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Friday, May 31, 2013

TECHNOLOGY NEWS -
 

THE MOST BIZARRE HIGHWAY YOU HAVE EVER SEEN

 

The Atlantic Ocean Road in Norway is pure insanity

 
On this real road that seems like a five-mile long roller coaster ride, your vehicle makes twists and turns and climbs and descents, while getting soaked by ocean waves.

According to Atlas Obscura:  The curvy road dips and arches over the brutal waves of the Norwegian Sea that often crash over the pavement during storms, and was subjected to 12 hurricanes during construction.
 
A 5.2 mile segment of County Road 64 in Norway consists of several causeways, seven bridges, and four viewpoints to take in the scenic view.
 
Driving along the Atlantic Road is like teetering on the edge of the sea. The road's roller coaster feel, curvy bridges and phenomenal views have made it a favorite of road trippers and motorcyclists.
 
TECHNOLOGY NEWS -

WHY NOT SOLAR PANEL HIGHWAYS?

 

 They would save oil, melt snow, and charge electric cars


The idea is simple but revolutionary.  Instead of asphalt motorways,  use solar panel roadways instead.  They would save oil, melt fresh snow, and prevent accidents.
 
Julie and Scott Brusaw from Sandpoint, Idaho, have invented the SOLAR ROADWAYS,  Their solar panels are heated and equipped with integrated LED screens, that act not only as street markings, but can also show warnings directly on the road.
 
Electric cars could be charged with the energy produced by the panels, and the panels would replace the use of asphalt, the production of which requires petroleum.

In case of an earthquake, Solar Roadway panels are easier to replace than repaving a road. 
 
The Brusaws want to start small, with pedestrian and bicycle paths or large parking lots at supermarkets. Each of those Solar Roadways is a step toward independence from fossil fuels.
 
In 2009 they received their first government grants to construct the prototypes. This spring they will have completed the first parking lot with solar panels in their home town of Sandpoint, Idaho, near the Canadian border.  

Read more about this exciting idea here
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/solar-road-panels-offer-asphalt-alternative-a-901792.html

Read more about the technical aspects of Solar Roadways, with pictures and diagrams
http://solarroadways.com/intro.shtml

Thursday, May 30, 2013

MICROBES - WHO IS IN CHARGE OF YOUR MIND? YOU OR YOUR PARASITES?

PSYCHOLOGY ISSUES -  


On a previous post -  INVASION OF THE ZOMBIE ANIMALS -  I cited articles depicting the takeover of an animal's body and mind by parasites, directing the victim's behavior so as to benefit the parasite.
 
Humans too can become victims to parasites that modify behavior. 
 
Bacteria in your gut may be influencing your thoughts and moods, raising the possibility that probiotics could be used to treat psychiatric illnesses
 
Bacteria colonize the gut in the days following birth, during a sensitive period of brain development, and apparently influence behaviour by inducing changes in the expression of certain genes. 
 
These so-called gut microbiota constitute a virtual organ within an organ, and influence many bodily functions. Among other things, they aid in the uptake and metabolism of nutrients, modulate the inflammatory response to infection, and protect the gut from other, harmful micro-organisms.
 
A study by researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario suggests that gut bacteria may also influence behaviour and cognitive processes such as memory by exerting an effect on gene activity during brain development.
 
Read more:
OUR CELLS ARE ONLY 10 PERCENT HUMAN
 
THE REST ARE MICROBIAL!

On a cell-by-cell basis, then, you are only 10 percent human. For the rest, you are microbial. 

Why don’t you see this when you look in the mirror? Because most of the microbes are bacteria, and bacterial cells are generally much smaller than animal cells. They may make up 90 percent of the cells, but they’re not 90 percent of your bulk. 
 
Gut bacteria play crucial roles in digesting food and modulating the immune system. They make small molecules that we need in order for our enzymes to work properly. 

They interact with us, altering which of our genes get turned on and off in cells in the intestinal walls. Some evidence suggests that they are essential for the building of a normal heart

Finally, it seems likely that gut bacteria will turn out to affect appetite, as well as other aspects of our behavior, though no one has shown this yet.
 
Together, your gut microbes provide you with a pool of genes far larger than that found in the human genome. Indeed, the gut “microbiome,” as it is known, is thought to contain at least 100 times more genes than the human genome

Moreover, whereas humans are extremely similar to one another at the level of the genome, the microbiome appears to differ markedly from one person to the next.

Read morehttp://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/microbes-r-us/

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

MICROBES - INVASION OF THE ZOMBIE ANIMALS

The gruesome dramas unfolding in that peaceful landscape you love 

The sad story of the caterpillar.   Glyptapanteles is a wasp that lays its eggs in the body of a caterpillar. This is a three layered parasitic infection. The wasps engage the help of a virus that has been genetically modified by the wasps to disable the caterpillar's immune system, allowing the wasp eggs to survive.

The relationship between the wasps and the virus is mutually beneficial; only the caterpillars get the short end of the stick. The eggs hatch and feed on the caterpillar, but do not kill it. Instead, the caterpillar stops developing and spends the rest of its life protecting the wasp larva, even going as far as spinning its own cocoon around the wasp pupae.

