In August 2010, the Petermann Glacier along the north-western coast of Greenland calved an ice island roughly four times the size of Manhattan. Nearly a year later, on July 25, 2011, a piece of that ice island—named Petermann Ice Island-A (PII-A) – was still
The world’s largest database on plants’ functional properties, or traits, has been published. Scientists compiled three million traits for 69,000 out of the world’s 300,000 plant species. The achievement rests on a worldwide collaboration of scientists from 106
Sunspot 1260 has developed a delta-class magnetic field that harbors energy for powerful X-class solar flares. Such an eruption today would be Earth-directed as the sunspot turns to face our planet.Sunspot 1260 is leading a parade of big sunspots across the solar
Officials declared a disaster in Dominica, after rainfall caused a dam to fail Wednesday night. It appears several inches of rain fell in a few hours during big thunderstorms. That rainfall was channeled down the mountainside into a small reservoir, overtopping the
Russia on Thursday sweltered in abnormally hot summer weather as the emergency services sought to control expanding countryside blazes to prevent a repeat of last year’s devastating wildfires. The central city of Volgograd was Russia’s hottest city with temperatures
Another weather disturbance has entered the Philippine area of responsibility Thursday afternoon which is expected to bring more rains in Luzon and Visayas this weekend. Kabayan would not directly hit any part of the country but the weather disturbance is expected
For migratory birds and sea turtles, the ability to sense the Earth's magnetic field is crucial to navigating the long-distance voyages these animals undertake during migration. Humans, however, are widely assumed not to have an innate magnetic sense. A research…
A surprise meteor shower spotted in February was likely caused by cosmic “bread crumbs” dropped by an undiscovered comet that could potentially pose a threat to Earth.The tiny meteoroids that streaked through Earth’s atmosphere for a few hours on Feb. 4 represent a
Geologists in the Philippines warn of further landslides in the wake of Tropical Storm Nock-Ten.According to the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), at least 31 people are now confirmed dead and more than 600,000 have been
NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has found the very first asteroid that (more or less) shares an orbit with Earth! Called 2010 TK7, this asteroid is about 300 meters (roughly 1000 feet) across, and is the first in an up-to-now theoretical class of
