Another El Nino problem: More carbon dioxide in airJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science A new NASA satellite details how the whopper of an El Nino a couple years ago added more heat-trapping carbon dioxide to the air Democrats rip Trump’s ‘spiteful act’ of ending Obamacare paymentsJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, politics House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer accused President Trump of punishing the American people for his own inability to improve the U.S. healthcare system. Man cited for painting over mural designed by childrenJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, odd news LONDONDERRY, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont man has been cited for unlawful mischief after he painted over a public mural designed by students in the town of Londonderry. German man in hot water for running taps nonJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, odd news BERLIN (AP) — A man in the northern German city of Salzgitter is in hot water after police allege that he left his bath and sink faucets running for at least a year, causing "massive damage" to his apartment building. Crowd scrambles as man tosses cash into the air (on purpose)JAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, odd news NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) — Some people are a few dollars richer thanks to a Massachusetts carpenter who intentionally tossed cash from his paycheck into the wind. Deer lassoed, rescued from Pittsburgh reservoirJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, odd news PITTSBURGH (AP) — A paramedic and an animal control officer have rescued a deer that had waded into a Pittsburgh reservoir. Wall Street is making the same mistake about investing in space as it did with selfJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science Space: the final investment opportunity. It sounds like science fiction, but Morgan Stanley is... North Korea Says It Will 'Settle the Final Score' Against President Trump With a 'Hail of Fire'JAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science North Korea's foreign minister reportedly said President Trump "lit the wick of war" The Mediterranean’s Megacycle of ‘Tsunamis’ and StormsJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science As frightening as they are, real tsunamis do much less damage than storms—and they may be less common than scientists realized. NASA Has A Better Idea How Humans, Weather Shift The Carbon CycleJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science A natural cycle helps regulate the carbon in our atmosphere, but humans are knocking it off balance with emissions, according to NASA. The wildfires have made air quality in San Francisco scary badJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science As California's wine country burns, the surrounding area in the San Francisco Bay Area is filling with smoke. Even 60 miles south of the deadly fires, San Francisco and nearby cities are dealing with terrible air quality. The polluted air is more than noticeable with the hazy views, orange-filtered sunlight, and a gauzy layer of opaque air hovering on the horizon. A slight burnt smell lingers. SEE ALSO: The science behind the fast-moving wildfires that are devastating California This situation is one of the worst the region has seen with weather experts noting air quality has never reached these levels. Wow. Thanks to the wildfires, yesterday was the worst air quality ever measured in the Bay Area (PM2.5 monitoring began recently, in 2009). https://t.co/ajglBb5Cvt — Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) October 11, 2017 A rare hazardous level warning even went out. And the polluted air is expected to persist for days. The fires started Sunday. 1:11 pm #GOES16 ️imagery shows smoke from the #NorthBayFires continuing to impact the San Francisco Bay Area. Visibility at many #BayArea airports are less than 6 miles. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/QUVX8CxEZ6 — NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) October 11, 2017 On Wednesday afternoon, the Environmental Protection Agency index bumped up the San Francisco area to an orange level, meaning it's considered unhealthy to sensitive groups like children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions such as asthma, COPD, emphysema, and heart disease. As of 6 p.m. PT, the city was put in the yellow, or "moderate," zone. Closer to the fire epicenters, air quality reached hazardous levels — a rare occurrence. Image: airnow/epaWith elevated levels of fine particulate matter in the entire region, everyone in the area needs to be careful about spending time outdoors, especially exercising. Smoke covers the Bay Area and NorCal with a rare hazardous level rating for PM 2.5/smoke in Napa/Solano counties at 10am. #CAwx #wildfires pic.twitter.com/eOxO4YrSAS — Rob Mayeda (@RobMayeda) October 11, 2017 The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued a health advisory Tuesday and is keeping it in effect through the weekend. It's recommending that those sensitive groups be the most cautious. For those closer to the flames, residents are advised to stay inside and find filtered air. In more extreme cases, people are advised to leave the area altogether. If people stick around, the air district advised putting on an N95 mask to filter out fine particles in the air. People sported their mask looks online. The forecast for the next week is mild and warm, dry, and not very windy. Not