Watch a video of the entire process. When the adult wasp emerges from its cocoon, the zombie caterpillar's life is over.

Read even more gruesome animal zombie stories - with pictures -  on this excellent article: http://mentalfloss.com/article/21655/invasion-zombie-animals

And on its sequel - http://mentalfloss.com/article/21716/7-more-zombie-animals

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also of interest:

HOW ANIMALS ARE ZOMBIFIED BY PARASITES (great pictures)
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-insects-and-animals-are-turned-into-zombies-by-parasites-2012-12?op=1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PHOTO GALLERY AND INFORMATION ON ZOMBIE ANIMALS
http://www.livescience.com/34196-zombie-animals.html

PHOTO GALLERY OF ZOMBIE ANTS
http://www.livescience.com/13045-zombie-ants-fungi-photo-gallery.html

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

SOCIAL ISSUES -

FACEBOOK CENSORS ANTI-GMO PICTURE

 

The offensive picture showed Andrea Lalama's children carrying hand-drawn signs that read:

"ORGANIC FOOD It's My Medicine - Label GMOs - Say NO to GMO"
"BIOPESTICIDES = AUTISM - SAY NO TO GMO"
 
After this picture was shared on Facebook by Natural News, Andrea's account was immediately suspended.

Read more: http://www.naturalnews.com/040484_Facebook_censorship_children_Monsanto_rally.html

Natural News interview with mom Andrea Lalama.
http://www.naturalnews.com/040521_Facebook_censorship_autism.html

UPDATE - Natural News switches from Facebook to Disqus for comments engine to avoid censorship. http://www.naturalnews.com/040522_Facebook_censorship_Disqus.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Facebook is also censoring conservatives, limiting their number of comments, and even purging sites that support the Second Amendment.
http://www.examiner.com/article/is-facebook-actively-censoring-conservative-bloggers

2012 - Facebook censoring "irrelevant" comments
http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/05/facebooks-positive-comment-policy-irrelevant-inappropriate-censorship/
http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/social-networking/297573-is-facebook-censoring-your-comments

Various comments regarding Facebook criteria for censorship
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22464290

RELATED:

Facts on autism. 
http://www.autism-society.org/about-autism/facts-and-statistics.html

One in 50 children is autistic. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/02/autism-rates.aspx

Autism up by 78% in the past decade.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/29/health/autism

Vaccines' link to autism
http://www.naturalnews.com/027178_autism_vaccines.html

Monday, May 27, 2013

ANIMAL NEWS -

OKLAHOMA TORNADO LEAVES PETS HOMELESS

 

Rescue shelters appeal for adoptions


They include a pup who was found cowering in a tree, a cat buried up to his neck in rubble.  Two dogs were rescued together and refused to be parted the whole time they were away from their owner.  Those injured have been receiving medical care at the shelters. They arrived suffering from cuts, bruises, lacerations and broken limbs.  

Although there have been some reunions, animal rescue shelters are appealing to the public to adopt those without a family.

In the meantime rescue dogs played a crucial role in finding survivors.

Read more and see pictures of homeless animals, and those lucky to be reunited with their families: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2329193/The-victims-Oklahoma-tornado-Heartbreaking-images-hundreds-pets-left-homes.html
ANIMAL NEWS -

AIR BREATHING AND LAND WALKING FISH INVADES CENTRAL PARK

 

OFFICIALS FREAKED OUT



Get this. He's ugly. He's three feet long. Moves on land.  Reproduces very quickly. Has a ravenous appetite and eats every fish in sight. He's the SNAKEHEAD FISH!
 
The northern snakehead (Channa argus) is a dangerous invasive species that can even wriggle on the ground, effectively making it a dangerous puddle-jumper that can move between lakes.
 

Read more, and see picture and video herehttp://www.businessinsider.com/invasive-snakehead-fish-in-central-park-2013-4
MAD SCIENCE NEWS -

REAL IRON MAN SUIT FOR SPACE TO EARTH JUMPING

 

 

This commercial space suit will include rocket boots, reality goggles, power gloves and movement gyros. The RL MARK VI will be ready for testing in 2016, and will enable people to make jumps from near-space, suborbital space, and low Earth orbit.
 
Felix Baumgartner managed to dive from 127,852 feet above the Earth in October 2012. It took him 4 minutes and 19 seconds before he opened his parachute.
 
Read more and see pictures of the suit and of Iron Man in action here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2330170/The-real-life-Iron-Man-suit-let-jump-space-land-WITHOUT-parachute-using-rocket-boots.html

Sunday, May 26, 2013

GOVERNMENT CONTROL NEWS - 

MONSANTO RESISTANT BEES ILEGALLY SEIZED

Years of research on bees destroyed


The Illinois Agriculture Department illegally seized privately owned bees from renowned naturalist, Terrence Ingram, without providing him with a search warrant and before the court hearing on the matter, reports Prairie Advocate News

Behind the obvious violations of his Constitutional rights is Monsanto. Ingram was researching Roundup’s effects on bees, which he’s raised for 58 years. "They ruined 15 years of my research," he told Prairie Advocate, by stealing most of his stock.

Inspectors claim that the colonies were infected by bacterial disease.  Ingram wanted to prove that his bees did not have such infection, and planned to do so at a hearing set in April, but the state seized his bees at the end of March. They have not returned them and no one at the Agriculture Department seems to know where his bees are.

