Tags: Ryan Wallace

China Space Probe Returns from Trip to the Moon—3rd Place in ‘Space Race’

SPACE About 40 years late to the “Space Race”, this morning Saturday Nov. 1, 2014, China became the third nation in the world to successfully orbit the moon and return to Earth to tell the tale. As China’s space agency continues to move forward in its ambitious space program, the lunar orbiter marks a great first success for the mission, and undoubtedly shows its growing presence as a space agency in the world. The eight day turn-around trip came to a close this morning after the test lunar orbiter landed about 500 km away from Beijing, in the Siziwang Banner of China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region according to the nation’s Xinhua state-run news agency.

Vampire-Like Deer Reveals Itself in Time for Halloween

It’s a fanged creature unlike any other, and it clearly won’t need a costume this Halloween. The unusual herbivore, the Kashmir Musk Deer is a species that was once native to the northern ranges of Afghanistan. Though, in spite of the fact that the species has not been seen for more than 60 years, a team of researchers headed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) recently revealed that more than a handful of the rare species have been identified in alpine meadows of northeast Afghanistan, just in time to come out for Halloween.

Endangered Gray Wolf May Have Made a Trip to Grand Canyon

It’s a photo worth a thousand words, and one of a near impossible candidate. Captured in the national forest near Grand Canyon National Park, authorities revealed Thursday Oct. 30 that a collared endangered gray wolf from the northern Rocky Mountains may be roaming the lands. A species that environmentalists and national park officials haven’t seen since the 1940’s when the gray wolf was driven to extinction in the area.

An Urban Legend or Possible Truth? Amelia Earhart May Have Been Eaten Alive

Since her disappearance on July 2, 1937, many have questioned the final hours of pilot Amelia Earhart’s life. Was she lost at sea when her plane disappeared over the South Pacific? Or did she go down with her plane? While many feared the worst, urban legends abounded creating alternate endings for Earhart’s expedition around the world—and it appears that one of those endings may be more frightening that the plane crash itself.

Forget Bigfoot—Could Sonar Anomaly be Amelia Earhart’s Lost Plane?

It’s been an urban legend almost 80 years in the making, that famous female aviator Amelia Earhart was marooned on an island in the South Pacific. And new evidence, including a fragment of her aircraft found and a sonar anomaly 600-feet underwater, may just hold the clues to unlock this decades old mystery.

Crytptic New Species of Leopard Frog Found in New York City

For a field-based ecologist, the continental United States is pretty much a textbook of well-known organisms. The thrilling new species often making front-page news are more likely to found in the tropics or open-oceans, than in the plains of the Midwest or the large metropolis cities of the East and West coasts. With such well-defined niche habitats, the species in the United States aren’t too surprising to the experienced biologist, however, sometimes new life can be found where you’d least expect it. No, we’re not talking about the mutant turtles in the sewers of New York City, but it does appear the jam-packed hub may be home to another unique amphibian, colloquially known as the “Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog”.

Amelia Earhart’s Lost Plane May Have Been Found in the South Pacific

Amelia Earhart was the first female of her kind; in fact, she set records for it. As the first female aviator to ever cross the Atlantic Ocean alone, she made the headlines of the 1920’s. And now, almost a century later, she’s still making news as the mystery of her disappearance comes more into light. After decades of searching across the Pacific Ocean, nearest the equator, researchers revealed this week that they may have found a bit of Earhart’s wreckage from the plane she disappeared in.

How Ancient Kangaroos Walked Off the Face of the Earth and Hopped into Future Generations

An island nation, entirely secluded from the spread of traditional species found worldwide, Australia is home to a unique form of mammals known for their maternal instincts, classified as “marsupials”. The term may encompass many species, however, when the notable pouches of marsupials are often thought of, the species most easily recognized is the jumping species of kangaroos. But new research published this week in the journal PLOS ONE reveals that kangaroo species may not have always had that famous skip in their step.

What’s the Worst Case Scenario? Hawaii’s Kilauea Lava Flow

As Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano threatens nearby towns with the destructive force of its lava flow, residents and analysts evaluate the potential casualties and worst case possibilities of this dangerous scenario. And with the lava flow reported to only be 70 yards away from the nearest home on Monday Oct. 27, researchers fear that the worst case scenario may have already begun.

Google’s Magic Pill Will Search Out Cancer—Or Is It the Nanoparticles?

