nature

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Volcano the Size of Arizona Discovered
 Volcano the Size of 
 Arizona Discovered 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sep 8, 2013 9:56 AM CDT

Volcano the Size of Arizona Discovered

Tamu Massif is Earth's biggest such structure

(Newser) - Scientists have made a surprising discovery in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 miles east of Japan: Earth's largest volcano. Tamu Massif is a monster at 280 miles by 400 miles, or roughly the size of Arizona, and ranks among the largest such structures in our solar system, Nature ...

New York's 'Eternal Flame' Holds Natural Gas Secret

We may have more gas resources than previously believed: researcher

(Newser) - An "eternal flame" tucked behind a western New York state waterfall could have been lit as many as thousands of years ago—but it's only now revealing secrets about the natural gas that fuels it. There are thought to be a few hundred of these natural flames around...

Upside to Drought: Gorgeous Fall Leaves

Less water leads to less chlorophyll and more colors

(Newser) - The lack of rain this year could elicit a dazzling side effect in the fall: exceptionally colorful leaves. That's because below-average rainfall in the Northeast may cause trees to shut down production of a chemical called chlorophyll earlier than usual. Without it, various pigments like carotenes and xanthophyll (yellow...

99% of Appalachian Trail Has Been Moved, Rebuilt

Tomorrow marks the 75th anniversary of its completion

(Newser) - Like the people who hike it, the Appalachian Trail is always moving. Technically, tomorrow marks the 75th anniversary of its completion. But the 2,180-mile path stretching across 14 states from Springer Mountain, Ga., to Katahdin, Maine, is never really finished. It took 15 years for hundreds of volunteers, state...

Look Out Black Widow, Here Comes Brown Widow

Less toxic rivals may be taking over in West

(Newser) - Good news: You may now be slightly less likely to find a black widow spider hiding in your shoe. Researchers discovered that the deadly arachnid is being crowded out of swaths of its native US territory by a new creepy crawler to the scene—the brown widow, reports LiveScience . The...

Scientists Find New Species of Amphibians

Limbless creatures look like earthworms

(Newser) - Scientists have unearthed a brand-new, weird-looking species of amphibians in northeastern India. The creatures, named chikilidae, live deep in the dirt and are limbless, reports Nature , which notes that they look more like worms than, say, frogs or salamanders. “The discovery adds a major branch to the amphibian tree...

Your New 7 Wonders, Maybe
 Your New 7 Wonders, Maybe 
Nov 12, 2011 10:52 AM CST

Your New 7 Wonders, Maybe

Grand Canyon didn't make the cut

(Newser) - A controversial contest to name the new 7 Wonders of Nature has picked its "provisional" winners. They won't be confirmed until early next year, notes MSNBC . (Skeptics will want to read this Guardian story, with allegations that organizers are just trying to make a buck by charging countries...

Flirting Tips From The Natural World

How animals get physical and emit good scents

(Newser) - Trying to attract a beautiful, hunky, or otherwise desirable biped? Zoologists and anthropologists at the Natural History Museum in London have a few tips drawn from the natural world, the Telegraph reports:
  • Make Men Work. Male bower birds build nests. Birds of paradise stage flamboyant courtship displays. So let men
...

300-Pound Ray Slams Woman in Boat

Fla. tourist survives bodyslam without a scratch

(Newser) - An Illinois woman ended up a lot closer to nature than planned during a sightseeing trip in the Florida Keys when an eagle ray leaped right into her tour boat, pinning her to the floor. "It happened so fast, in a split second," Jenny Hausch, who had been...

Nature Films a Fraud: Producer
 Nature Films a Fraud: Producer 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Oct 3, 2010 11:12 AM CDT

Nature Films a Fraud: Producer

They involve rented animals, M&Ms

(Newser) - Swimming with sharks, camping with wolves, blazing through the Everglades—nature documentaries get us so close to the animal kingdom they seem unreal ... and they often are, according to a new tell-all book. Chris Palmer, an executive producer who has spent more than 25 years in the wildlife film industry,...

