Underwater volcano creates new island in Polynesian archipelago

Volcano Hunga Tonga has been erupting for the last month and has created a new island.

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Extreme Weather Tied to Climate Change, Not Recent US Snow Event

The northeastern United States is cleaning up after a powerful snowstorm that hit the region this week, forcing airports, schools and businesses to close..

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Pruning in Winter

Although it may be cold and snowy outside, winter is actually the best time of year to prune your deciduous plants. Wait for a relatively mild, sunny day, get out your pruners, and take a critical look at your trees and shrubs.

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Quiz: Can You Name a Food Just by Looking at Where it Comes From?

I map the food, you tell me what it is.

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Rare Black Jaguar Sighting as Big Cat Takes Cross-River Swim

Black jaguars are not a distinct species. On the contrary, they are just like any other such feline, except that they are, well, black.

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A Treehouse Perch With Unobstructed Views

With its thoughtful three levels, The Sky Den allows you to perch on its top level and witness everything from the treetop wildlife to the sounds of the river.

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Engines At Dawn

Two CP Rail engines come to life in the early glow of the winter sun. (c) Ian D. McGregor

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Scars reveal ageing whales' secrets

Baird's beaked whales, sometimes called giant bottlenose whales, seem to prefer the company of specific individuals. Researchers who identified the whales by scars on their bodies, are calling for hunting of the species to be halted while more information is gathered about their complex social structure. Currently, they are hunted by whalers off northern Japan. The new findings have been published in the journal Marine Mammal Science.

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Crying baby orangutan Budi receives loving care after suffering year of neglect

Budi is a baby orangutan that has been rescued by International Animal Rescue in Indonesia. For the first year of his life Budi was kept in a chicken cage and fed on nothing but condensed milk which was slowly killing him. On arrival at IAR's orangutan rescue centre Budi's condition was extremely critical, and he was too frail to move or sit up on his own. He was showing signs of severe malnutrition and screaming in pain every time he was moved by the vets.

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Blizzard 2015: Bitter cold continues to bite

Could hinder recovery in Massachusetts; snow as high as 3 feet buried some cities, and high winds, coastal flooding hit hard

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Early Hope

In the early hours, the red sign shines like a beacon of hope. Captured in the downtown of Regina, Saskatchewan in January with light snow falling and freezing temperatures. (c) Ian D. McGregor.

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‘Rare and Elusive’ Sierra Nevada Red Fox Spotted in Yosemite for First Time in Nearly a Century

It's one of the rarest mammals in North America, and there hadn't been a verified sighting in the national park in nearly 100 years.

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Polar Vortex Hits: Extreme Cold Will Last for Days as UK Blizzards Bring a Foot of Snow

WIND-swept Britain is on Arctic freeze alert after forecasts warned the cold weather will bring a week of snow chaos and sub-zero temperatures.

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Here’s why 76 beavers were forced to skydive into the Idaho wilderness in 1948

Some time in the late 1940s, a very patient, elderly beaver called Geronimo was put in a box, flown to an altitude of between 150 and 200 metres, and tossed out the side of an aeroplane. Over and over and over again. He didn’t know it at the time – because beavers – but each time Geronimo survived the trip back down to that little flying field in Idaho, he was bringing one of the nuttiest solutions to wildlife relocation ever dreamed up closer to reality.

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A carpet of cherry blossom

You can find this most unique view on a street in Bonn, Germany in spring time.

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Bailey Henderson Sculpts Mythological Sea Monsters From Medieval Maps

An avid enthusiast of mythology and cartography, Toronto-based artist Bailey Henderson sculpts the fearsome sea creatures depicted on medieval and Renaissance-era maps.

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Clematis 'Freckles'

The first clematis in the year to flower is the perfect source of food for winter-active bees. And its blooms are scented, too

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Planting a Clock That Tracks Hours by Flowers

The idea of a garden that blooms like clockwork has been around for centuries. But how well does it work?

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Chicago, the Last Great Capital of Cartography

As America grew in the late 19th century, so did mapmaking—and Chicago was at the heart of it.