helpful for quelling the multiple wildfires. Commute - be sure to get a N95 certified resistor mask to handle PM2.5 particulates. Hope the wind is favorable for fighting #northbayfires pic.twitter.com/mgfnObiwqL — Nick Wade (@wadenick) October 10, 2017 Neighborhood postman wears a mask to deliver mail because of all the smoke #NorthBayFires #NorCalFires pic.twitter.com/zbetozOvYw — Veronica De La Cruz (@VeronicaDLCruz) October 11, 2017 Air quality officials are warning everyone in the region to think about the air they are breathing. School districts made plans to hold indoor recesses, PE classes, and sports practices. If you are experiencing smoky conditions in your area, here are some recommendations:- Stay indoors- Avoid outdoor activities and any strenuous exercises- Keep doors and windows closed- Run air conditioners on recycled air so that smoke is not drawn in — NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) October 11, 2017 The fires have been horrific, killing people and destroying homes, neighborhoods, businesses, farms, and vineyards. WATCH: A police officer recorded this dash footage as he drove through the California wildfire Why the Fight With North Korea Is Really About ChinaJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science "China’s strategic goal is to frustrate the U.S." Laying on hands: When Trump needs support, he calls on pastors, and they call on himJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, politics Trump has been eager to harness the powerful emotional energy of evangelical Christianity on his own behalf, especially at low points in his presidency. But is he really a believer? Can you pass the three questions in the world’s quickest IQ test?JAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science The Congnitive Reflection test was designed by psychologist Shane Frederick in 2015, and is a series of three simple questions President Trump Says 'Partisan' Network News Could Have Licenses RevokedJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science Even though network news stations don't have FCC broadcast licenses 3,200JAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science A 3,200-year-old stone slab with an inscription that tells of a Trojan prince and may refer to the mysterious Sea People has been deciphered, archaeologists announced today (Oct. 7). The stone inscription, which was 95 feet (29 meters) long, describes the rise of a powerful kingdom called Mira, which launched a military campaign led by a prince named Muksus from Troy. The inscription is written in an ancient language called Luwian that just a few scholars, no more than 20 by some estimates, can read today. Watch Asteroid TC4’s Extreme Close Approach With Earth Live OnlineJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science Named TC4, it is one of the closest asteroids to pass Earth this year. The asteroid poses no threat to Earth but it has presented NASA with a rare opportunity to test out its planetary defense systems. TC4 was first discovered in 2012 and, by mapping its orbital trajectory, scientists realized it would be making another flyby of Earth in five years’ time. Live Action calls on Twitter to stop blocking proJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science Live Action president Lila Rose speaks out on 'Fox News Tonight.' Doomsday Conspiracy Theorist Is Still Trying to Convince People It's the End of the WorldJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science The end of the world is upon is in just four days, according to doomsday conspiracy theorist David Meade. The self-proclaimed “researcher” who predicted the rapture—as foretold by the biblical Book of Revelation—will begin October 15, is doubling down on his claims that the end is nigh. From mid-October, Meade said previously, there will be seven years of tribulation connected to an asteroid named Wormwood hitting Earth and the presence of a mystery planet, Nibiru, also known as Planet X, crossing or colliding with Earth. Why Millions of Dollars in Gold End Up in Sewers Every YearJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science It happens all over the world Cadaver dogs join grim search for bodies as California fires rageJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science Body recovery teams with cadaver dogs were searching Thursday for victims of California's wildfires as reinforcements arrived to help exhausted firefighters battle some of the worst infernos the state has ever seen. The death toll rose to 24 meanwhile from the wildfires, which began on Sunday and have left thousands of people homeless. Gusty winds on Thursday were hampering the efforts of the 8,000 firefighters battling 21 blazes which have burned 191,437 acres (77,500 hectares), and weather conditions were not forecast to improve. 