The bees may have been destroyed, but there is speculation that they may have been turned over to Monsanto to find out why they are resistant to Roundup.  Without the bees as evidence, Ingram cannot prove his colonies were healthy.

Worse, all his queens died after his property was inspected outside of his presence and without a warrant.

Of note, Illinois beekeepers are going underground after Ingram’s experience and refuse to register their hives, in case the state tries to steal their private property on phony claims.

Read morehttp://www.pakalertpress.com/2013/05/26/illinois-illegally-seizes-bees-resistant-to-monsantos-roundup-kills-remaining-queens/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pakalert+%28Pak+Alert+Press%29

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Natural News reports:

Of particular interest was Ingram's extensive research on Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, which began several years ago when hundreds of Ingram's hives had died.

He later determined that Roundup sprayings near his property were to blame, which prompted him to actively research the subject and closely monitor his hives in conjunction with this research from that point onward.




What he gathered, and subsequently taught to others, was concrete evidence that Roundup kills bees. 

He also used this information and his many years of experience to develop and refine ways of growing strong, chemical-free bees in spite of Roundup sprayings, a move that apparently upset the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Read more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035920_beekeeper_Illinois_raid.html

In interview with the Prairie Advocate, Ingram asked, "Is Illinois becoming a police state, where citizens do not have rights?"  (See below.)


SOURCE WITH EXTENDED REPORT AND INTERVIEW HERE on the Prairie Advocate:  http://www.pacc-news.com/5-2-12/heart_ingram5_2_12.html

RELATED ARTICLES:  http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Bees
TECHNOLOGY NEWS -
 

NORWAY TO BUILD TUNNEL FOR SHIPS

 

 

Norway's government announced plans for the first tunnel for large ships, to help them navigate a hazardous section of the country's southwestern coast.
 
The 1.7 kilometre (1 mile) Stad Maritime Tunnel will be carved into a mountain and link two fjords.
 
Tunnels already exist for barges, but the Stad tunnel will be used by large cargo and passenger ships up to 16,000 tonnes.
 
Read morehttp://www.thelocal.no/20130413/norway-wants-to-build-worlds-first-tunnel-for-ships

ALLIANCE BETWEEN CARNIVOROUS PLANTS AND ANTS

ANIMAL AND PLANT NEWS -

ALLIANCE BETWEEN CARNIVOROUS PLANTS AND ANTS

 
 Mutualism in the Borneo jungle:
 
Carnivorous plants team up with ants to prevent mosquito larvae from eating the plant's nutrients. 
 
A particular species of ant can walk at leisure all over the carnivorous plant without worry of being eaten.  These ants consume the plant's nectar, and some insects that fall into the plant's trap. 
 
In addition to their debugging work by aggressively eating up mosquito larvae, the busy ants also do housekeeping by maintaining the traps clean.
 
All that was known until now was that the plants with ants thrived, and those without them didn't do so well.  

New research demonstrates that there is a flow of nutrients from the ants to their plant hosts. After ants eat the larvae, they fertilize the plant with their dung, which is full of nutrients.

Read morehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130522180304.htm
ANIMAL NEWS -

YES, CATS ARE BETTER AT DRINKING TOO

 

 


Super-high-speed cameras prove that felines are more efficient at drinking than dogs.

See the evidence for yourself - the videos:


PS - I was a dog person all my life, until I met Sonja the cat. This extraordinary feline changed my life.  She has passed on, but her spirit remains everywhere around me.  I now have another feline companion  who, like Sonja, is also my teacher.
 
I still adore dogs but I don't have the dedication to take a dog out in bad weather with snow, torrential rain and windstorms.  Not for me.
FRACKING ISSUES -

GERMAN BEER DRINKERS AGAINST FRACKING

 

 


An unlikely ally of environmentalists has risen in Germany, with beer drinkers protesting against the endangering of water purity due to fracking - which would detrimentally affect beer quality. 
 
Germans take their beer extremely seriously. Germany is Europe's biggest producer of beer and has the third-largest per-capita consumption after the Czech Republic and Austria.  For them beer is like a food group all in itself. So they organized and sent a letter to the government.  Their opposition to fracking is legally based on the water purity law dating back from 1516
 
With pressure mounting from German industry to at least look into the option of tapping its shale gas reserves, Merkel's centre-right coalition is working on a law setting out the conditions for exploration that would protect certain areas.
Given resistance from opposition parties which could block the law in the upper house of parliament, it is unlikely that a law on fracking will be passed before an election in September.

More information

http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/german-brewers-oppose-fracking-because-of-fear-over-clean-water-a-901474.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/10076467/Fracking-could-ruin-German-beer-industry-brewers-tell-Angela-Merkel.html

FRACKING - or hydraulic fracturing - is a way of bringing up natural gas by pumping water and chemicals into the ground. This practice has unleashed devastation on underground water and air quality wherever it has been implemented.