Avatar Speaks to Our Inner Science Geek
 Avatar Speaks to 
 Our Inner Science Geek 
OPINION
Jan 19, 2010 1:39 PM CST

Avatar Speaks to Our Inner Science Geek

Flick appeals to humans' natural wonder at the weird world

(Newser) - Excuse Carol Kaesuk Yoon if she seems “a bit breathless,” but Avatar has reinvigorated the biologist’s awe of the natural world, and she suspects that effect is what’s really driving the flick’s blockbuster success. People love to puzzle over nature, and try to order it...

Green Spaces Make You Healthier

People who live near vegetation suffer fewer diseases

(Newser) - People who live close to parks or other “green spaces” are likely to be healthier, a new study suggests. Dutch researchers scoured the health records of 345,000 people, comparing their health status to the amount of green space in the surrounding area, from a half-mile to 2-mile radius....

Nature Makes You Nicer
 Nature Makes You Nicer 
Aug 18, 2009 4:55 PM CDT

Nature Makes You Nicer

People more focused on others when primed with natural imagery, research shows

(Newser) - Being around the natural world or representations of it makes you a better person, Miller-McCune reports. A study finds that people shown slides of natural landscapes rated community-oriented goals—such as “to work for the betterment of society”—as more important to them than self-oriented goals—for example,...

Top Towns to Raise Outdoorsy Kids
 Top Towns to Raise 
 Outdoorsy Kids 
OPINION
Jul 14, 2009 6:45 PM CDT

Top Towns to Raise Outdoorsy Kids

(Newser) - Backpacker combed through info on outdoor programs and proximity to national forests and parks to find the best cities in the US to raise active, crunchy kids. The results:
  • Boulder, Colo.: "Yes, we live here, but Boulder wins on its merits." Close to woods, glaciers, and mountains,
...

Naked Hikers Enjoy Solstice Au Naturel

(Newser) - The summer solstice is upon us, but for certain enthusiasts, today bears a different name: Naked Hiking Day. “No way to explain it until you experience it,” one fan told the AP. “Traditional” hikers might feel the same upon encountering backpackers in the buff. “It’s...

Campgrounds Add Perks, Redefine 'Roughing It'

(Newser) - The purer pleasures of the outdoors don’t seem to be enough for some campers anymore, the New York Times reports. Increasingly, campgrounds are offering amenities like pizza delivery, air-conditioning, kiddie rides, and valet service to the delight of families and owners’ balance sheets. “The objective is to maximize...

National Parks Plan 3 Free Summer Weekends

(Newser) - The National Park Service is looking to stimulate summer vacations, with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announcing today that entrance fees at 147 national parks and monuments—including the Grand Canyon and Yosemite—will be waived on three weekends this summer: June 20-21, July 18-19, and Aug. 15-16. “During these...

Rare Lynx Cubs Born in Spain
 Rare Lynx Cubs Born in Spain 
Mar 20, 2009 10:59 AM CDT

Rare Lynx Cubs Born in Spain

Iberian Lynx is world's most endangered cat

(Newser) - Officials say three endangered Iberian lynx cubs have been born in a nature reserve in southern Spain. The Iberian lynx is the world's most endangered cat, and the cubs were part of a breeding program in Andalusia's Donana National Park. The regional environmental department says the cubs born Wednesday bring...

Nature Makes Us Smarter, So City Folk Are...

(Newser) - Watching bears eat spiders on TV is fun, but do nature shows help restore our lost link with the natural world? Studies show that screen images of the great outdoors help workers relax and think clearly; an actual window onto leafy environs helps them destress even faster. "But what...

Barbies of the Future May Grow on Trees

Researchers use wood and wax to make biodegradable alternative

(Newser) - Wooden toys may not be so 1850s, scientists say. A bioplastic made from trees has been used to make everything from golf tees to car parts in recent years, but its sulfurous stink kept it out of the toy market. Now a sulfur-free version of "liquid wood" is available,...

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