US Declares The Largest Natural Disaster Area Ever Due To Severe Drought

U.S. Declares Drought-Stricken States Largest Natural Disaster Area Ever -- The Lookout/Yahoo News

The United States Department of Agriculture has declared natural disaster areas in more than 1,000 counties and 26 drought-stricken states, making it the largest natural disaster in America ever.

The declaration—which covers roughly half of the country—gives farmers and ranchers devastated by drought access to federal aid, including low-interest emergency loans.

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More News On The US Declaring The Largest Natural Disaster Area Ever Due To Severe Drought

Disaster Declared in 26 States as Drought Sears U.S. -- Bloomberg
U.S. Declares the Largest Natural Disaster Area Ever Due to Drought -- The Atlantic
USDA Declares Biggest Disaster Ever -- Newser

My Comment: This will not only mean higher food prices in the U.S., but also higher prices worldwide. In a world where even small swings in the price of food commodities an bring about disaster, one can then only expect a future of even more unrest and suffering in regions that are dependent on this food aid and assistance.

New Pluto Moon Discovered By The Hubble Space Telescope

Image Credit: NASA, ESA and M. Showaler (SETI Institute)

New Pluto Moon Discovered -- Red Orbit

Scientists announced on Wednesday they have discovered the smallest moon yet, orbiting around the dwarf planet Pluto.

The discovery was made by a team of scientists who used the Hubble Space Telescope to scout out Pluto’s neighborhood ahead of a NASA spacecraft that is scheduled to arrive in 2015.

The new moon, known as P5 currently, appeared as a small fleck in the Hubble images, and scientists believe it is about 6 to 15 miles across.

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My Comment: Incredible. This new moon is only 6 - 15 miles across .... but it can still be spotted by the Hubble telescope.

Tree-Rings Prove Climate Was WARMER In Roman And Medieval Times Than It Is Now

Global cooling: It is the first time that researchers have been able to accurately measure trends in global temperature over the last two millennia

Tree-Rings Prove Climate Was WARMER In Roman And Medieval Times Than It Is Now - And World Has Been Cooling For 2,000 Years -- Daily Mail

* Study of semi-fossilised trees gives accurate climate reading back to 138BC
* World was warmer in Roman and Medieval times than it is now

How did the Romans grow grapes in northern England? Perhaps because it was warmer than we thought.

A study suggests the Britain of 2,000 years ago experienced a lengthy period of hotter summers than today.

German researchers used data from tree rings – a key indicator of past climate – to claim the world has been on a ‘long-term cooling trend’ for two millennia until the global warming of the twentieth century.

This cooling was punctuated by a couple of warm spells.

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My Comment: More fuel to the climate warming debate.

Truvada Drug Trials Signal 'Turning Point' In The Battle Against AIDS

Truvada Drug Trials Signal 'Turning Point' In AIDS Epidemic -- USA Today

A trio of new studies highlights the promise and challenges of preventing the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS: Giving anti-AIDS drugs to healthy but high-risk patients can dramatically reduce the risk of infection.

Two studies from Africa in heterosexual patients found that the drugs reduced the rate of HIV infection by 62% to 75%, a success rate that's comparable to results from studies of gay men, according to research in today's New England Journal of Medicine. A third study in African women at high risk of infection, however, was ended early after researchers saw the drugs had no effect on HIV rates, largely because fewer than 40% of study participants took their pills as instructed.

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My Comment: Say what they want .... the battle against AIDS is a long battle that will years (if ever) to succeed.

Could Wine Reduce The Chance Of Arthritis by half?

Drink up: Women who drink three glasses of wine a week could be halving their risk of arthritis

Three Glasses Of Wine A Week Could Reduce Chance Of Arthritis By Half -- Daily Mail

* Around 400,000 Britons are affected by rheumatoid arthritis and the majority are women, aged 40 to 70

The next time someone offers you a glass of wine, be grateful – it could save you from the agony of arthritis.

Women who indulge in moderate drinking halve the risk of certain forms of the illness, researchers have found.

Swedish academics found that women who drank at least three medium-sized glasses of wine a week - or the equivalent in beer or spirits - were up to 52 per cent less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.

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My Comment: I will drink to that.

Was This Mercedes Hitler's Car?

The owner of an auto repair shop in New Jersey believed this 1942 Mercedes once belonged to Adolf Hitler. It did not. But it did belong to a Nazi general. Christopher Gregory/The New York Times

N.J. Car Dealer: Mercedes Bought Online Was "Hitler's Car" -- CBS News

(CBS News) EDGEWATER, N.J. - An auto repair shop owner was shocked to find out that a Mercedes-Benz he purchased over the Internet for a customer has strong ties to Adolf Hitler.

"He was surprised," Zenop Tuncer, owner of Euro Tech Motors, told CBSNews.com in recalling his conversation with the customer. "We were all surprised!"

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Update: It is not Hitler's 'car'.

