More than 1 million left in the dark after storm strikes on Sandy anniversary

More than one million people were without power early Monday as a ferocious storm rolled through the Northeast. National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Dellicarpini said there were reports of downed trees around the region and roads that were impassable in spots due to flash flooding.

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Wind powered a record of nearly 200 million European households on Saturday

On Saturday, a record 24.6% of total electricity came from wind power sources in the 28 countries of the European Union. The majority of this wind electricity was generated offshore (91.3%) vs onshore (8.7%). With Europe moving into the high wind production winter period, we expect a new season of records being broken. And with massive scale construction continuing for offshore wind farms, these records of 2017 will soon look quaint.

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Neighbors rescue deer with plastic pumpkin stuck on its head

For four days residents called in sightings of a deer with a plastic pumpkin stuck on its head. Just before sunset Sunday, a group of people who had been tracking the doe throughout the weekend, snared it with catch poles. They were able to remove the bucket from its head and safely release it, according to WCPO.

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71 Michigan water systems now have higher lead levels than Flint

Seventy-one water systems in Michigan now have higher lead levels than the city of Flint, results of the most recent federally-required testing shows. Water sampling in Flint from January through June showed the city's 90th percentile for lead was at 7 parts per billion, far better than the last six months of 2016, but still higher than 92.6 percent of the 1,333 water systems regulated by the state Department of Environmental Quality.

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Long-lost art of a vanished civilization revealed by British archaeologists

Five centuries after it was largely obliterated by the Spanish conquistadors, the long-lost culture of a vanished civilisation is being rediscovered by British and local archaeologists. Before the Spanish conquest of the islands of the Caribbean, the region's major indigenous people was a culture known as the Tainos.

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Tyson Foods Linked to the Largest Toxic Dead Zone in U.S. History

What comes to mind when you think of Tyson Foods? A chicken nugget? A big red logo? How about the largest toxic dead zone in U.S. history? It turns out the meat industry—and corporate giants like Tyson Foods—are directly linked to this environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, and many others.

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Germany is producing so much renewable energy it's driving electricity prices below zero

German power producers are poised to pay customers to use electricity this weekend. Wind generation is forecast to climb to a record on Sunday, creating more output than needed and driving electricity prices below zero, broker data compiled by Bloomberg show. It would be the first time this year that the average price for a whole day is negative, not just for specific hours.

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Possible tariff on imported solar panels makes the industry nervous

Until the last few weeks, Christopher Hanson’s work as a foreman installing rooftop solar systems was as bright and steady as the midmorning Wasatch Front sun. By his measure, Hanson has completed over 2,000 residential solar projects in his nearly five-year career, including one more he’s about to finish for Vivint Solar here in the suburbs south of Salt Lake City.

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Several states crack down 'fake' service animals

Chris Slavin was in an elevator a couple years ago with Earle, her yellow lab service dog, sitting calmly beside her wheelchair. The elevator doors opened and in walked a woman holding a purse. In the purse was a teacup poodle the color of apricots.

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World Hunger Is Increasing, Thanks to Wars and Climate Change

Around the globe, about 815 million people – 11 percent of the world’s population – went hungry in 2016, according to the latest data from the United Nations. This was the first increase in more than 15 years. Between 1990 and 2015, due largely to a set of sweeping initiatives by the global community, the proportion of undernourished people in the world was cut in half. In 2015, U.N. member countries adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, which doubled down on this success...

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Squirrels linked to spread of leprosy

Leprosy found in red squirrels is also found in pre-Norman bones in Suffolk and Scandinavia.

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Incredible photos show terrifying hail storm in Argentina

The aftermath of a storm which dumped up to five feet of water and hail in Argentina has been revealed in images released by the World Meteorological Organisation. Officials said a fierce hailstorm hit towns in the central Argentinian province of Cordoba on Thursday afternoon, leaving roads closed and vehicles unable to move. The incredible photos show fire fighters rescuing cars stuck up to their windows in hailstones and a road swamped in debris.

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Bali volcano's alert status lowered after decreased activity

Indonesian authorities lowered the alert status of Bali's Mount Agung volcano from the highest level on Sunday, following a significant decrease in activity in recent days. More than 140,000 people fled the area around the mountain after its alert status was raised to the highest level on...

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Antarctic Adélie penguin colony in jeopardy as Marine Protection Area is rejected

huge colony of Adélie penguins in Antarctica is at risk after an international commission founded to preserve wildlife at the South Pole refused to establish a Marine Protection Area, despite pleas from conservationists. The 18,000 pairs of penguins in Terre Adélie suffered a catastrophic breeding failure at the start of 2017 with only two chicks surviving.

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Law Enforcement Descended On Standing Rock A Year Ago And Changed the DAPL Fight Forever

No other incident during Standing Rock better illustrates the collaboration between police and private security in suppressing the NoDAPL movement. By Alleen Brown, Will Parrish, Alice Speri.

