Brazilian ‘Atlantis’: Submersible Finds Possible Evidence Of Continent Deep Beneath Atlantic Ocean
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Category Archives: Earth
Mushroom In Oregon Is The Largest Living Organism In The World
Mushroom is 2,400 years old, covers 3.4 square miles (8.4 square km) and spread primarily underground
Armillaria solidipes (formerly Armillaria ostoyae) is a species of fungus in the Physalacriaceae family.
It is known to be one of the largest living organisms, where scientists have estimated a single specimen found in Malheur National Forest in Oregon to have been growing for some 2,400 years, covering 3.4 square miles (8.4 km²) and colloquially named the “Humongous Fungus.” Armillaria solidipes grows and spreads primarily underground and the bulk of the organism lies in the ground, out of sight.
Therefore, the organism is not visible to anyone viewing from the surface. It is only in the autumn when this organism will bloom “honey mushrooms”, visible evidence of the organism lying beneath. Low competition for land and nutrients have allowed this organism to grow so huge; it possibly covers more geographical area than any other living organism. Read more
Yellowstone’s Volcano Bigger Than Thought
Geologists believe Yellowstone sits over a hotspot, a plume of superheated rock rising from Earth’s mantle
Yellowstone’s underground volcanic plumbing is bigger and better connected than scientists thought, geologists reported this week at the Seismological Society of America’s annual meeting.
“We are getting a much better understanding of the volcanic system of Yellowstone,” said Jamie Farrell, a c graduate student at the University of Utah. “The magma reservoir is at least 50 percent larger than previously imaged.” Read more
Three New Planets Could Host Life
This diagram lines up planets recently discovered by Kepler in terms of their sizes, compared to Earth. Kepler-22b was announced in December 2011; the three Super-Earths were announced April 18, 2013. All of them could potentially host life, but we do not yet know anything definitive about their compositions or atmosphere
In the midst of chaos here on Earth, scientists are finding hope for life on other planets. Scientists announced Thursday the discovery of three planets that are some of the best candidates so far for habitable worlds outside our own solar system — and they’re very far away. NASA’s Kepler satellite, which is keeping an eye on more than 150,000 stars in hopes of identifying Earth-like planets, found the trio. Read More
Life On Earth… But Not As We Know It
Animal figures cut into desert varnish by Native Americans in Utah. Photograph: BWAC Images/Alamy
Never mind aliens in outer space. Some scientists believe we may be sharing the planet with ‘weird’ lifeforms that are so different from our own they’re invisible to us. Read More
New Radiation Belt Around Earth Discovered By NASA’s Van Allen Space Probes
A ring of radiation previously unknown to science fleetingly surrounded Earth last year before being virtually annihilated by a powerful interplanetary shock wave, scientists say.
NASA’s twin Van Allen space probes, which are studying the Earth’s radiation belts, made the cosmic find. The surprising discovery — a new, albeit temporary, radiation belt around Earth — reveals how much remains unknown about outer space, even those regions closest to the planet, researchers added. Read more
Long-Lost Continent Of ‘Mauritia’ Buried Beneath Indian Ocean
The beaches of Mauritius contain fragments of a type of rock typical of ancient continental crust — rock which could have been brought to the surface by volcanic eruptions. JACK ABUIN/ZUMA PRESS/CORBIS
A a group of international scientists have found evidence that an ancient, lost continent may be buried beneath the Indian Ocean floor.
Nature reports that the study, published Feb. 24 in the journal Nature Geoscience, reports that fragments of an ancient micro-continent dubbed “Mauritia” now lie underwater between Madagascar and India.
As evidence of this lost continent, the researchers point to ancient sand grains that contain minerals pre-dating the volcanic eruption that they argue brought them to the surface, according to the BBC. These zircon minerals could be anywhere between 1,970 and 600 million years old. Read more
“Moderately Powerful” Solar Eruption Dwarfs Earth In Scale
Last summer, an eruption on the sun’s surface scored a solar weather hat trick, racking up all three of the major phenomenon scientists observe: a solar flare, a coronal mass ejection (CME), and coronal rain, “complex moving structures in association with changes in magnetic field lines that loop up into the sun’s atmosphere,” NASA explains. The solar flare in the video is not massive, by the sun’s standards, but “moderately powerful,” as NASA calls it. But what makes the show special is the coronal rain, charged plasma slowly dripping in fiery loops along the sun’s magnetic fields. Read more
Turtles, Snakes And Lizards Headed Toward Extinction
Nearly one fifth of all reptiles — turtles, snakes, lizards and crocodiles — are on a slippery slope toward extinction due to loss of habitat, over-harvesting and other factors, a new report says.
The study is the first of its kind to summarize the global conservation status of reptiles. More than 1,500 species were selected at random from around the world for conservation assessments in an effort to gain a representative sample. Read more
Hundreds Injured As Meteor Fireball Screams Across The Sky In Russia
A huge meteorite flared through the skies over Russia’s Chelyabinsk region early Friday, triggering a powerful shock wave that injured hundreds of people, blew out windows and reportedly caused the roof of a factory to collapse.
Multiple amateur videos posted online showed the meteor’s flaring arc across the western Siberia sky. Others from the scene included the sound of a loud boom, followed by a cacophony of car alarms. One video showed the hurried evacuation of an office building in Chelyabinsk. Read more