How New Scanners Will Revolutionize Security And Warfare

Cutting the queues: The laser scanners will be ten million faster than existing security scanning technology, which would presumably shorten lines at airports but also cause privacy issues

Homeland Security Buys 'Big Brother' Laser Scanner That Can Tell If You Are High, What You Are Carrying And Even What You Had For Breakfast... From 50 Meters Away -- Daily Mail

The latest scanners acquired by the U.S. government will be able detect the most minute traces of molecular discrepancies in both individuals' bloodstream and carry on luggage from 50 meters away.

Using advanced laser technology, Picosecond Programmable Laser scanners will show traces of drugs, chemicals, weapons, and even food you recently digested at the push of a button.

A non-governmental company originally developed the technology but has since partnered with the Department of Homeland Security, implying that the scanners will likely be deployed throughout airports and other high-risk areas.

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My Comment: The security and military applications for this tech .... which is portable .... is astounding.

The Age Man Suit

The Age Man Suit, which has ear-protectors that stifle hearing and a yellow visor that blurs eyesight.

Suit Lets Medical Students Experience Symptoms Of Old Age -- The Guardian

The Age Man Suit, developed by German scientists, is designed to make future doctors aware of older people's needs

It's nothing if not depressing. I drop a coin on the floor and bend down to pick it up. The bending is laborious and with it comes the risk of toppling over. My head is heavy and moving it causes dizziness. And there's still that coin to pick up – a five-cent piece, which, with my clumsy hands whose fingers are not very flexible and lacking a proper sense of touch – seems to defy my attempts to grab it, five, six times. Those around me joke: "Hurry up, grandma, we haven't got all day."

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My Comment: I am 52 years old .... and I feel the years already. Can only imagine what I will feel like when I am 72 .... or .... here is a scary thought .... when I am 92.

Advances In Telescopes Will Make It Possible To View Exoplanets By Hiding Interfering Starlight

Sifting Starlight These two images show HD 157728, a nearby star 1.5 times larger than the sun. The star is centered in both images, and its light has been mostly removed by an adaptive optics system and coronagraph belonging to Project 1640, which uses new technology on the Palomar Observatory's 200-inch Hale telescope to spot planets. Project 1640/NASA-JPL

New Telescope Optics Can Directly View Exoplanets By Hiding Interfering Starlight -- Popular Science

For now, the thousands of potential exoplanets discovered in the past two years are little more than curvy dips on a graph. Astronomers using the Kepler Space Telescope pick them out by examining the way they blot out their own stars’ light as they move through their orbits. But if astronomers could block out the stars themselves, they may be able to see the planets directly. A new adaptive optics system on the storied Palomar Observatory just started doing that — it’s the first of its kind capable of spotting planets outside our solar system.

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My Comment: I am now looking forward to see some interesting sights.

The Crusaders' Last Stand

Buried treasure: The coins - worth a fortune even in 1265 when they were thought to have been buried - were deliberately hidden inside a broken jug to prevent them being discovered

The Crusaders' Last Stand: Pot Of Gold Worth £300,000 Found In Fortress Where It Was Buried By Doomed Force Of Christian Knights -- Daily Mail

* Pot of gold 'Dinals' were buried by Crusaders as enemy forces closed in
* 100 coins worth up to $5000 each
* Remained hidden in fortress since 1265
* Hidden inside broken jug to prevent conquerors taking treasure

A pot of gold from the Crusades worth up to $500,000 has been found buried in an ancient Roman fortress in Israel.

The coins were buried by Christian soldiers of the order of the Knights Hospitalier as the Crusaders faced an unstoppable attack by a huge Muslim army.

The knights were annihilated in April 1265.

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My Comment: Buried for almost 750 years .... what a remarkable story it can tell.

Priciest Car Accident Ever? $31-Million Ferrari Crashes In France

A Ferrari 250 GTO is seen at Retromobile 2012 Convention at Parc des Expositions Porte de Versailles (July 10, 2012)

Priciest Accident Ever? $31-Million Ferrari Crashes In France -- L.A. Times

It was a prized Ferrari, one of a rare model known as the “Picasso of motoring” that is often included by elite automobile magazines among the top wheels in the world.

Now its owner, American businessman Christopher Cox, has a new and less desirable distinction: Driver in what could be the most costly car crash ever seen.

The Ferrari 250 GTO smashed into another car last week during a parade of pricey race cars through France, breaking the leg of his wife Ann Cox and sending two passengers in the other car to the hospital, the British newspaper Metro reported.

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My Comment: That hurts.

Breeding GM Mosquitoes To Stop The Spread Of Dengue Fever

Scientists To Breed GM Mosquitoes To Stop Spread Of Dengue Fever -- The Telegraph

Huge numbers of genetically modified mosquitoes are to be breed by scientists in Brazil to help stop the spread of dengue fever, an illness that has already struck nearly 500,000 people this year nationwide.

Dengue affects between 50 and 100 million people in the tropics and subtropics each year, causing fever, muscle and joint ache as well as potentially fatal dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome.

The disease is caused by four strains of virus that are spread by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. There is no vaccine, which is why scientists are focusing so intensely on mosquito control.

