The Planet on, and off.
An almost 500-mile long bolt of lightning that lit up the sky across three US states has set a new world record for longest flash, scientists have confirmed. The lightning bolt, extended a total of 477.2 miles (768 km) and spread across Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The previous record was Read more…
We’re in the midst of an energy transition. Renewable power and electric vehicles are getting cheaper, the grid is getting greener, and oil and gas companies are getting nervous. That’s why the fossil fuel giants are looking towards petrochemicals, and plastics in particular, as their next major growth market. “Plastics Read more…
There are an estimated 73,300 species of tree on Earth, 9,000 of which have yet to be discovered, according to a global count of tree species by thousands of researchers who used second world war codebreaking techniques created at Bletchley Park to evaluate the number of unknown species. Researchers working Read more…
Science magazine checks in on the new “Galileo Project” from controversial Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb. It’s searching for evidence of extraterrestrial technology, whether it’s spotted deep in space by mountaintop observatories or by their network of rooftop cameras “designed to capture any UFOs prowling through Earth’s atmosphere.” “After enlisting more Read more…
“The U.S. National Weather Service Miami-South Florida warned the public on Sunday that immobilised iguanas could fall out of trees,” reports Reuters, “due to unusual cold temperatures across the region. “Iguanas are cold-blooded. They slow down or become immobile when temps drop into the 40s (4-9 Celsius). They may fall Read more…
Last week a Chinese satellite “was observed grabbing another satellite and pulling it out of its normal geosynchronous orbit,” reports the Drive, “and into a ‘super-graveyard drift orbit.’” “The maneuver raises questions about the potential applications of these types of satellites designed to maneuver close to other satellites for inspection Read more…
NBC News analyzed data from 8,892 weather stations with records going back at least 30 years. 691 of them recorded their highest temperature ever in 2021. Each January, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA and the European Union Earth observation agency Copernicus publish reports on the previous year’s temperature Read more…