More on frackinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing

Gasland, the movie - information  - http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/whats-fracking

Anti-fracking activism in America - http://ecowatch.com/p/energy/fracking-2/

Danger of fracking in earthquake-prone California - http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-fracking-legislation-california-20130526,0,1971612.story

RELATED:  ARSENIC CONTENT IN GERMAN BEER EXCEEDS SAFETY LIMITS
Scientists tested about 150 varieties of beer and found as much as 24 micrograms of arsenic per litter. The limit for water is 10 micrograms.
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/04/health-news-arsenic-in-german-beers-new.html

UPDATE - GERMANY SHELVES PLANS FOR FRACKING - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives dropped plans for a draft law on "fracking" for the time being amid concerns by some coalition allies about the oil and gas extraction technique
 http://www.breitbart.com/system/wire/CNG---3f6c7e1805db2d942630058b5660eb96---201

Friday, May 24, 2013

PHYSICS NEWS -

IF YOU'RE CRAZY ABOUT PHYSICS

 

 

You'll love a picture of the first ever direct observation with a quantum microscope of an atom’s electron orbital — an atom's actual wave function!.  An orbital structure is the space in an atom that’s occupied by an electron.  Up to now scientists have never been able to actually observe the wave function.

For all the intriguing details read here: http://io9.com/the-first-image-ever-of-a-hydrogen-atoms-orbital-struc-509684901

And here:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2331882/Atom-pictures-Never-seen-images-inside-atom-revealed-Dutch-scientists-impossible-photograph-inside-hydrogen-particle.html
ANIMAL ISSUES -

MONARCH BUTTERFLIES REMEMBER A VANISHED MOUNTAIN

 

 


During their migration south, monarch butterflies fly over Lake Superior and at one point they veer east and then south again. Why do they do this?
 
Scientists believe that in the distant past a mountain used to block their path. The old flight map is still embedded in their genes, and they follow it, although the mountain was eroded away a long time ago.
 
Monarch butterflies are some of the toughest insects in the world. They migrate from southern Canada to Central Mexico.  The journey outlasts their individual lifetimes, so they lay eggs along the route. No one generation makes the whole trip.
 
Read morehttp://io9.com/butterflies-remember-a-mountain-that-hasnt-existed-for-509321799

And for a little geology, I'd like to recommend Ghost Mountains and Vanished Oceans by John Wilson.  I really enjoyed this book about ancient geological changes in what is now Canada and the United States.
http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Mountains-Vanished-Oceans-America/dp/1554700477

ANIMAL STORIES -
 

THE CUTE, THE ADORABLE, AND THE STRANGE

 

 



POLAR BEAR CUBS PESTER THEIR MOM TILL THEY GET THE BALL - Mom was being a ball hogger, so the cubs managed to get the ball away from her. See great pictures of the Bear family at play at the Brno Zoo in the Czech Republic.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328499/We-want-play-Adorable-polar-bear-cubs-prove-pester-power-pays-finally-getting-ball-mum.html


SUPER CUTE PRAIRIE DOGS
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328588/Cute-prairie-dogs-appear-cup-faces-kiss-adorable-pictures.html


VIDEO OF DENTAL HYGIENIST DOG CLEANING LION'S TEETH - What was he thinking!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9pJSM3Wjlw


DUCK AND DOG BEST FRIENDS FOR YEARS - AND MORE ODD ANIMAL FRIENDSHIPS http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/good-news/odd-couple-dog-duck-unlikely-best-friends-163012741.html
ECOLOGY NEWS -

MYSTERIOUS ISLAND FULL OF POLAR BEARS AND MAMMOTH BONES

 

 

Wrangel Island is a 91 mile long island off the coast of Siberia.  It was the last mammoth refuge before they were completely wiped out by man about 4,000 years ago.  All that remains are huge mounds of mammoth tusks and bones.

Today it is the world's biggest breeding place for polar bears. In addition there are large numbers of seals, walrus, and lemmings.

The first recorded modern times landing took place by the Americans in 1881, who claimed the island for the United States.  The expedition included naturalist John Muir, who published the first description of Wrangel Island. 
 
Other explorers followed, and you can read its colorful history here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrangel_Island
 
The Russians eventually established sovereignty over the island and today it is a protected nature preserve.  You need official permission from the goverment to visit.

Hampton Sides wrote about his sojourn on Wrangel Island for the National Geographic.

Excerpt:

Though Arctic animals have long flourished on Wrangel, people most emphatically have not. Lying 88 miles off the coast of northeastern Siberia, Wrangel was for centuries little more than a rumor, a mirage, a fog-gauzed dream. Perhaps it was an island, perhaps a continent, perhaps a magical gateway to the Pole.

Throughout much of the 19th century “Wrangell Land” functioned as a kind of ultima Thule, a hypothetical realm just beyond the veil of the known world. Before its existence was proved, Wrangel Island went by a succession of tentative names: Tikegen Land, Plover Island, Kellett Land. Wrangel loomed in cartographers’ imaginations—some even surmised that it was an extension of Greenland that stretched clear across the Pole.

Scientists who come here say there is something peculiarly haunting and powerful about this raw Pleistocene landscape secreted near the roof of the world.You feel as though you’ve come to the end of the Earth,” says University of Michigan mammoth paleontologist Daniel Fisher.

“It’s such a pristine environment,” says Irina Menyushina, who has spent 32 seasons on Wrangel Island conducting snowy owl and arctic fox studies. “You feel yourself so close to the primeval processes of the universe.”

