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POPSAGAVE: Not just for tequila anymore! The real question is: can I sweeten my margaritas with agave nectar? Hmm, how about if I rim the glass with agave nectar and colored sugar crystals...the possibilities are endless!
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POPSEnergy Crisis Postponed: New Gas Rescues The World 
Tony Hayward, BP's chief executive, said proven natural gas reserves around the world have risen to 1.2 trillion barrels of oil equivalent, enough for 60 years' supply " and rising fast. "There has been a revolution in the gas fields of North America. Reserve estimates are rising sharply as technology unlocks unconventional resources," he said. "The common wisdom was that unconventional gas was too difficult, too expensive and too demanding," he said, according to Petroleum Economist. "This has changed. If we ever doubted that gas was the fuel of the future " in many ways there's the answer." The breakthrough has been to combine 3-D seismic imaging with new technologies to free "tight gas" by smashing rocks, known as hydro-fracturing or "fracking" in the trade. The US is leading the charge. Operations in Pennsylvania and Texas have already been sufficient to cut US imports of liquefied natural gas (LGN) from Trinidad and Qatar to almost nil,
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POPSParasite Causing Deformities in Frogs "Once the parasitic crustaceans enter the gills of a tadpole victim, they feed off the tadpole's tissues until male and female parasites mate. The male dies soon after. Meanwhile the fertilized female bores her way partially out of the tadpole. The female worm's head and part of its body then morph into an anchor-like growth attached to the base of the tadpole's tail or to its legs. The parasite's egg sac is attached to this external growth, but part of the female parasite remains inside the tadpole's body and damages internal tissues. " There is more information at the source article.
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POPSLA-area blaze size doubles, threatens 12,000 homes In Mariposa County, a nearly 7-square-mile fire burned in Yosemite National Park ~~~ An animal sanctuary called the Roar Foundation Shambala Preserve, six miles east of Acton, was in the mandatory evacuation zone, but fire officials decided removing the animals would be "a logistical nightmare," said Chris Gallucci, vice president of operations. ~~~~~ flames about a half-mile away from the communications and astronomy centers on Mount Wilson ~~~~~ which hold transmitters for more than 20 television stations, many radio stations and cell phone providers. ~~~~ Television stations said if the antennas burn, broadcast signals would be affected but satellite and cable transmissions would not be. Two giant telescopes and several multimillion-dollar university programs are housed in the century-old Mount Wilson Observatory. The complex of buildings is both a historic landmark and a thriving modern center for astronomy.
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POPSSuper Bacteria Check this baby out ! Deinococcus radiodurans is a fabulous bacteria. It may well be our servant to help us explore new worlds. These are the same bacteria you may have already heard of, but have forgotten. Back in the '70s they were adapted to help clean uo those nasty oil spills. Now we are heading into new territories, such as cleaning water & oxygen, and adapting to humans for survival on other planets. If you really want to see what's going on click on the links to further your education about them and your curiosity.
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POPSNew kinds of weather on the way
cont: Blench Most weather conditions involve temperature or moisture, but blench is all about smell - and, as smells go, this one is awful. It's described as a combination of artificial strawberry, egg, the artifiicial strawberry found in scented erasers, and body odor. It sticks to clothes and skin, and some people try to remove the "blench stench" using lemon juice. But don't be too hasty to wipe it off - after a few minutes indoors, the smell of blench changes, leaving you smelling like a dewy rose garden in the early hours of the morning. Sea Humps Rising temperatures penetrate ever deeper into the ocean, eventually causing the entire ocean to evaporate from the bottom up. The sea rises for a moment, but then swiftly cools, and descends again with a loud thud. This process can continue, every few seconds, for many hours, and the pounding sound can be disruptive for those who live by the sea. Limp Wallys Limp Wallys are a type of fog which forms in thin, floppy strands, a
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POPSWater Bears Looking at water under a microscope can be fun, but sometimes it can turn your stomach. I don't care what anyone says, I like the chlorine in my drinking water. In the '40s and 50s my grandparents would take us out camping in the woods, and we would fill our canteens from the stream. Then I got my first microscope." NEVER again" I said! Ironically, they were the ones who gave me the instrument for xmas.
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POPSIdiots Trying To Play Scientist
As temperatures rise, the sea bed grows warmer and frozen water crystals in the sediment break down, allowing methane trapped inside them to escape. OK everyone, let’s remember where we are " the ARCTIC, because this is important. It’s really cold in the Arctic, especially in the deep waters. The gas is normally trapped as “methane hydrate” in sediment under the ocean floor. “Methane hydrate” is an ice-like substance composed of water and methane which is stable under conditions of high pressure and low temperature. As temperatures rise, the hydrate breaks down. So this new evidence shows that methane is stable at water depths greater than 400m off Spitsbergen. Trust me when I note that pressure and temperature are not the only factors " by far " which dictate when the methane can be released. The make up of the sea floor is also important. If it is not stable or strong then the methane can be released in one area and not another under the same temps and pressures.
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POPSIce Returns as Greenland Temps Plummet "The mayor cautioned against thinking that the freezing temperature indicated that global warming claims were overblown. He noted that a nearby glacier had retracted more in the past two decades than in recorded history. But he noted “‘We Greenlanders have acclimated to changing conditions over the past 1100 years,” said Frederiksen. “Temperatures change at regular intervals.”"
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POPSSwiss seek Pope's blessing to stop glacier melting more: "The residents of Fiesch and Fischertal hope that this will happen in September or October and are optimistic that the Holy Father will decide in their favor as he has repeatedly spoken out about climate change," they said in a statement. Switzerland's glaciers shrank by 12 percent over the past decade, melting at their fastest rate due to rising temperatures and lighter snowfalls, a recent study showed. Glaciers are a key source of water for hydro-electric plants in Switzerland as well as an important tourist attraction. Researchers are predicting that the temperatures in the Swiss Alps will rise by 1.8 degrees Celsius in winter and by 2.7 degrees Celsius in the summer by 2050. (Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Jon Boyle)
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POPSDozens of Jumbo Squid Beached After Quake--Coincidence? Like whale and dolphin strandings, the causes of squid beachings are a mystery. One theory is that the squid can be disoriented by rapidly changing water temperatures. "The water temperature has been a little weird lately," Staaf said. "If the squid were in really warm water, but then it suddenly got very cold, that could be confusing for them." Another possibility is that the beached squid had ingested dangerous amounts of a toxin called domoic acid.
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POPSWindows for Weather One thing to remember. This is version 1.0. Apple already has an app for it and it's integrated with iTunes!!!
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POPSPhysical connection between the decadal solar cycle and global climate patterns
That small amount of extra heat leads to more evaporation, producing extra water vapor. In turn, the moisture is carried by trade winds to the normally rainy areas of the western tropical Pacific, fueling heavier rains. As this climatic loop intensifies, the trade winds strengthen. That keeps the eastern Pacific even cooler and drier than usual, producing La Niña-like conditions. Although this Pacific pattern is produced by the solar maximum, the authors found that its switch to an El Niño-like state is likely triggered by the same kind of processes that normally lead from La Niña to El Niño. The transition starts when the changes of the strength of the trade winds produce slow-moving off-equatorial pulses known as Rossby waves in the upper ocean, which take about a year to travel back west across the Pacific. The energy then reflects from the western boundary of the tropical Pacific and ricochets eastward along the equator, deepening the upper layer of water and warmi