Interesting (lot of) stuff ....

Posted: 10:23:43 PM  

Chile Earthquake May Have Shortened Days on Earth

The massive 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile may have changed the entire Earth's rotation and shortened the length of days on our planet, a NASA scientist said Monday.

"Perhaps more impressive is how much the quake shifted Earth's axis," NASA officials said in a Monday update.

Strong earthquakes have altered Earth's days and its axis in the past.
The 9.1 Sumatran earthquake in 2004, which set off a deadly tsunami, should have shortened Earth's days by 6.8 microseconds and shifted its axis by about 2.76 inches (7 cm, or 2.32 milliarcseconds).

Posted: 10:10:35 PM  

When it comes to bears, the polar species seems to be the new kid on the block. A rare fossil jaw found in Norway's Svalbard archipelago is helping researchers confirm that polar bears evolved from brown bears only about 150,000 years ago.

Polar bears live much of the year on the Arctic sea ice and have become something of a symbol of the threat of global warming, which is melting that ice.

"Our results confirm that the polar bear is an evolutionarily young species that split off from brown bears some 150,000 years ago and evolved extremely rapidly," Charlotte Lindqvist, an assistant professor in the University of Buffalo's department of biological sciences, said in a statement.

Lindqvist and colleagues were able to analyze mitochondrial DNA from the fossil and report their findings in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

DNA is the coding that directs the development of individual life forms and the mitochondrial version comes from the cells that generate energy.

Posted: 10:07:42 PM  

toonpool.com

Posted: 10:03:33 PM  

Amateur video footage posted on the Web site of Dubai newspaper Gulf News showed what appeared to be hundreds of gallons of water showering down on the polished tiled floor of the Dubai Mall, which sits in the shadow of the world's tallest tower.

Posted: 9:42:07 AM  

SOLAR ACTIVITY

New sunspots 1052 and 1053 pose no threat for strong solar flares.

Posted: 9:38:42 AM  

Nationwide strike paralyzes Greece, Rioting spreads to Spain

Tens of thousands of Greeks took to the streets Wednesday as much of the country went on a 24-hour strike against government austerity measures.

Posted: 9:35:19 AM  

His gaze fixed towards England across the border, this ferocious dragon could be Wales's answer to the Statue of Liberty or the Angel of the North.

At 210ft, the sculpture is set to become the tallest public artwork in the UK, and a focus for Welsh pride.

Posted: 9:31:56 AM  

April 26 - 2 0 0 9 - on Latest kNEWs

June 10 - 2 0 0 9 - on Latest kNEWS

Posted: 9:18:10 AM