Read more here:  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/05/wrangel-island/sides-text

NPR article and interview with Hampton Siles - http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2013/05/06/180932256/a-picture-postcard-from-wild-wrangel-island

UNESCO page for Wrangel Island (with photos) - http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1023

Thursday, May 23, 2013

NUCLEAR ISSUES -
 

LIST OF NUKES LOST SOMEWHERE

 

 


Based on the book  A Short History of Nuclear Folly by Rudolph Herzog, Business Insider has posted an interactive map to locate the "Broken Arrows", a term used for lost nukes, and accidents involving nuclear weapons or nuclear material.
 
Example:  Date: November 10, 1950 - Location: Quebec, Canada
A B-50 jettisoned a Mark 4 bomb over the St. Lawrence River near Riviere-du-Loup, about 300 miles northeast of Montreal. The weapon’s HE [high explosive] detonated on impact. Although lacking its essential plutonium core, the explosion did scatter nearly 100 pounds (45 kg) of uranium. The plane later landed safely at a U.S. Air Force base in Maine.
 
Example:  Date: March 10, 1956 - Location: Exact Location Unknown
Carrying two nuclear capsules on a nonstop flight from MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida to an overseas base, a B-47 was reported missing. It failed to make contact with a tanker over the Mediterranean for a second refueling. No trace was ever found of the plane.


READ MORE
: http://www.businessinsider.com/list-of-broken-arrow-nuclear-accidents-2013-5

These are the ones we know about. There are countless other nukes that may have been stolen or ilegally sold during the breakup of the Soviet empire and that are laying around somewhere.
 
The truth is that it is a miracle that there hasn't been a major nuclear attack yet, considering the carelessness of their owners, and the number of people who would like to make a "nuclear statement" to the world.  The "Dancing on the Titanic" metaphor never seemed more apt.
 
Recently the US Air Force removed 17 nuclear officers from authority at nuclear silos because of issues of discipline and incompetency. - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/05/nuclear-news-us-air-force-removes-17.html
 
More articles on the nuclear issue  - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Nuclear
 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

NUCLEAR NEWS -

HANFORD PLUTONIUM LEAK HIDDEN FROM PUBLIC

 

 


Hanford officials hid evidence of plutonium leak from advisory panel
 
A government-chartered advisory panel was told last September that materials spotted outside the inner wall of a tank holding radioactive waste at the Hanford Site were possibly the result of a "carbonate buildup," “cross-contamination” or "rainwater leakage."
 
But internal emails obtained by KING 5, written by the government contractor carrying the multi-billion-dollar contract to manage the tanks, show that tests conducted weeks earlier had already confirmed that the materials found in the safety space of the double-shell tank were highly radioactive.

The leak of a double-shell tank is seen by nuclear policy experts as one of the most significant setbacks at Hanford in the last decade. There are 28 such tanks at the facility, holding millions of gallons of radioactive waste generated by decades of plutonium production.

Hanford is a nuclear and toxic storage facility located in the state of Washington.  It is considered the most contaminated site in the western world.


Hat Tip tohttp://enenews.com/amazing-plutonium-leak-at-u-s-nuclear-site-hidden-from-public-official-a-very-deliberate-cover-up-i-will-use-the-word-that-we-were-lied-to-video

Sourcehttp://www.king5.com/news/investigators/Hanford-officials-hid-leak-evidence-from-advisory-panel-208417861.html

More information on Hanford: http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Hanford


HEALTH NEWS -

SECOND HAND SMOKE CAUSES BRAIN DAMAGE IN CHILDREN

 

 


This is because their brain is still developing.  Even temporary exposure to second hand smoke can cause life-long damage for children under ten.  These children tend to be more anti-social and aggressive than those not explosed to smoke.

Read morehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2328458/Babies-breathe-second-hand-smoke-likely-aggressive-adults.html

Additional information:

Tobacco contains highly toxic compounds not regulated by law - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121001095443.htm
BOTANY NEWS -

 

FORESTS THAT GLOW GREEN IN THE NIGHT

 

 


Sometimes this glow is so strong that people call the Park Service hazmat team. But it's all a natural phenomenon known as foxfire produced by the jack-o-lantern mushroom.
How bioluminescence works: When the pigment luciferin and the enzyme luciferase combine in the presence of oxygen, the reaction produces energy, which is released as light.
It's the same reaction that lights up the firefly. Unlike the firefly, the mushroom can't turn the process off and on at will, and so glows all the time. During the day or on bright nights, we already see so much light that we don't notice the dim glow of the foxfire.

More information and pictures here: http://io9.com/when-forests-glow-green-in-the-night-505135959

The bioluminescence phenomenon - nature glows everywhere: ocean plankton, fish, and assorted other animals - http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/21011428

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

TECHNOLOGY NEWS -

NASA 3D MACHINE TO MAKE FOOD OUT OF BUGS

 

 


In view of earth's looming food shortage, NASA is now investing in a 3D printer which can create food out of insects, grass and algae.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328816/When-Star-Trek-reality-NASA-build-universal-food-synthesizer-create-3D-food-printer-insects-algae.html

What do those scientists know about future food shortages that we don't?