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Look At That Flipping Ship!

Look At That Flipping Ship! U.S. Navy Celebrates Research Vessel's 50th Year With Acrobatic Display -- Daily Mail

Seen out of context, it looks like a ship silently slinking under the waves, like the final scene in a disaster movie.

But have no fear, this is simply a very special U.S Navy ship, taking a 'flip' as it celebrates 50 years of cartwheels.

With an ability to drift over the ocean like a ship - yet transform into a vertical buoy in pursuit of scientific research - the Navy's Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP) is one of the most unique ships on (or under) the water.

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Tornado Passes By A Man In A Car On His Cell

My Comment: Way to close for comfort.

Cows Raised On Fine Wine

Jean-Charles Tastavy, who came up with the idea, said the two Angus and one Camargue were initially fed the wine in a mix of barley, hay and grapes Photo: Alamy

French Cows Reared On Fine Wine -- The Telegraph

French cows are enjoying up to two bottles of high quality wine every day as farmers attempt to produce the best beef in Europe.

The extraordinary development has seen a 'Vinbovin' label of meat established which is already being championed by some of the best restaurants in Paris.

It follows an experiment in Lunel-Viel, in the southern Herault region of France, which saw three cows fed local wine for four months.

Jean-Charles Tastavy, who came up with the idea, said the two Angus and one Camargue were initially fed the wine in a mix of barley, hay and grapes.

It soon became clear that they were 'happy cows' who ended up producing an exceptionally succulent meat.

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My Comment: Lucky cows.

Look Who Is Coming To Dinner

WHDH-TV -

Great White Shark Stalks Cape Cod Kayaker -- 7News

ORLEANS, Mass. (WHDH) -- Nauset beach was evacuated Saturday afternoon when a 12 to 14-foot shark was spotted only 100 feet out.

A great white's dorsal fin cut through the top of the water as it cruised the shoreline.

“All of a sudden, we saw this person in a kayak, and we saw a fin 10 feet from it,” said Lizzy Jenkins.

Everyone else in the water immediately ran onto the beach.

“We started swimming and people on the shore started waiving us in,” said Christina Proulx.

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My Comment: The above picture is a classic.

Nasa Releases 360 Degree View Of Mars

Nasa Releases 360 Degree Image Of Mars -- The Telegraph

After months of image collection, Nasa publishes two new images from the surface of Mars.

Described by Nasa as the 'Greeley Panorama' from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, the first image documents the fifth Martian Winter of the mission.

The full-circle scene combines 817 images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on Opportunity.

Nasa scientists say the image shows the terrain that surrounded the rover while it was stationary for four months of work during its most recent Martian winter.

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My Comment: A truly impressive view of the martian landscape.

The Closest Robotic Legs Have Ever Gotten To Mimicking Human Gait

Video: The Closest Robotic Legs Have Ever Gotten To Mimicking Human Gait -- Popular Science

Getting a robot to walk is doable. Getting it to walk exactly like a human? Not so easy. But now we're getting there, with researchers from the University of Arizona unveiling a first-of-its-kind set of biologically accurate robot legs.

To make it possible, researchers set up a fake half-center, a simple neural network of two neurons that fire interchangeably, producing the rhythm of human walking, while sensors in the robot send feedback about its environment. Researchers believe babies might operate on a similar half-center system, even before they walk, and that a half-center might be what provides a framework for people with spinal cord injuries to re-learn how to walk.

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My Comment: Getting better with each new development.

Map Of Every Major Earthquake Since 1898

Michigan-based designer John Nelson charted a century's worth of earthquakes (a staggering 203,186 of them) across the globe

Shaking All Over: Map Of Every Major Earthquake Since 1898 Reveals Stunning Image Of Planet's Danger Zones -- Daily Mail

If you are looking for somewhere safe from an earthquake, this might help.

For this map shows the where every major quake has struck since 1898, and as you can see, the edge of the Pacific Ocean appears particularly dangerous. In total there are a staggering 203,186 of them, dotted all over the world.

The neon-coloured map was created as a side-project by mapping manager John Nelson, in a case of taking his work home with him, as he works for data-visualisation software maker IDV Solutions.

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My Comment: This map clearly illustrates the 'ring of fire'.

China's Giant Man-Made Waterfall As Floodgates Are Opened

A cloud of water: The floodwater churns through Yellow River as bystanders stand and stare

Apocalypse Dam: China's Giant Man-Made Waterfall As Floodgates Are Opened To Send Millions Of Tons Of Silt Downstream -- Daily Mail

It is an scene of almost apocalyptic proportions.

Bystanders are dwarfed as they stand watching a tremendous rush of water gushing through gaps in a dam in China, part of a carefully-choreographed operation to remove silt from the Yellow River in Luoyang, in the Henan province.

This annual operation sees more than 30 million tonnes of silt sent downstream a year, with more than 390 million tonnes shifted this way over the last 13 years.

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My Comment: Awesome pictures .... nature held back until man has to let it go.