A 37-mile long fissure has been noticed in the Afar desert in Ethiopia. Earth
scientists believe it to be the birth of a new ocean basin. It split open in an earthquake
and is about 13 feet wide today. The split, ripping off at 0.8 inches an year, may
eventually tear Ethiopia from Africa. A sea will fill in the gap. But we will not live to
see it, as it will take about a million years to form.
Watt
a worm!!
Bacteria that eat
ammonia and produce rocket fuel? Scientists are harnessing the bacteria for a more
down-to-earth purpose - sewage treatment. Water treatment plants use costly equipment to
aerate bacteria that break down human waste. But Anammox bacteria survive without oxygen,
producing energy from nitrite and ammonia, found in human waste. This saves over 90 per
cent of energy. This is the only organism that creates hydrazine or rocket fuel.
Fly
high
Fly populations in
Britain could soar this century because of climate change. Houseflies and bluebottles
reproduce more quickly in warmer temperatures. Even a small rise in temperature-a degree
or two- could double their population. Their numbers are expected to rise by nearly 250
per cent by 2080. Scientists warn that that this might lead to a rise in fly-borne
diseases, like stomach upsets and diarrohea.
Chilling
news
British scientists fear that the slowing down of ocean
currents - due to global warming, may usher in a mini ice-age in western Europe. In fact,
the currents may switch off altogether in the next 50 years. Due to the melting of the
Greenland icecap, larger volumes of fresh water flow into the Atlantic. This reduces the
flow of currents from north to south and stalls circulation. So, warmer water may no
longer be drawn to the north, dipping temperatures by 10ºC!
Scaroo!
Farmers can now play a
recording of kangaroos thumping their feet, to scare them off. It has been found out that
roos fear the sound of their own footsteps! Australia's iconic mammals are often seen as
pests as they can damage crops. Scientists think that using the roo's own sound can be an
alarm signal to deter them from entering farms. The foot thump sound is also used to guide
kangaroos away from roadways, preventing them from being injured by vehicles.
Chinese
spell
A benzene spill in
China's Songhua river after an explosion at a chemical factory, threatens the Siberian
tiger. The massive cats roam the snowy mountainous terrain of northeast China. The
endangered species, that number about 500, live along river Amur, located downstream. The
toxicity in the river has exceeded national safety levels over 100 times, which is likely
to affect species living downstream.
Adrift
aurora
Earth's north magnetic pole is drifting from North
America and moving towards Siberia. This could shift the Northern Lights or auroras from
Alaska in the next 50 years, note scientists. The magnetic poles are part of the magnetic
field generated by liquid iron in earth's core and are different from the geographic poles
(the surface points marking earth's axis). The north magnetic pole have moved about 1,100
kilometres into the Arctic in the last 150 years.
A 37-mile long fissure has been noticed in the Afar desert in Ethiopia. Earth
scientists believe it to be the birth of a new ocean basin. It split open in an earthquake
and is about 13 feet wide today. The split, ripping off at 0.8 inches an year, may
eventually tear Ethiopia from Africa. A sea will fill in the gap. But we will not live to
see it, as it will take about a million years to form. 
Bacteria that eat
ammonia and produce rocket fuel? Scientists are harnessing the bacteria for a more
down-to-earth purpose - sewage treatment. Water treatment plants use costly equipment to
aerate bacteria that break down human waste. But Anammox bacteria survive without oxygen,
producing energy from nitrite and ammonia, found in human waste. This saves over 90 per
cent of energy. This is the only organism that creates hydrazine or rocket fuel. 
Fly populations in
Britain could soar this century because of climate change. Houseflies and bluebottles
reproduce more quickly in warmer temperatures. Even a small rise in temperature-a degree
or two- could double their population. Their numbers are expected to rise by nearly 250
per cent by 2080. Scientists warn that that this might lead to a rise in fly-borne
diseases, like stomach upsets and diarrohea.
Farmers can now play a
recording of kangaroos thumping their feet, to scare them off. It has been found out that
roos fear the sound of their own footsteps! Australia's iconic mammals are often seen as
pests as they can damage crops. Scientists think that using the roo's own sound can be an
alarm signal to deter them from entering farms. The foot thump sound is also used to guide
kangaroos away from roadways, preventing them from being injured by vehicles.
A benzene spill in
China's Songhua river after an explosion at a chemical factory, threatens the Siberian
tiger. The massive cats roam the snowy mountainous terrain of northeast China. The
endangered species, that number about 500, live along river Amur, located downstream. The
toxicity in the river has exceeded national safety levels over 100 times, which is likely
to affect species living downstream. 