Well, after they've overfished and poisoned the oceans with toxics and nuclear waste, and destroyed all good seeds with their GMO tinkering, and killed all the bees and other pollinators, maybe bugs and algae will be all that will be left for us to eat. Bon appetit
TORNADO NEWS -

SURVIVOR FINDS HER LOST DOG WHILE TALKING TO TV REPORTERS

 


Elderly woman who lost the dog she was holding in her arms when a strong tornado smashed her house and neighborhood in Moore, Oklahoma, two days ago, found him while speaking to a TV reporter.

Watch as she is left without words, just saying "Oh, Oh, Oh!" - so moved to find her canine friend crawling out of the rubble. Then she says God had answered her two prayers, by saving her and her beloved little dog.

http://houston.cbslocal.com/2013/05/21/woman-finds-dog-lost-during-tornado-while-being-interviewed/

The tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, was a very rare EF5, the strongest type that exists.


More information about the Moore tornado:

The children... victims and survivors. And what's left of the community. Very heartbreaking photos.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328000/Oklahoma-tornado-2013-7-children-drowned-Plaza-Towers-Elementary-school-Moore.html

The teacher heroine, injured as she protected her pupils - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328664/Oklahoma-tornado-2013-First-grade-teacher-impaled-metal-pole-twister.html

Elementary school in Tornado Alley could not afford a storm shelter. - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328664/Oklahoma-tornado-2013-First-grade-teacher-impaled-metal-pole-twister.html

Bigger than Hiroshima - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328834/Bigger-Hiroshima-Monster-tornado-measuring-17-miles-long-1-3-miles-wide-600-TIMES-powerful-atomic-bomb-NASA-releases-images-twister-space.html

Bank customers and employees ride out the tornado in the vault - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328837/Oklahoma-tornado-2013-Bank-customers-employees-ride-Oklahoma-tornado-inside-vault-survive-rest-building-crumbles.html

More tornado videos:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50147376n
VOLCANO ISSUES -

THE YELLOWSTONE SUPERVOLCANO ERUPTION

 


WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE?

Lurking beneath Yellowstone National Park is a massive underground reservoir of magma, capped by the park's famous caldera. 640,000 years ago, a super eruption rocked the region. What would happen if another such event blasted the park today? USGS geologist Jake Lowenstern, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, answers.
Most of the real damage comes from ejecta that's airborne. But it's not fiery death from above. Instead, most damage would come from "cold ash" and pumice borne on the wind, which would be disastrous.

Read morehttp://io9.com/what-will-really-happen-when-yellowstone-volcano-has-a-508274690

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One of the most destructive effects of a supervolcano eruption is ash falling on agricultural fields. It does not only fall on the area surrounding the eruption, but it travels with the wind all around the globe, disrupting climate and spoiling agricultural fields everywhere.  Depending on the area affected, famine would follow
Let's also remember that air and ground transportation would be severely disrupted by ash during the first few weeks after the eruption, thus impeding efforts to assist those most affected.

Additional references -

Yellowstone volume of molten magma is much larger than previously thought
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/04/volcano-news-yellowstone-supervolcano.html

http://io9.com/yellowstones-megavolcano-is-more-terrifying-than-we-ev-476149605

Yellowstone, where will it erupt - http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/09/120920-yellowstone-supervolcano-prediction-volcanoes-science-environment/

FUKUSHIMA NEWS -
 

NO SOLUTION TO GROWING LAND AND SEA NUCLEAR CONTAMINATION

 

 


RUNNING OUT OF SPACE TO STORE NON-ENDING AMOUNT OF CONTAMINATED WATER. 

THEIR PROPOSAL: DILUTE IT AND DUMP IT INTO THE SEA!!!

This Japan Times report explains in clear English the mechanics behind the ongoing efforts to deal with the apparently unfixable Fukushima nuclear disaster.  Here are excerpts from that report.
 
Why is radioactive water accumulating and how much is there?
 
As of May 7, Tepco had routed 290,000 tons of radioactive water into huge tanks at the complex, but 94,500 tons remain inside the basement floors of the reactor buildings and other facilities.
 
Tepco must perpetually pour water over the melted cores of reactors to prevent the fuel from melting and burning again.
 
But the cores’ containment vessels were damaged by the meltdowns, allowing the highly radioactive coolant water to leak and flow into the basements.
 
The dangerous radiation levels have prevented workers from getting close enough to fully assess the damage, let alone start the decommissioning process.
 
Compounding the problem is some 400 tons of groundwater that is also entering the basements of the tsunami- and explosion-damaged buildings, mixing with the leaking coolant water.
 
Tepco has been operating a water-recycling system to drain the basements that is supposed to extract cesium before recirculating the water back to the reactors. But the added inflow of the groundwater is exacerbating the threat.
 
In response, all Tepco has been able to do is build more storage tanks.
 
What problems will the water eventually pose?
 
Tepco says there is a limit to how many tanks the complex can accommodate before the site runs out of storage space. 
 
Tepco is proposing some of the water be dumped into the sea after processing it to remove most, but not all, radioactive isotopes. Local fishermen strongly oppose the plan as it will taint the image of their produce.
 
Previous discharges into the Pacific have effectively contaminated the sea. Failure to store it means it will probably flood the whole compound and end up in the ocean anyway.
 
