A Washington State man narrowly survived an avalanche on Saturday only after his friends reacted quickly and dug him out. John Swanson was snowmobiling with a group in Washington's Stampede Pass when another rider set off an avalanche above him. Working quickly—and rolling video—Swanson's friends uncovered his helmet and cleared snow away from his face. "I knew that these guys were looking," Swanson said. "It quickly becomes a reality that time is of the essence when you're there."... Read More
Scientists from the University of Bristol have developed a magnetic soap compound that could be used to help manage oil spills. The soap contains iron-rich salt and can be removed from both water and oil with a simple magnet. Traditional soaps, often referred to as surfactants, were widely used to help disperse oil in the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The environmental damage caused by soap use in oil spills could be significant, though scientists believe soap is less harmful than leaving oil un... Read More
Concerns that a strong solar-radiation storm would disrupt communications prompted Delta Airlines and United Airlines on Tuesday to reroute flights over both the North and South Poles. The Federal Avaition Administration is closely monitoring what scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are calling the strongest geomagnetic storm in six years. The radiation is the result of a solar flare that hurled a chunk of the sun's atmosphere toward Earth on Sunday night, causing... Read More
Conservationists in Scotland are growing concerned that 300,000 missing salmon may harm the wild salmon population in the Shetland Islands. The Meridian Salmon Group reported 300,000 salmon missing around Christmas after a storm washed 11 cages out to sea. Conservationists are concerned that the farm fish could reduce diversity in the wild population should they breed. The farm fish could also infect wild salmon with diseases. Some experts believe that the farm-raised fish have died.
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A team of Navy SEALs on Wednesday rescued two aid workers who were held hostage in Somalia in the first major U.S. military incursion into the country since 1994. Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted, a Dane, were captured while working for the Danish Refugee Council in Galmudug, Somalia in October. President Obama reportedly green-lighted the operation after reports that Buchanan's health was deteriorating. Galmudug is a haven for pirates, who on Saturday kidnapped an American journalist w... Read More