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Northern California hit by Two Earthquakes on Wednesday

An earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California on Wednesday afternoon.

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Meet The "Living Rock"

Fantasy literature is full of creatures that are basically living rock. From Tolkein's trolls that turn to stone in daylight, to Pratchett's silicon based life-forms of the same name. As usual however, the forces of natural selection have come up with something beyond our imagining.

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Dolphin Cove

Dave filmed this amazing aerial vision with his quadcopter off Esperance, along south Western Australia's beautiful coastline. Huge pods of bottlenose dolphins cruise the shoreline and surf the crystal clear turquoise waves. Such intelligent and playful animals - we have a lot to learn from their lifestyle!!

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Under Prairie Skies XIX

In the afternoon light at the edge of a large Saskatchewan farm. (c) Ian D. McGregor

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Doctors and nurses brave brutal Boston blizzard to get to work

The Boston Yeti isn't the only one braving the city's streets in the midst of a massive blizzard. Boston's healthcare professionals were also out on the street, trekking through heavy snow and strong winds to get to local hospitals during brunt of the storm. Despite reports of more than 20 inches of snow in the city, doctors, nurses and technicians made their way to work any way they could on Tuesday.

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Long-necked 'dragon' discovered in China

University of Alberta paleontologists including PhD student Tetsuto Miyashita, former MSc student Lida Xing and professor Philip Currie have discovered a new species of a long-necked dinosaur from a skeleton found in China.

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Helen Macdonald wins 2014 Costa book award for ‘haunting’ H is for Hawk

A book that explores grief, love and nature – as well as just how you train a goshawk you’ve bought for £800 – won its author Helen Macdonald a second leading literary prize. The writer Robert Harris, who chaired this year’s judges, said it was a book that haunted several members of the panel and was one they would never forget.

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Yes, this is a real bear playing hockey in Russia

Hockey is a big deal in Russia and the country has produced a host of excellent players over the years. From Sergio Federov to Pavel Bure, the Russian hockey team is currently ranked as the third best side in the world so it's no surprise to see packed stadiums week in, week out. This video above shows a Russian circus bear 'entertaining' fans during a break in play at a hockey match. And according to news reports, these circus bears playing hockey have been around for quite a while.

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Is That My Car or Just a Drift?

A car buried under a night's worth of snow in East Lyme, Connecticut. Tuesday January 27, 2015

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Drones Will Be Everywhere Watching, Listening, and...Planting Millions of Trees?

More and more people are getting to know drones, and not just the military kind. Drones were one of the hottest gifts over the holidays because they’re not only getting easier to fly (though not yet a no-brainer), they’re also pretty affordable. In fact, a toy drone recently crash landed on the White House lawn, prompting President Obama to call for more regulations (something the FAA is already working on). While these aircraft show the growing...

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Lush Images of a Floral Desert

Taken in the flowering desert of Namaqualand, a region of South Africa and Namibia known for its wealth of alluvial diamonds, Francois Visser's images are like Eden before the fall; a lush playground of saturated colour and strange flora that makes urban existence seem painfully grey.

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Indiana Solar Bill Crafted By Utilities Sparks Outrage, Raises Costs

A confusing bill making its way through the Legislature could hamper Indiana's nascent solar industry.

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Why (Almost) Everyone Got Snowpocalypse Wrong

A high-tech weather prediction model said New York wouldn't get much snowfall. So why didn't we know about it?

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The Amazing Life of Sand

There’s a story in every grain of sand: tales of life and death, fire and water. If you scooped up a handful of sand from every beach, you'd have a history of the world sifting through your fingers. From mountain boulders to the shells of tiny ocean creatures, follow the journey that sand takes through thousands of years across entire continents to wind up stuck between your toes.

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Risk of Extreme Weather 'Doubles'

Extreme weather arising from a climate phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean will get much worse as the world warms, according to climate modelling.

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How to Plant an Edible Garden with Seeds from Store-Bought Items

For anyone who has wondered if it's worthwhile to plant the cloves of store-bought garlic that are starting to sprout, the answer is a yes, but a qualified yes. In general, buying seeds or plants that were intended to be grown for a garden harvest is usually a better idea than relying on produce aisle leftovers to grow more edibles, but here are some tips if you want to try.