Neither Tepco nor government experts have come up with any other viable solutions.
 
Will the processed water pose health or environmental risks?
 
According to Tepco, the processed water could theoretically be safe, but fishermen and consumers disagree.
 
Tepco says the tritium level in the contaminated water is between 1 million and 5 million becquerels per liter. The legal limit is 60,000.
 
Tepco thus wants to dilute the water to bring the tritium density below the legal limit by dumping it into the sea.
 
Tritium, a common hazard at nuclear plants, can increase the risk of cancer if ingested and has a half life of 12.3 years. It is about 1,000th as radioactive as cesium-134 and -137.
 
Are there other concerns over water-related facilities?
 
Tepco revealed on April 5 that radioactive water stored in makeshift cisterns with coamings and surface covers were leaking into the soil.
 
This forced the utility to stop using the reservoirs, which were basically lined trenches with lids, and pump some 24,000 tons of tainted water out of them and into aboveground tanks.
 
The transfer is expected to be finished later this month.
 
Hat tip:  ENENEWS with readers' comments - http://enenews.com/japan-times-discharges-of-nuclear-material-into-the-pacific-from-fukushima-have-effectively-contaminated-the-sea-melted-reactor-cores-will-burn-again-if-water-not-perpetually-poured-in-t

SOURCEhttp://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/21/reference/fukushima-no-1-cant-keep-its-head-above-tainted-water/#.UZpXQ2fYGTc

Monday, May 20, 2013

PICTURES -

SUBWAY STATIONS - THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE FORGOTTEN

 

 


io9 has published some amazing pictures of both beautiful subway stations, and those that have been abandoned.

First, the beautiful ones:

http://io9.com/eye-poppingly-gorgeous-underground-stations-from-around-508669563

And then the eerie and abandoned ones:

http://io9.com/the-subterranean-wonder-of-abandoned-subway-stations-469821755

If you are a writer, they can inspire scenes for your next novel or short story.
EARTH NEWS -
 

SEVEN SIGNS WE ARE HEADED FOR A MASS EXTINCTION

 

 


Some of those signs:

-  Earth is bubbling with supervolcanos.
 
Invasive species are everywhere. They can eat all the food starving out local creatures who can't migrate easily.
 
Climate by definition is a process of change. This change seems to be accelerating in the last decades, not allowing species to either adapt of migrate.
 
Ocean acidification.  We should also add overfishing and dumping of plastics and other toxic and nuclear waste.

Read morehttp://io9.com/7-signs-we-are-heading-for-a-mass-extinction-5950630

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We are familiar with iconic species disappearing due to human actions, such as the polar bear, of course, and elephants, rhinos, and bees.  But there are countless other less popular disappearing species that play a key role in their ecosystems. Their dwindling or disappearance can precipitate a cascade of other extinctions. 
 
Where is the tipping point? Who knows.  But we should remember how living things have a huge influence on Earth's climate. 

The Gaia Hypothesis  http://www3.geosc.psu.edu/~dmb53/DaveSTELLA/Daisyworld/gaia.htm
argues that it is the biosphere that regulates Earth's climate so as to make it more hospitable to life. If we mess with natural ecological equilibrium, we harvest disaster.  

Mass extinctions - http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/prehistoric-world/mass-extinction/
NUCLEAR NEWS -

HANFORD NUCLEAR WASTE MOVED ACROSS TOWN USING PARADE PERMIT

 

 


Richland in Washington state allows the short distance transportation of highly toxic radioactive waste using nothing more than a Special Events or Parade permit.
 
Sometimes the permits are issued for three-month periods and can be used any time after heavy traffic hours.
 
The agencies and companies use the permits to block intersections or create rolling stops while a truckload of radiation slowly creeps out of Hanford to a nearby contractor who will package it up and send it back

In one case, a contractor moved hazardous transuranic waste with a parade type permit because meeting federal transportation packaging standards would be “cost prohibitive for this one time movement of this material." 

It's perfectly legal. DOE officials say the shipments are just as safe under the city permit as they are under the federal rules. 

Handlers recently discover one shipment that violated radioactive safety standards, leading to a temporary suspension of the shipments.


Sourcehttp://www.king5.com/news/local/Hanford-waste-moved-across-town-with-parade-permit-207817741.html 

Physicians for Social Responsibility: Hanford is the most contaminated site in the Western World. - http://www.psr.org/chapters/washington/hanford/hanford-history.html

Hanford Watch - http://www.hanfordwatch.org/

More information on Hanfordhttp://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Hanford

GIANT BEE CITY

ANIMAL NEWS -

GIANT BEE CITY

 


See pictures of a 22ft-high man-made bee hive that is the equivalent of a very tall bee skyscraper. 
 
It's designed so that human visitors can watch bees at work without fear of getting stung.

The stainless steel tower is located in Buffalo, and was created by State University of New York students.

See pictures here:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2327613/Welcome-Hive-City-Inside-22ft-steel-tower-thats-home-5-000-bees.html
PICTURES -

THE INVISIBLE BEAUTY OF FLOWERS

 

 

These are the pictures I wish I was able to take with my camera. 
 
