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 6.2 temblor was centered about 140 miles southwest of Athens. A quake with the same strength was recorded in that area on Valentine's Day.

Earlier today, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake shook Indonesia. Reuters says it killed at least three people and injured more than two dozen others.

Ambulance

Update: Three killed by Indonesian quake

At least three people have been killed and 25 seriously injured by a 7.5-magnitude quake near Indonesia's western Aceh province, officials say.

Indonesia Quake
©USGS

Bizarro Earth

Strong quake strikes near Indonesia's Aceh

Jakarta - A 7.5 magnitude quake struck off Indonesia's Aceh province on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there were no reports of deaths or casualties and no local tsunami warning was issued.

Cloud Lightning

Analyzing Global-warming Science



Dr Arthur Robinson
©The New American

Interview of Dr. Arthur Robinson by William F. Jasper

Dr. Arthur Robinson is a professor of chemistry and is cofounder of the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, which was created in 1980 to conduct basic and applied research in subjects applicable to increasing the quality, quantity, and length of human life. As part of his work, he edits the newsletter Access to Energy.

Dr. Robinson, in collaboration with other scientists, was one of the early critics of doomsday global-warming theories. He has authored articles and created video presentations demonstrating that the hypothesis of human-caused global warming is wrong, showing that the hypothesis is not supported by the observable evidence. To come to this conclusion, Professor Robinson and his colleagues brought together the findings of hundreds of peer-reviewed studies about all aspects of the global-warming hypothesis.

Fish

Mysterious Creatures Found in Antarctica

Sydney, Australia -- Scientists investigating the icy waters of Antarctica said Tuesday they have collected mysterious creatures including giant sea spiders and huge worms in the murky depths.

Antarctic Sealife
©Unknown
Antarctic sealife

Snowman

Global Warming? It's the coldest winter in decades



icey
ICE-AGE: Frost coated much of Britain yesterday

New evidence has cast doubt on claims that the world's ice-caps are melting, it emerged last night.

Satellite data shows that concerns over the levels of sea ice may have been premature.

It was feared that the polar caps were vanishing because of the effects of global warming.

But figures from the respected US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that almost all the "lost" ice has come back.

Telescope

February 20th's Eclipse of the Moon

The full Moon is going to get totally eclipsed on the night of February 20 - 21, putting on a gorgeous show as it glides through Earth's shadow. Skywatchers in nearly the entire Western Hemisphere will get an excellent view.

In the Americas, the eclipse happens during convenient evening hours on Wednesday, the 20th, when people are up and about. In the time zones of Europe and West Africa, the eclipse happens during the early-morning hours of Thursday, the 21st.

Earth's shadow will totally engulf the Moon from 10:00 to 10:52 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, or 7:00 to 7:52 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, as shown at lower right. The partial phases of the eclipse last for about an hour and a quarter before and after totality.

Total Lunar Eclipse
©Sky & Telescope / Sean Walker
Total lunar eclipse
The last sunlit rim of the Moon was about to slip into the Earth's red shadow when Sean Walker of Sky & Telescope magazine took this picture on Aug. 28, 2007. It's easy to take good eclipse shots. Use a long lens and a tripod for your camera if you have an SLR, or just point any digital camera into a telescope. For best results see Sky And Telescope's lunar eclipse photography guide.

Cloud Lightning

Storm pelts Lebanon with snow, hail, rain

A new winter storm started to batter Lebanon on Monday noon, spreading heavy rainfalls, snow, speedy winds and thunderstorms across the country, with weather forecasters expecting the tempest to recede as of Thursday. Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Department at the Rafik Hariri International Airport said on Monday the weather in Lebanon will be cloudy and rainy on Tuesday, with a noticeable drop in temperatures. Snow is expected to fall at an altitude of 800 meters, the forecast added.

Frog

'Frog from hell' fossil unearthed

A 70-million-year-old fossil of a giant frog has been unearthed in Madagascar by a team of UK and US scientists. The creature would have been the size of a "squashed beach ball" and weighed about 4kg (9lb), the researchers said.