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We Were Promised Fusion Energy

For the entirety of recorded history, humans have worshipped nuclear fusion. It's gone by different names over the millennia, of course: the Egyptians called it Ra, the Greeks called it Helios, and the Aztecs knew it as Tonatiuh. Today, most of us know it as the Sun, but leading physicists around the world regard it with the same sense of awe as our ancient ancestors. This is not because these physicists believe the Sun rides across the sky in a giant reed boat...

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US winter has shrunk by more than one month in 100 years

The length of the US winter is shortening, with the first frost of the year arriving more than one later than it did 100 years ago, according to more than a century of measurements from weather stations nationwide. The trend of ever later first freezes appears to have started around 1980, according to data from 700 weather stations across the US going back to 1895 and compiled by Ken Kunkel, a meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

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Dinosaur sported 'bandit mask'

A dinosaur from China had a "bandit mask" pattern in the feather on its faces, fossil analysis has shown.

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Tesla Turns Power Back On At Children's Hospital In Puerto Rico

Tesla has used its solar panels and batteries to restore reliable electricity at San Juan's Hospital del Niño (Children's Hospital), in what company founder Elon Musk calls "the first of many solar+battery Tesla projects going live in Puerto Rico." The project came about after Puerto Rico was hit by two devastating and powerful hurricanes in September, and Musk reached out about Tesla helping.

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Chile Bans Plastic Bags in 100+ Coastal Areas

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed a bill Wednesday that prohibits the sale of single-use plastic bags in 102 coastal villages and towns in a bid to stop the build-up of ocean plastic and to "[take] care of our marine ecosystems." An estimated eight million tons of plastic trash gets dumped into our oceans each year, literally choking marine life, harming ocean ecosystems and threatening the larger food chain. Businesses found using and distributing plastic bags could face a US$300 fine, Telesur reported about the legislation.

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New Zealand Government to Plant 100 Million Trees Yearly

New Zealand's next prime minister Jacinda Ardern has set ambitious environmental policies to confront a warming planet. "I do anticipate that we will be a government, as I said during the campaign, that will be absolutely focused on the challenge of climate change," said Ardern, whose Labour party has signed a coalition agreement with the New Zealand First party.

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‘Dinosaur mummy’ unveiled in Canada museum, 3000 lbs when alive, still weighs 2500 lbs after ages

Scientists are hailing this prehistoric dinosaur as the “best-preserved dinosaur on Earth.” In fact, it is so well-preserved that it cannot be defined as a fossil. This magnificent ancient 18-foot-long specimen has been called a genuine “dinosaur mummy.”

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Climate change is much, much worse than we thought, study finds

Global warming might be far worse than we thought, according to a new study. The research challenges the ways that researchers have worked out sea temperatures until now, meaning that they may be increasing quicker than previously suggested. The methodology widely used to understand sea temperatures in the scientific community may be based on a mistake, the new study suggests, and so our understanding of climate change might be fundamentally flawed.

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Seriously Metal Photos of Canada’s Tree Planters

Rita Leistner’s latest exhibition captures the intensity of tree planting.

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Oysters can ‘hear’ the ocean even though they don’t have ears

These seemingly oblivious shellfish are highly sensitive to sounds, which could help them monitor incoming tides, hear thunder and spot approaching predators

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The Gruesome, Bloody World of Victorian Surgery

A new book follows Joseph Lister as he ushers surgery into the modern age. By Sarah Zhang.

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Dogs Can Tell Whether People Are Selfish Or Generous After Brief Human Exposure

If you’ve ever wondered whether your dog indeed is a good judge of a person’s character or whether that’s just the wishful thinking of a doting dog parent, new research suggests that dogs are aware of human personality. However, it doesn’t have anything to do with a canine sixth sense. A study published in the journal PLOS One found that dogs learn to recognize whether a person is selfish or generous after little human interaction. Adult dogs in the investigation preferred to get physically closer to generous people instead of selfish people.

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Would Your Dog Eat You if You Died? Get the Facts.

You might not look at your beloved Bella or Buddy the same way after reading this.

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Invisible Forest: Chasing the Illegal Loggers Looting the Amazon

The urgent question: Can government agents finally prove that enough trees come from illegal logging sites in Peru to stop shipments into the US?

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Study finds pollution is more deadly than war, natural disasters, and disease

Every year, more people die from pollutants — from toxic air to contaminated water — than by all war and violence. That’s more than the death count of AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria —combined!

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Growth in solar power beat all other energy sources in 2016, but Trump still wants more coal

Listening to the Trump administration advocate for reviving coal, one might get the impression that a fossil fuel resurgence is taking place in the U.S. and abroad. However, the global statistics tell a far different story about where the world is getting its energy, with unprecedented thresholds crossed by renewable energy technologies like solar and wind power.

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Synthetic Biology Could Allow Bad Actors to Re-Create Smallpox

SynBioBeta, which bills itself as the world’s premier forum for innovators and investors interested in synthetic biology, concluded its sixth annual conference in San Francisco earlier this month. Companies from across the country and from around the world delivered presentations on how they are finding biological solutions to human problems. The conference showcased how synthetic biology can be used to develop new drugs, protect the environment, and improve agricultural productivity.