'I Was Heartbroken.' Meet the Girl Who Sued to Be a Boy Scout and LostJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science “It’s nice to see them making steps and progressing in a good direction, but it’s still not the same as what I was fighting for.” Massive Hole Appears In Antarctic Ice and Scientists Aren't Sure WhyJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science A vast hole has re-opened in Antarctica, and it could have something to teach us about climate change. "For us this ice-free area is an important new data point which we can use to validate our climate models,” said Dr. Torge Martin, meteorologist and climate modeler at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel. GEOMAR has posited a model that explains the polynya as part of natural climate processes. We Are Living Through a Mega Cycle of 'Tsunamis' and Storms in the MediterraneanJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science While tsunamis and storms are very different events, they look surprisingly similar in the geologic records scientists rely on for a long-term understanding of their frequency. According to a paper published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, that has allowed a huge number of storms to masquerade as tsunamis, and it could be warping our sense of the risks we face. "Much of the scientific literature, at least in the Mediterranean, has focused on the impact of ancient tsunamis, particularly in the wake of recent events in the Indian Ocean and Japan," lead author Nick Marriner, a geologist at the French National Center for Scientific Research, told Newsweek in an email. No, Birth Control Doesn’t Make You Have Riskier Sex, Researchers SayJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science Rolling back the federal birth control mandate could lead to increases in teen pregnancies and abortions, experts say California fires kill 31, deadliest in state's historyJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science The death toll from raging California wildfires rose to 31 Thursday as body recovery teams used cadaver dogs to locate victims, making it the deadliest series of blazes in the state's history. The fires, which began on Sunday, have swept through California's wine country, leaving thousands of people homeless and burning over 190,000 acres (76,000 hectares) of land. Gusty winds on Thursday were hampering the efforts of the 8,000 firefighters battling 20 blazes, and weather conditions were not forecast to improve. An asteroid came super close to Earth but NASA wasn't worriedJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science An asteroid passed 26,000 miles from Earth early Thursday morning, but NASA scientists weren't alarmed: They had been waiting for this space rock, named 2012 TC4, to cruise by for around five years. The asteroid is estimated to be about 45 to 100 feet in diameter, so it never had the potential to catastrophically harm the Earth. However, it still got pretty close in cosmic terms. A distance of 26,000 miles is about one-tenth the distance between Earth and the moon. There are also hundreds of satellites orbiting Earth at about this distance. SEE ALSO: Everything You Thought You Knew About Asteroids Is Wrong Confident that the asteroid would harmlessly pass by and continue its aimless travels through our solar system, scientists instead used 2012 TC4 to test the world's developing asteroid detection system as a means of preparing for what could be a real threat years from now. Image: nasa"Asteroid trackers are using this flyby to test the worldwide asteroid detection and tracking network, assessing our capability to work together in response to finding a potential real asteroid-impact threat," said NASA planetary scientist Michael Kelley in a statement. Globally, thousands of telescopes peered at 2012 TC4 as it approached Earth. At its closest distance, the asteroid traveled over Antarctica. Following the event, scientists can see how close their size estimates of the asteroid were, and hopefully understand how they can improve their detection of near-Earth planetary threats. Fortunately, NASA believes that it has identified 90 percent of either comets or asteroids that are over a kilometer in size (just over a mile) and close enough to be of concern to those of us on this planet. As of now, NASA does not expect any currently known asteroid, large or small, to hit Earth in the next 100 years. But like asteroid 2012 TC4, some will pass alarmingly close to our humble blue sphere. WATCH: The tallest skyscraper could be hanging from an asteroid College Students Keep Dying Because of Fraternity Hazing. Why Is It So Hard to Stop?JAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science Recent student deaths have intensified calls for reform Russia's Sungir Burial: Faces of the First Humans in Europe Reconstructed After 30,000 YearsJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science With the right virtual reality headset, you could meet two very, very old children this week. The two children, a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old, are from the Sungir archeological dig in Russia. The children’s bones have also been analyzed. Yellowstone supervolcano may be only decades from a catastrophic eruptionJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science Researchers are saying the supervolcano sitting beneath Yellowstone National Park could erupt sooner than thought -- and could possibly plunge the planet into a "volcanic winter." Kellyanne Conway Said She's 'Never Uttered' the Words 'Fake News.' She HasJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science "I'm a person in the West Wing who has actually never uttered the word 'fake news'" The College of New Jersey celebrates' new STEM complexJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science The College of New Jersey is celebrating its new STEM complex focusing on science, technology, engineering and math. Donald Trump on North Korea: President Obama Should Have Taken Care of ItJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science "This should have been handled 25 years ago" Why the United States Is Saying Goodbye to UNESCOJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science This is not the first time