• New island could be born near El Hierro

    The bubbling caused by the steam and eddies from the underwater eruption is recorded on the island of El Hierro and is visible today from the highlands of the fishing village of La Restinga. The spot that appeared on Wednesday off the coast of La Restinga is technically

  • Agricultural fires polluted the air over eastern China

    Haze filled the air over the coastal plain of eastern China in early October 2011. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image on October 7, 2011.A long band of haze, roughly 100 kilometers wide, extends

  • When will the 7 billionth human be born?

    On 31 October, a newborn baby somewhere in the world will become the 7 billionth member of the human race. Or so says the UN – alternatively, this date could be at least a year too early. Behind the UN’s patina of certainty may lie outdated and unreliable census data.

  • Comet Elenin’s debris to pass by Earth on Sunday

    The moment long feared by conspiracy theorists is nearly upon us: The "doomsday comet" Elenin will make its closest approach to Earth Sunday (Oct. 16). Or what's left of it will, anyway. Comet Elenin started breaking up in August after being blasted by…

  • Severe thunderstorms and hail hit southeast Queensland, Australia

    South-east Queensland in Australia was battered by a series of severe thunderstorms late on Saturday. The Australian Weather Bureau said sustained winds of 80 km/h were recorded in the Brisbane area. Thousands were left without electricity when strong winds brough down

  • Is Icelandic volcano preparing to blow?

    Katla, one of the largest volcanoes in Iceland, appears to be preparing for a long overdue eruption, scientists say. The volcano has a history of erupting about twice a century. With its last eruption having come in 1918, 93 years ago, it is well behind

  • Farside CME hurled toward Mercury and Venus

    An active region on the far side of the sun erupted on October 14 and hurled a significant coronal mass ejection toward Mercury and Venus. Analysts at the Goddard Space Flight Center expect the cloud to hit the innermost planet on October 15 around 08:30 UTC….

  • Magnitude 6.1 – Amurskaya Oblast’, Russia

    The Russian Academy of Sciences report a magnitude of 6.0 at a depth of 15 km. After recalculation USGS gives a magnitude of 6.1 at location 130 km (80 miles) SSW of Tynda, Russia, 211 km (131 miles) NNW of Tahe, Heilongjiang, China and 265 km (164 miles) E of Mogocha,

  • Magnitude 6.7 – Eastern New Guinea, Papua New Guinea

    A very strong earthquake at intermediate depth occurred very close to the PNG town of Finschhafen. Magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Eastern New Guinea region with location 103 km (64 miles) E of Lae, New Guinea, 184 km (114 miles) WSW of Kandrian, New Britain, 323 km