See flowers through an electron microscope.  Absolutely stunning in their intricate and elegant beauty. 
 
Some scientists pretend that nature can all be reduced to mathematical formulas, but look where math and that intelligence inherent to nature can lead. 
 
And there's nothing mathematical about the feelings that the beauty of flowers inspire in all of us either.

See pictures herehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2326995/The-invisible-beauty-flowers-Images-petals-leaves-pollen-captured-electron-microscope.html

Sunday, May 19, 2013

PICTURES -

 

A FOREST GROWS ATOP ABANDONED SHIP

 

 Absolutely surreal...

See picture of this mysterious forest-ship in Australia.  Real life can be stranger than art.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/06/a-102-year-old-transport-ship-sprouts-a-floating-forest/

http://io9.com/this-century-old-abandoned-ship-now-hosts-a-floating-fo-508563077
NUCLEAR NEWS -

NUCLEAR ACCIDENT BARELY AVOIDED IN GERMANY

 


SHIP WITH TONNES OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL AND EXPLOSIVES BURNS AT HAMBURG HARBOR.

Early this month a cargo ship with tonnes of radioactive and explosive materials caught fire in Hamburg. Firefighters were barely able to stop a much greater nuclear catastrophe by removing the dangerous containers out of the burning ship just in time before they exploded.

Authorities never warned the population, although there were tens of thousands just meters away celebrating an Evangelical church day.  Hamburg has almost two million inhabitants.

COVER UP: Hamburg Authorities chose not to warn the population during the fire, or to inform them after the accident.
 
After intense questioning by Green Party members, authorities were forced to confirm that the ship had been carrying around nine tonnes of dangerous radioactive uranium hexafluoride, a toxic chemical used in the nuclear industry, as well as four tonnes of explosives
 
It's within the law in Germany for ships to carry radioactive materials and explosives, even at the same time.

They also added that this type of shipment is common and perfectly legal in Germany. Radioactive material has been brought to the harbor 21 times in the past 3 months alone.

Hat tip: http://enenews.com/cover-up-burning-ship-with-tons-of-radioactive-material-dangerous-uranium-hexafluoride-explosives-tens-of-thousands-of-people-nearby-for-evangelical-church-day-public-not-told-of-near-ca

SOURCE: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20130517-49777.html#.UZZ4mmfYGTc

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Related:  The difficult task ahead of decommissioning German nuclear plants - http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-faces-tough-decisions-as-it-dismantles-nuclear-plants-a-899063.html
HEALTH NEWS -

HOW CO-WORKERS, A POSITIVE ATTITUDE, AND MUSIC AFFECT YOUR HEALTH

 

 


A POSITIVE OUTLOOK BETTER THAN EXERCISE FOR YOUR HEALTH

A researchers says that it's a myth that emotions are uncontrollable, and that people can indeed have a degree of control and choose positive emotions that lead to better health.
It's a virtuous circle. As you appear more cheerful, you attract people with a similar attitude, and it becomes "an upward spiral into better health", as positive relationships improve the quality of your life and physical and mental well being.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2323054/Dont-bother-gym-today-Positive-outlook-life-making-friends-good-diet-exercise.html

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JOB STRESS RAISES YOUR CHOLESTEROL LEVEL

When people say "this job makes me sick", they may not know it but this may be literally true.
A stressful job can kill by raising a worker's cholesterol levels. Researchers found that stressful situations affect the metabolism of fat, leading people to accumulate too much bad cholesterol. It's not clear yet, but it's possible that stress weakens the body's ability to discard excess cholesterol, or maybe stress triggers inflammation, which also increases cholesterol production.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2326132/A-stressful-job-really-CAN-kill--raising-cholesterol.html

RELATED: Your co-workers are killing you - http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/08/are-your-co-workers-killing-you/
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FRIENDLY COLLEAGES CAN CUT YOUR RISK OF DIABETES IN HALF

Researchers have found that people who work in a stressful job with unfriendly collegues are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, even in workers who appear to be healthy. They also found that people who have supportive coworkers are 22 per cent less likely to develop this disease.

Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2322536/Friendly-colleagues-workplace-cut-risk-diabetes-A-QUARTER.html

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FRIENDLY COLLEAGUES CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IF YOU HAVE A STRESSFUL JOB

For busy office workers, particularly those with parental duties, the office can become their social club, an opportunity to confide in someone and to establish strong and enduring friendships. Researchers found that even if two colleagues have little in common, their shared experiences and mutual support at work can help them cope with challenges and difficult bosses.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2325428/Office-colleagues-best-friends-EVER-make--especially-work-stressful-environment.html

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LISTENING TO MUSIC CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY

Duh! Of course. But researchers now have the science to prove it. They have found that actively seeking happiness through music can improve your health.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2325004/Listening-happy-music-really-CAN-make-happier-researchers.html
The part that is not convincing is that scientists credit happy music with elevating a person's mood only if that person is actively trying to feel happy. But we all know that listening to upbeat music has a positive effect on us, whether we want it or not.
I was watching an old movie the other day, Adventures in Babysitting, and it starts with a very cstchy tune (And then he kissed me, with The Crystals), with great beat and energy, and it's impossible to have one single negative thought while listening. The viewer's impulse is just to dance and bounce along with the music.

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