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Winter Rise

The rising sun over fallen trees in the snow. Winter Rise 586612. (c) Ian D. McGregor.

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Secrets of the orchid mantis revealed – it doesn't mimic an orchid after all

In his 1879 account of wanderings in the Orient, the travel writer James Hingston describes how, in West Java, he was treated to a bizarre experience: I am taken by my kind host around his garden, and…

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The Wrists of Birds Reveal Evolution Undoing Itself

Contrary to earlier claims, a new study shows that evolution may be reversible

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CSI: Carmel? New bark park may test dog poop for DNA

Cue the theme song to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Or maybe it should be Get Smart. Carmel parks investigators may soon start taking doggie doo doo samples to send them off for DNA testing so they can fine owners who fail to clean up after their pets. That's right, Carmel might go all CSI on your dog's, er, waste. If Carmel-Clay Parks hires a company called PooPrints, and you fail to clean up after your pooch in the city's new $1 million bark park, you could expect a notice...

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Transmission Line That Could Bring Wind And Solar Power To Millions In West Gets Go-Ahead

The new transmission lines would span across New Mexico and Arizona, and add up to 3,000 megawatts of renewable energy to the grid.

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How to Make a Garden Out of a Woodland

Growing flowers under mature trees is tricky, but not impossible. Follow our top tips

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Santa Ana Winds Knock Out Power To Thousands Across Southland

Power was being restored Sunday to tens of thousands of people who lost electricity in Southern California after fierce Santa Ana winds gusting as much as 89 mph toppled trees and power poles.

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Heavy snow spells end of early Spring

Snowfall could abruptly end the early arrival of snowdrops, hazel catkins and butterflies following the warmest year since records began.

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Extreme Weather Facts

As Snapzu changes I am going to post both to all of Snapzu and tribe only posts. I hope you find them interesting.

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Millions of GMO Insects Could Be Set Loose in Florida Keys

Millions of genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in the Florida Keys if British researchers win approval to use the bugs against two extremely painful viral diseases.

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Greenland's Ice Layers Mapped in 3D

Peering into the thousands of frozen layers inside Greenland’s ice sheet is like looking back in time. Each layer provides a record of not only snowfall and melting events, but what the Earth’s climate was like at the dawn of civilization, or during the last ice age, or during an ancient period of warmth similar to the one we are experiencing today. Using radar data from NASA’s Operation IceBridge, scientists have built the first-ever comprehensive map of the layers deep inside the ice sheet.

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If Earth falls, will interstellar space travel be our salvation?

Some climatologists argue it may be too late to reverse climate change, and it’s just a matter of time before the Earth becomes uninhabitable – if hundreds of years from now. The recent movie Interstellar raised the notion that we may one day have to escape a dying planet. As astrophysicists and avid science fiction fans, we naturally find the prospect of interstellar colonization intriguing and exciting. But is it practical, or even possible? Or is there a better solution?

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King Tut's Burial Mask Has Been "Irreversibly Damaged"

The most famous archaeological relic in the world has been damaged during a botched cleaning attempt. After being knocked off, the blue and gold braided beard on King Tut's burial mask was "hastily" glued back on with an inappropriate adhesive, damaging the item even further.

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'Historic and destructive' storm could hit Massachusetts

A potentially "historic and destructive" winter storm and blizzard will likely hit areas of Massachusetts beginning Monday night, dumping heavy snow and bringing strong winds, state emergency officials said Sunday.

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The killer algae making Hong Kong’s water glow

Along a seashore in Hong Kong yesterday, a vibrant blue glow was seen emanating from the water. Beautiful photographs show the shore glimmering, with the lights of the city sparkling in the background. But this idyllic setting is potentially toxic. The luminescence is an algal bloom created by Noctiluca scintillans, nicknamed “sea sparkle.” When disturbed by currents or waves, the bloom glows. “It looks like algae and can act like algae.

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