In a day and age where nearly every problem is solvable with the help of the trusty internet and fast-powered search engines, why wouldn’t we expect some help in the health department, much more clinical than what we can find on WebMD? It’s a sector many companies have not been able to explore, but with the support and funding of the world’s largest search engine, researchers at Google are aiming to diagnose cancers, strokes and even a heart attack through tiny technology you can track on a wristwatch.

Mammoth Fossil Trapped In Reservoir—Archaeologists Try to Unearth Rare Skeleton

Researchers from Idaho State University pray that a new discovery uncovered near American Falls Reservoir in their home state of Idaho may only be part of a whole, yet to be seen. Earlier this month, in the course of surveying an excavation site while working for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the university alongside avid fossil hunters uncovered a portion of a Columbian era mammoth skull complete with tusks. And the team believes the entire rare skeleton may also be buried in the reservoir.

Hawaiian Kilauea Volcano Lava Flow—Update (Oct. 28)

It’s been an encroaching threat months in the making, and as of Monday, local authorities on Hawaii’s Big Island report that the destructive lava flow they’ve been tracking in recent days is only 70 meters from the nearest residential property… and it’s likely to take its first home in a matter of hours.

The Story Behind 100-Year-Old Journal Found In Antarctica

In Antarctica, much of life and history is swept away or covered completely by ice and snow. Even in the face of unending change, the surface appears timeless and constant, even though it sets the stage for some of the most tragic stories south of the equator.

Hawaiian Lava Flow Prompts Evacuation on Big Island

Inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands owe their tropical homes to volcanic activity that gave rise to the US state thousands of years ago. But some fear that continued lava flows may soon engulf the homes they’ve built as a new volcanic eruption threats the rural population of the Big Island.

In Snow and Ice—Researchers Reveal Century Old Journal in Antarctica

The Antarctic ice is host to very little life, yet often researchers find that beneath the frozen surface we find remnants and a record of our past. Core ice samples not only reveal atmospheric concentrations of particular molecules in ancient skies, giving us a view of how the Earth’s climate has changed over eons even before the arrival of man, but also sometimes reveals a view of our own history on the icy sheet. This week, after more than a century since it was written and lost in a tragic expedition, the preserved journal of explorer George Murray Levick was found by researchers who recovered the photographic treasure from a casing made entirely of ice.

Sky-High Dig Reveals Ancient Paleoindian Workshop Site in Andes

In a sky-high archaeological dig, based near the peaks of the Peruvian Andes mountains, an international team of researchers unearthed the oldest-known evidence of human settlement high above sea level. In fact, the rock shelters and tool fragments found, date back roughly 12,000 years and lie 14,700 feet above coastal sea level at the base of the mountain range.

Another ‘Big’ Species Added to Endangered Species List? The Sasquatch Debate

While we ecologists like to often err on the side of caution when it comes to the preservation of species dwindling in the wild, this one has got to be one for the record books. We’ve heard of protecting mammals, marine species, and even those who choose to cross over state lines to inhabit new ecological niches. But what about protecting a “cryptide”? While most people are chalking it up to urban legends, one man from Chautauqua Lake, New York is making a plea to “Save Sasquatch”.

ESA Shows Ambition of Rosetta Mission—Sci Fi Film Reveals Importance of Mission

With only a matter of days standing between now and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta Mission landing on its host Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, researchers and the ESA are looking towards what the future of the mission may mean for Earth. As the first successful orbit around a comet, speeding through our solar system on its mission around the sun, the ESA is searching for answers not only on the origin of our Earth, but also of our solar system—something they say they will find in a new sci-fi film released this morning, Oct. 24.

From California to New York—Where To Catch A Glimpse of an Eclipsing Sky

For those of you in the states enjoying a welcomed break from the summer sun, today you may just get more than you bargained for. As the moon passes this afternoon across the northern hemisphere, the usually invisible transition will make its mark in daylight as it eclipses part of the sun. And so long as the clouds stay clear of the view, you may just have an interesting afternoon show to look out for.

Partial Eclipse Captures Daylight [Oct. 23, 2014]—Seen Across the Northern Sky (CA, NV, NY, OR, FL)

Today marks a rare occasion, one where alignment makes a spectacle in the sky. While you can expect the autumn day to have cool weather and an added air of sunshine, you can also expect quite a surprise when part of the sun disappears in the mid-afternoon shade. It’s a rare occurrence that you won’t catch for another 3 years at the soonest, but the partial solar eclipse won’t be enjoyed by everyone. Mostly it’ll be a show for the northern United States.

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