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Geese-like birds seem to have survived the dinosaur extinction

A bird group named the Vegaviidae, which resembled modern loons and geese, is the first identified with members that lived before and after the Cretaceous extinction

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Ocean acidification is deadly threat to marine life, finds eight-year study

Plastic pollution, overfishing, global warming and increased acidification from burning fossil fuels means oceans are increasingly hostile to marine life

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Raccoons Pass Famous Intelligence Test—By Upending It

Raccoons are notoriously pesky, but are they as clever as a crow? Scientists recently put the masked mammals through the Aesop's Fable test, which measures if animals can discern cause and effect by displacing water to access food. The experiment is based on the story in which a thirsty crow can’t drink from a pitcher with a low level of water. By dropping in stones, the bird raises the water level and is able to drink.

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Incredibly lifelike insects crafted out of bamboo.

Japanese craftsman Noriyuki Saitoh, who is famous for catching anatomical substances with uncanny aptitude, develops life-sized creepy crawlies utilizing bamboo sticks.

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These 100-year-old glass flowers are so accurate, they rival the real thing.

the Blaschkas, who had already established a thriving glassmaking business, Leopold, the elder Blaschka, had begun his career making costume jewelry, chandelier attachments, and other luxury goods. He even made glass eyes, both for human use and taxidermy. They used a process called lampworking or flameworking to craft their masterpieces. The collection is housed in a dedicated gallery at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

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Dogs really can smell your fear, and then they get scared too

There is an urban myth that dogs can smell human emotions, now it seems to be true: dogs can sense a person’s emotional state just by sniffing a sample of their sweat

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Wild boars terrorize German town, injure 4

Four people were injured after squealing boars descended on the small city of Heide in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein on Friday morning. Two fully-grown, "aggressive" wild boars — a male and a female — stormed into the city center shortly after 9 a.m. according to local police statements. The male then entered the building of a local bank and began attacking people inside before a local hunter was able to shoot and kill the animal. The second boar managed to escape amid the commotion.

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Sharks discovered inside active volcano, and footage proves they're alive

Sharks in a volcano? It's true.

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Every Apple You Eat Took Years and Years to Make

"Feel free to spit."

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Dead Acacia Trees and Red Dunes of Deadvlei in Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia

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I've always wondered: why don't chickens look down when they scratch?

Chicken eyes are stranger than you think: they can look up and down at the same time.

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Dimming the sun could save corals from bleaching and hurricanes

Time for artificial planet coolers? A cooling “sunshade” for the planet could reduce harmful coral bleaching and the number of hurricanes, which damage reefs. With the effects of climate change becoming increasingly apparent, the idea of squirting a cloud of sulphate aerosols into the upper atmosphere is being investigated by several groups of scientists. This would scatter some of the sun’s rays back into space, reducing the rate at which the Earth is warming.

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New tyrannosaur fossil is most complete found in Southwestern US

A remarkable new fossilized skeleton of a tyrannosaur discovered in the Bureau of Land Management’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) in southern Utah was airlifted by helicopter Sunday, Oct 15, from a remote field site, and delivered to the Natural History Museum of Utah where it will be uncovered, prepared, and studied. The fossil is approximately 76 million years old and is most likely an individual of the species Teratophoneus curriei, one of Utah’s ferocious tyrannosaurs that walked western North America between 66 and 90 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous Period.

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U.S. Proposes New Cyber Security Controls to Protect Power Grid

U.S. grid operators will have to take measures to guard against the risk of being infected by malware from electronic devices like laptops and thumb drives under proposals put forward by the nation’s top energy regulator.

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Scientists investigate why crows are so playful

Crows share an interesting set of behaviors with humans: they like to play, and they often use tools. We know that humans play to learn. When toddlers knock over a pile of blocks, they're developing the ability to build and measure objects in the real world. The question is, do crows play for the same reason? An international team of cognitive scientists played with some crows to find out. What they discovered gives us a new understanding of crow consciousness, but it still leaves a lot of questions unanswered.

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It's Not Crazy to Dream of a World Without Fossil Fuels

Several dozen academics, diplomats, and energy researchers gathered earlier this year in Berlin to embark on a fascinating thought experiment. They began with the assumption that a worldwide transition from fossil fuels to renewables is all but inevitable—a future that is not guaranteed, but hardly implausible either, despite the current domination of oil and gas. Then they imagined what that future would look like, not just in terms of the energy economy but in terms of society as a whole. Oil, coal, and gas have shaped and structured our political and economic system for well over a century.

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How Seattle Bucked a National Trend and Got More People to Ride the Bus

Seattle saw a 4 percent increase in bus ridership, a crucial component of both its public transit and emissions reduction plans.

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FDA approves a game-changing treatment for blood cancer

he Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a promising new treatment for a particularly deadly form of cancer, bringing hope to desperate patients while rekindling a global conversation about the escalating cost of new therapies. The treatment, made by Gilead Sciences, is made by extracting patients’ white blood cells and re-engineering them to home in on tumors. Called a CAR-T, the one-time treatment has shown unprecedented results for patients with dire diagnoses.

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