Aurora photographers find new night sky lights and call them Steve

A group of aurora enthusiasts have found a new type of light in the night sky and named it Steve. Eric Donovan from the University of Calgary in Canada spotted the feature in photos shared on a Facebook group. He did not recognise it as a catalogued phenomenon and although the group were calling it a proton arc, he knew proton auroras were not visible.

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Smallpox could return as Siberia's melting permafrost exposes ancient graves

Last known case of the deadly disease was in Somalia in 1977, but Russian scientists investigating an anthrax outbreak have found the virus's DNA in corpses once entombed in the frozen ground. By Ian Johnston. (Aug. 16, 2016)

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Bill Nye criticizes CNN on air for inviting climate change skeptic

Bill Nye on Saturday accused CNN of doing a "disservice" to viewers by bringing a climate change skeptic onto the network for a panel discussion. "I will say, much as I love CNN, you’re doing a disservice by having one climate change skeptic, and not 97 or 98 scientists or engineers concerned about climate change," Nye said during an appearance on CNN's "New Day." Nye was participating in a panel discussion on the network with May Boeve, the executive director of the environmental group 350.org, and William Happer, a physicist and climate change skeptic.

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The Kekulé Problem

Where did language come from? Cormac McCarthy explores the uniquely human capability of near infinite expressive power arising through a combinatorial grammar built on the foundations of a far more ancient animal brain. How have these two evolutionary systems become reconciled? Cormac expresses this tension as the deep suspicion, perhaps even contempt, that the primeval unconscious feels toward the upstart, conscious language.

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Dramatic rescue saves 7 horses from icy death in frozen-over slough

Firefighters near Grande Prairie, Alta., used their specialized training to rescue 10 frantic horses that broke through an ice-covered slough on Sunday. Dramatic video shows how firefighters saved the horses, three of which later died from the ordeal. The herd had wandered onto the ice before falling through, said Trevor Grant, regional fire chief in the County of Grande Prairie.

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How gardeners can combat climate change

Gardening simply requires greater vigilance than before.

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FedEx slammed for 'lack of sincerity' in banning shark fin shipments

Package delivery company FedEx has come under fire for “lacking sincerity” in banning shark fin shipments after its Hong Kong managing director refused to speak with wildlife activists. On Thursday, activists from environmental group WildAid made a surprise visit to a FedEx media event attended by Anthony Leung, managing director of the company’s Hong Kong and Macau branch. Leung declined to engage with the activists, WildAid said.

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