Mystery surrounding ancient Easter Island people deepensJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The massive brooding stone figures peering from Easter Island's hillsides are emblematic of the enigmatic people who once thrived on the dot of land in the middle of the Pacific. Scientists said on Thursday an analysis of DNA from ancient skeletal remains ruled out the likelihood that Easter Island's inhabitants intermixed with South Americans before the arrival of Europeans on the island in 1722. A 2014 genetic study had indicated interbreeding between the people of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, and native people in South America occurred roughly between 1300 and 1500. Here's What the New MacArthur 'Geniuses' Are Doing With All That CashJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science They get $625,000 to spend however they want Mystery Space Announcement: Scientists to Reveal Astronomical Phenomenon ’Never Witnessed Before’JAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science Scientists are set to make a major announcement about “groundbreaking observations” relating to “an astronomical phenomenon that has never been witnessed before,” the European Southern Observatory said. The discovery, which is being kept secret until press conferences are held on October 16, relates to gravitational waves. It involves scientists from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and the Virgo Collaboration, along with teams from 70 different observatories across the globe. Morgan Stanley predicts space industry will triple in size: Here's how to investJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science Morgan Stanley estimates the space industry will grow into an economy worth more than $1.1 trillion by 2040. 3 Dead Adults and Victim Stabbed in the Head Are ‘Related’, Police SayJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science 23-year-old Aaron Lawson is currently considered a person of interest The Economics Nobel Tries to Catch Up to the FieldJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science So far, no one researching how policies work in the real world has won. Why the Rush to Buy Guns After a Mass Shooting Like Vegas?JAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science Shortly after the news of the Las Vegas mass shooting broke last week, business reporters noted that, as is typical after mass shootings, the share price of companies that manufacture firearms went up. Because people who are thinking of buying a gun think they better do so quickly, before the government makes gun purchases illegal. Savvy investors know this will likely happen, so they bid up the share price of the gun manufacturers in anticipation of the increased demand, increased sales, and thus better short-term profits. A Giant Hole Just Appeared in AntarcticaJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science And scientists have no idea what's causing it. SpaceX launches communications satellite, lands boosterJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science SpaceX has launched and landed its second rocket in three days, this time from the U.S. East Coast. The struggle of a Puerto Rican restaurant without electricity — or refrigerationJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, politics Happy Burger, in the heart of San Juan’s Santurce district, struggles to survive without electricity or refrigeration after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. TV news report leads man to old shirt, $24 million jackpotJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, odd news NEW YORK (AP) — A New Jersey man says a television news report led him to check lottery tickets he had stuffed in an old shirt, and one was a $24 million winner. Trump's executive action on health care: Will it cut holes in Obamacare safety net?JAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, world What if health insurance were less comprehensive, but also cheaper? The president can't remake America’s health-care system with the stroke of a pen, but his action Thursday could allow more Americans to buy coverage that’s outside the Affordable Care Act (ACA) rule book. Many conservatives say it’s a modest step to expand consumer choice and put some downward pressure on health costs. Plutonium Shortage Threatens NASA’s Missions to Deep Space, U.S. Government WarnsJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science The U.S. government has warned NASA that its future missions to explore deep space are at risk because of a shortage of plutonium. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published a report October 4 saying the break in production of plutonium 238 (Pu-238) between 1988 and 2015 could result in a bottleneck situation, where there is not enough of this scarce resource to power spacecraft during long-duration missions. Radioisotope power systems (RPS) provide electrical power and heat energy to spacecraft at times when solar panels and batteries cannot be used—for example, in deep space where there is no sunlight, or if the spacecraft were operating in the shadow of an object. The MacArthur Foundation Just Welcomed 24 New Members Into the 'Genius' ClubJAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science The prestigous fellowship is awarded to "exceptional creativity in their work" Dawson's Creek Star James Van Der Beek Says He Was Sexually Harassed by 'Older Men'JAY GORY, MANAGING EDITOR, science The Dawson's Creek star said that he was sexually harassed by older men |
